FAME - Limelight Theatre

I went along to the production Saturday 6th December. And I was very impressed! Having only seen the show on the Westend about 6 years ago, I had forgotten how much I enjoyed the songs (and not just the title song). From the very beginning of the show it was evident that the cast were confident and full of energy with them entering onto stage with vibrance and a well rehearsed opening of "Pray I make P.A" The set was well designed and used effectively. The lighting was good however I found the Spotlight very distacting. Whenever someone was lit on the second level of the Set, the hanging lights on the rig cast shadows on the set. Possibly moving the Spot to the staircase up to the Lighting desk or tightening the area of light around the performer would have rectified the problem. The sound in the venue was fantastic, with a great blend between voices and the orchestra, who were superb - Congratulations to the MD and musicians. Outstanding performances were given by the actors playing Mabel, Schlomo and Jose. Their focus was consistant and their performances (both singing and acting) were strong. Mabels prayer was a highlight for me. Such a big voice from a small performer! Jack/Tyrone - Although a strong dancer that was able to hold down the accent well, I felt he failed as a believable "straight" character. Once he danced he slipped out of character and became very camp, which then made the kissing scenes with the female performer look awkard. The angry/upset emotion also came out like a pout. Serena - Fantastic acting, and I enjoyed "Lets play a love scene" but she appeared to be a little less comfortable with the song "Think of Meryl Streep". Carmen - Great voice, good dancer. She tackled "Fame" with ease with a fiery latino feel, However with "In LA". The emotion was there however there seemed to be a struggle with the high notes. Nick - Made into a loveable character, but there was nothing believable about the romance between him and Serena. At first I thought perhaps direction was given to him to play the role as "Gay" and he and Serena were going to play the "Best Friends" roles, but at the end it was clear that their relationship was suppose to be of a sexual nature, which I couldn't grasp. I felt the weakest link of this production were the adult performers. I didn't feel that their performances were strong enough to match the young cast. Ms Bell was fairly natural in her acting (which I beleived) However her singing was just not strong enough. The Singing of Miss Sherman too was very weak. "These are my Children" lacked sincerity and quality. Mr Myers lacked stage presence and Mr Shienkopf kept dropping his Non-specific european accent. The dancing was simple yet effective and cleverly choreographed to show off its best dancers. Although I would have liked to have seen more dancing, I know how hard it is to get Singing/Dancing Actors who are "All-rounders". A great way to spend a Saturday afternoon (and the theatre was full - which was great to see). Chookas to the cast for your final week of performances.