Hellooo! Last night I went to see Fame at Grimsby Auditorium! I saw it in Grimsby way back in 2005 and was VERY excited to see that it was returning as part of the 30th anniversary tour! I remembered next to nothing about the show from when I saw it the first time around and didn't really know any of the songs aside from the iconic title track. I was sat in seat SD 23 in the stalls, which was £18.50 including a 50% off opening night Grimsby Auditorium Theatre Card discount. It was a great view with plenty of legroom so I was very happy with it!
I loved the 2009 remake of the 1980 film, however I hadn't seen the original film (which the musical is based off) or the 1982 TV series. I knew that it was set in a performing arts school and had a few different story lines running through it, rather than just one main plot. I loved the set and how the pictures in the backdrop were used in different ways by being lit up in different colours. Oh, and I loved that the pictures included cast members! The lighting when Schlomo was playing piano near the end was powerful and suited the moment well. There were so many different styles and genres throughout the show but it didn't feel forced when switching between them and I loved that there was such a diverse range! The overall show was VERY energetic and I also liked that at different points in the show, the band were involved as a few of them were also characters. Overall, the sound was pretty good and suited the music, although during The Teaches' Argument, the band seemed too loud and it felt like the singers were struggling to be heard.
Onto the cast! Due to illness, Mica Paris wasn't performing and Katie Warsop filled her role as Miss Sherman. This also lead to a couple of other changes, with Tabitha Camburn filling Katie's role as Miss Bell and I thought both suited their roles well! Finally, I *think* Ike Fallon filled in Tabitha's role of On-Stage Swing - the power of the swings! Jorgie Porter was another of the lead performers on the branding for Fame and I'll admit I was a bit sceptical but intrigued to see her performance and I was really impressed! I didn't realise that she was ballet trained and she was so graceful as Iris! Jamal Kane Crawford played Tyrone and I loved how quickly he could switch from delicate ballet to more powerful choreography. The character had so many sides to him and Jamal nailed them all! Keith Jack and Molly McGuire played Nick and Serena and I enjoyed the relationship between them and how their voices worked together. I also really liked how Molly portrayed the awkward and goofy Serena!
I LOVED Stephanie Rojas as Carmen and thought the way she managed to change the character from Act 1 to Act 2 was incredible! Her acting was just amazing and I loved her powerful singing too! Another character I loved was Mabel and I loved how Hayley Johnston portrayed the role! Albey Brookes brought plenty of humour to Fame as Joe and Simon Anthony suited his role as Schlomo very well! There were plenty more in the cast and they were all amazing! Oh and I also grabbed a programme for £6! I loved the branding on the merchandise for the tour but managed to restrain myself to just getting the programme!
Overall, I'd definitely recommend going and seeing Fame (especially if you love dance) while it's on tour! I loved the choreography in the show and it's impressive how the performers manage to do such a high energy show day after day! The cast were all amazing, the songs were catchy, I enjoyed the story and it was an all round great night at the theatre!
Thanks for reading!
Sophie
