Dig out the legwarmers, spiral perm your hair, the musical that has, arguably, spawned every reality TV talent show going is dancing on the sidewalk straight into Milton Keynes Theatre!
Based on the 1980 cult pop film, Fame The Musical follows the lives of a bunch of wannabe young students at New York’s High School For The Performing Arts. These kids are super talented but super star-struck and they are learning the hard way that celebrity status doesn’t come easy. Not that that’s going to stop them. They’re gonna learn how to fly, high.
It may have been originally written with baby boomers in mind and it’s true that social media was still only a twinkle in some mad computer geek’s eye but the bittersweet themes in Fame are just as relevant for today’s Generation Z as the show explores issues such as prejudice, identity, pride, literacy, sexuality, substance abuse and perseverance.
This 30th anniversary stage production stars Hollyoaks favourite Jorgie Porter, as talented ballet dancer, Iris Kelly. Jorgie survived I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! and made it all the way to the final of Dancing on Ice. Platinum selling soul legend and star of Chicago and Love Me Tender Mica Paris gives a show-stopping performance as teacher Miss Sherman and Any Dream Will Do runner-up, Keith Jack, plays Nick Piazza, the boy who dreams of being a serious actor.
Presented by Selladoor Productions, Fame is directed and choreographed by Nick Winston with design by Morgan Large, sound design by Ben Harrison and musical supervision by Mark Crossland.
David De Silva - the conceiver of Fame and known as ‘Father Fame’ - says of this anniversary production: “What makes a musical ‘a classic’ or a ‘masterpiece’? It takes time. It passes from one generation to the next. It translates from one language to many. It entertains an audience with both laughter and tears. It inspires youth with passion and parents with nostalgia. This 30th anniversary Fame UK production is the best I've ever seen.”
Bring on the dancers, singers, musicians and rappers; strike up the opening bars of the Oscar-winning title song; 30 years on from its original outing on stage Fame The Musical fully intends to live forever.
