By Aleksndr Arteaga
The year is 1980, set in the final years of New York City’s High School for the Performing Arts. Fame – The Musical follows a group of students through their trials and successes and ultimately reflects on their dreams of fame and fortune. Fame explores many themes that still face our youth, that of: self- identity, literacy, drug abuse, prejudice, sexuality, resilience, and perseverance. Fame is based on the 1980 film of the same title, and ran at The Little Shubert Theatre Off-Broadway for 264 Performances and 40 previews.
The Grand Theatre in Salt Lake City is nothing short of its name. With traditional balcony opera boxes, it would be the perfect venue for any opera or orchestral concert. The set design for Fame established an urban feel, which assisted in setting the tone of the show. Halee Rasmussen did a wonderful job creating a set, which was simplistic and resourceful. I applaud her set design; it created many strong lines, which aided to create beautiful stage pictures. Another shout out to Amanda Reiser, whose costume design truly captured the early 1980’s, from floral leggings to colorful leg warmers she hit the mark. Finally, Dan Efros did a magnificent job with lighting design! Efros’ lighting transformed this piece into a spectacle to behold.
The stage direction by David Hanson was strong, creating wonderful pictures. A majority of the actors’ entrances and exits were unmotivated, but easily addressed. The choreography by Ashley Gardner Carlson holds its own, and really pushes the ensemble to achieve technical perfection. I felt at times that the choreography was a bit safe, and did not have a New York City urban flair. When I think about Fame, I think about the street dancing scene in the 1980 film, not a combination in a jazz class. However, the choreography and direction were very strong, and aided in making this production a true spectacle.
This was my first experience at The Grand, and I was definitely wowed by the talent. These actors took what many would call an “awful” script, and made it believable and fun to watch. Not only have they created grounded scene work, but also the level of dance ability in this cast is ridiculous – meaning awesome. Jeremy Egan as Nick Piazza serenades you with his velvety voice and impresses with his grounded scene work. Adan Jorq’s Joe Vegas is over the top for all of the right reasons. Natale McAneney’s Carmen takes the audience on a journey of self-discovery and defeat. McAneney’s scene work is strong, along with her movement, though at times her voice faltered. William Richardson sells the role of Schlomo; he has a great understanding of the character’s awkwardness and delivers the most hilarious facial expressions. Leah Hassett’s Iris is captivating; I could watch Hassett dance all day! James Titus’ Tyrone is believable and compelling. Titus and Hassett’s chemistry onstage was strong and commendable. Allie Hurtado brings an innocence to Serena and is captivating to watch. On occasion, Hurtado plays some of the scene work upstage, making it difficult as an audience member to follow the plot. Bell Hennefer’s comedic timing is ridiculous good and perfect for the role of Mabel; “Mabel’s Prayer” was definitely a highlight of the show. Camille Evans’ drum solos are fierce and her scene work is also strong. Angela Chatelain Avila shines as Ms. Bell. Avila delivers each line with incredible conviction and truly is a presence onstage. Not only is Avila’s scene work commendable, but her voice is stunning. She sings with such space that you can hear every overtone bounce off the back wall of the theatre. Julie Silvestro Waite as Miss Sherman was unpredictable, at times I enjoyed her scene work, but at times I felt as though her choices were unmotivated and her delivery lacked conviction. The ensemble was very strong – there was not a weak link. They created powerful pictures, and executed rigorous dance combinations with wonderful energy.
I highly recommend going to see The Grand Theatre’s Fame- the Musical. It will wow you with its talent, and overall energy. The themes in Fame are relevant to today’s adolescents, and everyone really, and need to be heard.
The Grand Theatre presents Fame- the Musical.
October 10th-26th, with performances on Wednesdays (excluding 10/23), Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30PM, with matinees on Saturdays 12th & 19th at 2PM, at the Grand Theatre, 1575 South State Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84115. Tickets can be purchased online, or at the door, ticket prices vary from $10-$24. http://the-grand.org/events/current-season/fame
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