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It’s fame well deserved
'Fame: The Musical': Performances continue through April 8 at Blaisdell Concert Hall, at 8 p.m. Tuesdays, Fridays and April 3; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; and 2 and 7:30 p.m. April 2. Tickets $29 to $65. Call 526-4400.
By Ruth O. Bingham
Special to the Star-BulletinJAZZY set, great staging, dynamite dancing, compelling characters, a terrific cast, slick music ... and the result is certain fame, or in this case, "Fame: The Musical."
The musical, a thorough reworking of the 1980 movie, tracks 10 students from their acceptance into New York City's High School of the Performing Arts through graduation, portraying young hopes, dreams, frustrations and joys.
Following a growing trend to extend theater beyond the stage, designers Norbert Kolb (scenic), Christopher Bond (sound) and Richard Winkler (lighting) spread stage lighting into the auditorium and added background street sounds to envelop the audience. Amid the bustle of arrivals, and facing a light-mottled, graffitied, and street-sign-covered brownstone building, the audience took their seats in New York City before the first note sounded.
The show began, not with a curtain rising, but with individual "students" highlighted behind the brownstone scrim, opening their acceptance letters. Visually striking, the opening flowed into an electrifying dance/song ensemble that made their excitement infectious. Terrific openings sometimes fizzle, but this one set the tone for the evening.
Throughout, the dancing smoked, capturing a sensual, explosive energy. By the end, it was hard to believe that these students were just characters. I left the theater wondering what happened to them after graduation.
Most shows support only a handful of characters: "Fame" supported almost all 10 students, plus four teachers.
Sophina Brown, as the flamboyant, tragic Carmen Diaz, dominated the stage, partly with her costume, but also with her striking looks, strong voice and outstanding acting. Her song, "In L.A.," was moving and in some ways more memorable than even the monumentally famous theme song.
Billy Blanks Jr. played the fabulous-dancer-but-dyslexic Tyrone Jackson. Like his father of Tae Bo fame, Blanks Jr. is tall, handsome, with a killer body and legs so long they never quite end, all of which made his dancing a delicious pleasure.
Carl Tramon (Schlomo Metzenbaum) was the most well-rounded performer in the most demanding role: acting, singing, playing violin and piano ... all of it well.
The big surprise hit belonged to Wandah Kay (Mabel Washington, a secondary role), whose melodramatic quasi-gospel "Mabel's Prayer" brought down the house.
Gavin Creel (classic male lead Nick Piazza) was paired with Sheri Sanders (awkward bobby-soxer Serena Katz) in a happily-ever-after resolution that did not quite work, which was odd because both performers were outstanding and suited their roles well. Somehow, it would have been more believable to let Nick turn out gay and for the two to end as lifelong friends.
Sanders displayed the most beautiful voice, well placed with a lovely timbre. The growling in her lower range, meant to portray her character, detracted from it, because in musical theater, singing is what is real: it is what she is feeling, what she is really like, inside. Outwardly, Sanders' character is awkward and occasionally brash, but inside she is as sweet and vulnerable as her voice.
The four teachers, well acted and sung by Regina Le Vert (Miss Ester Sherman, English), Jennifer Simser (Miss Greta Bell, dance), Herman Petras (Mr. Sheinkopf, music), and Gabriel Jarret (Mr. Myers, acting) play important, even central, roles that nonetheless lie outside "Fame's" focus. If anything has become dated since the movie, it is these roles. The "Teacher's Argument" between Miss Sherman and Miss Bell, for example, was hopelessly two-dimensionally idealistic and its attempt at musical arguing succeeded only in straining voices unnecessarily.
Music was almost entirely composed anew by Steve Margoshes. Much of it was apt if not particularly memorable, but there were wonderful moments ("Can't Keep It Down," "Mabel's Prayer," "In L.A.") and thanks to a fine sound system, balance and mix were generally excellent.
"Fame" offers a dynamite show for everyone excepting perhaps preteens: although sexual dancing is relatively mild, Jose/Restrepo's hilariously graphic "Can't Keep It Down" might require some explanation.
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