Review By Rick Pender

Fame: The Musical

Remember my name. That's what the kids at P.A. (short for Performing Arts high school) want us to do. And you probably do remember Fame, the movie. Or Fame, the very successful TV series.

It was inevitable someone would create Fame: The Musical, remembering how popular its predecessors had been. I mean, for heaven's sake, it succeeded in two other media. So in 1995 a producer took a few more frenetic dance steps down this derivative path, knowing audiences would pay $50 a seat to hear a song they remember from the tube with teenagers dancing around athletically.

The problem is I can't remember anyone's name, because no character is fully formed. Each one sings, maybe, two songs, solo or duet. These teen-agers never develop. After 15 years, we're expected to recall from TV the shy actor who might be gay, the star-struck Puerto Rican singer, the dyslexic black dancer with a chip on his shoulder. We sure aren't given much information about them in the show.

To be sure, several songs are performed with passion. But these are fleeting moments, not building blocks in a moving, coherent story. Fame: The Musical is perfect for our attention deficit age. No sooner have we been introduced to one energetic/angry/passionate/confused/talented (you choose) kid, than we're off to the next. Oh, there are a few teachers whose commitment is held up for us to admire, too. (Regina Le Vert's soulful rendition of "These Are My Children" was a truly powerful moment for me in this production.) But they're really minor characters.

The singers and dancers work hard in Fame. The music is fun (although it sure don't sound like the early '80s to me), and the dancing is tight and full of energy. And in case you couldn't remember the TV series' opening, don't fret: The finale recreates it, taxicab and all. A sure-fire standing ovation.

I was saddened by this uncreative manipulation, while all around me, everyone was having a good time. But will they remember it?

E-mail Rick Pender

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