Fame must be one of the most suitable musicals available for youth theatre productions, with its subject matter, the average age of the characters and the ability to utilise an enormous ensemble. 

Carnegie Youth Theatre has in the past had a very good solid reputation but for some time Geoff and I have been unable to see their productions. I nearly missed out on seeing ‘Fame’ as it was almost a sell-out show.

With only one or two minor reservations as to, for me, wrongly cast main characters, the show as a whole was extremely good. The direction, choreography both tight and varied, the individual vocal talents well utilised. The scope in costuming vast but I think some of the main characters would have worn more than one outfit over the period of the first two years of school!!

Although it is usually taken that ‘Carmen’ played by Alayne Bowring and ‘Tyrone’, Darren Phillip Johnson are nominally the two main leading characters I would say that they were frequently overshadowed by the rest of the featured students namely:-

‘Serena’, Cara Hirst and ‘Nick’, Andrew Gourlay as the mainstays of the drama class and prospective romantic couple.

Ballet dancing ‘Iris’, Lesley Stuart.

‘Joe’, Ryan Rogers the back-flipping comedian of the pack. ‘Mabel’ Kimberly Hall the dancer with the big appetite.

‘Schlomo’ James McIvor, ‘Lambchops’ Holly King and ‘Goodey’ Sean Robinson as the music departments aspiring trio.

And also not forgetting the teaching staff;

‘Miss Sherman’ Erin Gilliland-Patterson the English teacher who looks upon the students as her children.

‘Miss Bell’ Danielle Somerville as the strict obsessive dance teacher.

‘Miss Myers’ Amy Irvine the drama coach who also behaves like a personal psychoanalyst.

Finally last but not least ‘Mr Scheinkopff’ Scott Doyle as the Traditional Mainstay of the music department.

This energetic show is was so popular it would not be surprising if it is asked to return to the theatre soon.