4 STARS
Last week, I was lucky enough to have the chance to see Musicality’s performance of ‘Fame’ at the Nottingham Arts Theatre. There were one or two resolvable glitches, understandable on only their second performance, but this show is certainly worth a watch.
The first thing that struck me was the cast’s strong set of singers. They can all hold their own vocals but it was also nice to see some given a spotlight in acting and dancing as well.
Claire Wimbush (played Carmen Diaz) and Jake Gelernter (played Nick Piazza) were evidently the two strongest voices from start to finish but there were some equally stunning performances from their fellow cast members. My friends and I agreed that our favourite song was ‘The Teachers’ Argument’ – a duet between Jess Lacy (played Miss Esther Sherman) and Amy Foden (played Ms Greta Bell). Their voices complimented each other beautifully, particularly their harmonization. Emily Jayne Dervey (played Serena Katz) was another pleasant surprise, strong and confident in her acting and vocals. I personally fell in love with James Thacker’s portrayal of Joe Vegas. He gave consistent delivery across the three disciplines and was suitably playful, beaming with confidence despite the potentially awkward suggestive gestures made during the song ‘Can’t Keep It Down’.
As a fellow dancer, I loved the choreography. It was technical enough to be impressive yet sufficiently simplistic at times to make the audience want to join in. Some less confident expressions took away from a couple of the dance scenes, although this was likely the last thing on their minds after focusing on singing and dancing. For every aspect, each actor has to be granted an A* for energy, not once showing a glimpse of exhaustion.
Unsurprisingly, the song ‘Fame’ was a massive hit and Claire’s voice really shone through over the ensemble. Its reprisal really highlighted the staggering sound of the group as a whole. My only musical complaint is over ‘Mabel’s Prayer’. It was unfortunately just too high for Katie Monk’s voice (played Mabel Washington) and could have been lowered a key or two. Katie pushed through to deliver a convincing comical piece but I think a slightly lower key would have helped her to be that bit more powerful.
The behind-the-scenes crew was faultless. Casting suited each actor brilliantly and the pit band (although small) effectively delivered a brilliant backdrop to the performers on stage. Furthermore, Lighting was on point and the front-of-house team could not have been more hospitable. They were also generous enough to give me a free ticket to see the show, for which I’m very grateful!
To conclude, if you’re looking for a feel-good show that’ll have you dancing out the door, please go and give Musicality’s newest production a watch. With a mixture of curious students and supportive family members, the audience also enriches the experience, actively rooting for the actors and giving them energy to feed off. I happily give the show 4 stars.
Edited by: Jessica Greaney
Musicality (https://www.su.nottingham.ac.uk/societies/society/musicality/)
Nottingham Arts Theatre (http://www.nottingham-theatre.co.uk/)
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Images are authors own.