Category Archives: Theatre

Theatre

Review of “Exodus” at The Coliseum Theatre, Aberdare by Roger Barrington

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out of 5 stars (3 / 5)

 

I have an unusual degree of uncertainty on how to review Motherlode’s latest offering “Exodus”. I say this because the majority of people around me were regularly laughing out loud, whereas I could only manage a couple of chuckles throughout.

I think there are two reasons for this.

The first being I had difficulty understanding the actors at times. In fact, Gwenllian Higginson a Mary, I only tuned into during the final twenty minutes. It pains me to say this as Gwenllian attended my almar mater, Rose Bruford College.

But she wasn’t alone, as I had problems ith the other two speakers, and as many of the jokes are quick fire, they just evaporated into thin air around me.

Also, the play is set in Aberdare, and there are a number of in-jokes relating to it, that I just didn’t get.

The odd thing is that for the past eighteen months, I have lived in Aberdare.

Written and directed by Rachael Boulton, “Exodus” is the company’s second production.  It’s first, “The Good Earth” toured Wales and New York where it received a favourable review from The New York Times.

In 1865, a party of mostly Welsh people sailed on the “Mimosa” to start a new life in Patagonia – Y Wladfa. Aberdare was one of the places where colonists gathered prior to their embarkation. They left because of the social and religious problems in their own country.

Fast forward to today, and a party of four disillusioned daring Aberdare people decide to set off on their own adventure, piloting their plane to Cuba.

Along the way, they recruit, train and eventually head off into the sunset, using High Street Aberdare as their runway.

Along the way, there is much social comment, mainly uttered by Mary in lengthy monologues.

Where the production works really well is in it’s moments of physical theatre. By using clever lighting and a backdrop of a 5 square panelled window, with a scene of green hills and blue sky that cleverly illuminates the action – I particularly liked the blinding sun when the plane changed course.  The use of Karim Bedda’s, (Timmy) violin skills accompanying   the physical theatre also worked well.

The other two members of the cast, Liam Tobin as Raymond  and Bewwyn Pearce as Gareth strive hard for laughs and the whole cast performed energetically throughout.

A special mention is reserved for the innovative programme.

The play tours Welsh venues and moves on to London, where I’m certain it will go down well with exiles, needing a nostalgia boost.

There are many excellent components found in this production – I just wished that I enjoyed it more.

 

Roger Barrington

 

 

 

 

Theatre

Stephanie Back on 2023 by Illumine Theatre

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2023

Cardiff, 2023 – a law passed in Westminster in 2005 has just come into force. Children told they were born from donated eggs or sperm, upon turning 18, are now entitled to know the identity of their donor parent.

Mary seeks out sperm donor Chris, knocking his world asunder. In this new era, where racial tensions run high, she wants answers. Who are her half-siblings? Could she have inherited her deafness? And is Chris prepared to risk his marriage and own family plans to help her feel she belongs?

2023 has been developed with support from academics and researchers in the fields of gamete donation and D/deafness.

By: Lisa Parry
Director: Zoë Waterman
£12/£10

Preview 3 October £10/£8

BSL interpretation: 11 October

Post show talks:

5 October: Science and Ethics in ‘2023’
11 October: Talk with cast and creatives (BSL interpreted)
Every performance will be captioned

Produced by Illumine Theatre, with support from Arts Council Wales, the Unity Theatre Trust and Chapter.

Age: 14+ (contains swearing and sexual references)

Tickets can be booked at this link

Dance, Theatre

News : Frankenstein, Cascade Dance Theatre, Welsh Language and English Language Audio Information

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https://soundcloud.com/user-763014624/frankenstein-cascade-dance-theatre-cymraeg

https://soundcloud.com/user-763014624/english-language-trailer-frankenstein-cascade-dance-theatre-read-by-natalie-paisey

Celebrating 200 years since the publication of Mary Shelley’s masterpiece; Cascade breathes new life into a story that has become so much more to us than its 19th Century origins. Visceral and engaging, Cascade’s production brings to the stage all the potency, drama and tragic inevitability that has made the original novel beloved of generation after generation.

We all know Frankenstein; the tale of the monster made of and by man. A cautionary tale, a creation story, an outsider story…a love story. This November, a new Frankenstein is born as a company of six performers and two musicians bring to life Artistic Director Phil Williams’ compelling new adaptation of the ultimate gothic fantasy.

Live music will continue to play a pivotal role in the Company’s work with original composition and performance by Jak Poore (Theatr na nÓg, David Walliams’“Gangster Granny” & “Awful Auntie”) and Ben Parsons (Cherry Ghost, Arctic Monkeys, BBC and Sky TV). Set and costume will come from Paul Shriek (Ballet Boyz, WNO, NDCWales). Cascade Dance Theatre brings its latest creation FRANKENSTEIN, to the touring circuit in Autumn 2018.

This exciting new production delves into the dark world created 200 years ago by Mary Shelley. Artistic Director Phil Williams returns after his successful tour in Autumn 2016, heading a team of international collaborators in a bicentennial celebration of Shelley’s gothic masterpiece.

Every performance of Frankenstein will feature open captioning for D/deaf, deafened and hard of hearing audience members.

FRANKENSTEIN TOUR DATES 2018

1st Nov Taliesin Arts Centre, Swansea.

6th Nov Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Aberystwyth

9th Nov Ffwrnes, Llanelli

10th Nov Torch Theatre, Milford Haven

13th Nov Theatr Brycheiniog, Brecon

17th Nov Blackwood Miners Institute, Blackwood

20th Nov Borough Theatre, Abergavenny

23rd Nov Neuadd Dwyfor, Pwllheli

24th Nov Galeri, Caernarfon

29th 30th Nov and 1st Dec Chapter, Cardiff

 

Theatr Dawns Cascade mewn cyd-gynhyrchiad â Chanolfan y Celfyddydau Taliesin
yn cyflwyno
Frankenstein

“It was on a dreary night of November that I beheld the accomplishment of my toils…”

I ddathlu dauganmlwyddiant cyhoeddi campwaith Mary Shelley, mae Cascade yn cyfleu agweddau newydd ar hanes sy’n golygu mwy o lawer inni heddiw na chwedl wreiddiol y 19eg ganrig.

Mae cynhyrchiad angerddol nwydus Cascade yn ail-greu’n rymus ddramatig ar lwyfan ddatblygiad anochel anffawd sydd wedi sicrhau lle i’r nofel wreiddiol yn ein calonnau, genhedlaeth ar ôl cenhedlaeth.

Rydym i gyd yn gyfarwydd â stori Frankenstein, anghenfil a grëwyd o ddyn, o waith dyn. Chwedl rybuddiol, hanes creadigaeth, stori am ddieithryn… stori serch.

Ym mis Tachwedd fe gaiff Frankenstein newydd ei eni wrth i gwmni o bum perfformiwr a dau gerddor anadlu bywyd i mewn i addasiad cymhellgar y Cyfarwyddwr Artistig Phil Williams o’r ffantasi gothig benigamp hon.

Cefnogir gan Gyngor Celfyddydau Cymru, Llywodraeth Cymru a’r Loteri Genedlaethol, gyda chefnogaeth ychwanegol gan Ganolfan y Celfyddydau Aberystwyth, Tŷ Cerdd a Creu Cymru.

Y Daith: www.cascadedancetheatre.co.uk

Theatre

At Last: The Etta James Story at St David’s Hall, Cardiff by Barbara Hughes-Moore

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Starring Vika Bull and the Essential R&B Band, this smash-hit Australian production tells the story of soul icon Etta James’ remarkable life and career through the incredible songs that have rightfully earned her six Grammys, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and a place in history and our hearts.

This is the finest tribute to a musical legend I’ve seen since This is Elvis at the New Theatre; whereas that show dramatized it’s titular star’s two major comeback concerts in the style of a biopic, At Last: The Etta James Story punctuates an excellent narration of the singer’s tumultuous life with gems from her extraordinary musical repertoire – and it works beautifully.

Vika Bull’s effortless, extraordinary voice and charismatic performance achieves the almost unthinkable and does James justice. Along with her sumptuous vocals and charismatic narration, Bull possess that same raw gift of storytelling through song that set Etta apart, which is put to glorious effect in dazzling versions of I’d Rather Go Blind, All I Could Do Was Cry, and an absolutely staggering rendition of James Brown’s It’s a Man’s World. The titular At Last, arguably the most iconic song of Etta’s spectacular career, was so powerfully performed that the audience rose to their feet before the song was even finished.

Bull is supported by an amazing band, and her rapport with every musician was such a wonderful aspect of this production. The love for music was palpable between this talented bunch, and their enjoyment of performing Etta’s songs was palpable. Musical director John McAll, musical director on piano, Chris Bekker on bass guitar, Anton Delecca on saxophone – not to mention a joyous John Watson on drums, and Dion Hirini gloriously shredding that electric guitar like the lovechild of Jimi Hendrix and Mark Knopfler. Ben Gillespie on trombone also duetted with Vika Bull on a fabulous version of Wallflower (Roll with Me, Henry), and Tibor Gyapjas on trumpet also fantastically co-narrates the show with Bull as a truly dynamic master(s) of ceremonies double act.

There are too many excellent renditions to recount here, but I’m gonna give it the ol’ college try. Bull and the band perform sultry, soulful versions of I Just Want to Make Love to You, Spoonful, and Tell Mama, while Something’s Got a Hold On Me, Tough Lover and In the Basement made me want to get up and jive. And yet they approach the more sorrowful, soulful ballads with the same skill and passion, ascending to the heart-breaking heights of Sugar on the Floor, Would it Make Any Difference to You and Fool That I Am. And, if that wasn’t enough, the show closes with an emotionally epic encore performance of the Eagles’ Take it to the Limit, a song which Etta felt best described her tumultuous life.

At Last: The Etta James Story treats its eponymous icon’s songs and life story with respect, care and love – and I can only hope they return to the UK for a third time next year. Meanwhile, the show is touring around the UK through October, and if you can make it to one of these performances – whether you’re an Etta obsessive or an Etta amateur – I promise you won’t regr-etta it.

Theatre

Review Freeman, Strictly Arts seen at Canada Water Theatre by Tanica Psalmist

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The production Freeman by writer Camilla Whitehall in collaboration with Strictly Arts; is a graphic depiction of past victims who’d had severe mistreatment from the hands of the authority. Freeman re-enacts real life incidences of police brutality and the effects it left behind to the relatives of those lives lost to injustice, taking you as far back as the Eighteenth century to present day where we’re shown sequences of institutional racism permitting these fatal attacks.

Out of the six cast members, there was a solo white performer’ each of them did a remarkably believable job embodying real life people who had existed, uniquely bringing their past experiences and individual perspectives of raw, deep and reflective testimonials in fine detail to the stage.

The intimate space had minimal features of mise-en-scene apart from different music genres and lighting effects. The cast throughout the entire play mainly used their bodies to form moving objects, set a scene or express the type of place they were situated in. Various accents from the casts were used to portray several characters; impersonating English, Southern American and West African which was done perfectly when illustrating a different sense of culture. Some of the characters role-played were Sandra Bland (2015), Sarah Reed (2016), William Freeman (1847) and David Oluwale (1969); victims of Collective failures within society.

What helped to make Freeman such a powerful play was the projections and the incredible shadow puppetry visually displayed, to create comical effects. The production infused scenes with traditional African moves and Rock and Roll Classic fifties dancing with various styles, stunts and eloquent moves. Exhibiting a night club and times when dance styles from other races would be explored and embraced. Physical theatre techniques were an element incorporated to convey battling, restraining and vulnerability.

Freeman is an educational play, cohering factual statistics and documented information foretelling the incidences of fateful traumatic attacks throughout the years in police custody and on-going suffering which correlated to mental health; provoked from irrationalised victimising and the duration spent incarcerated as guilty under an oppressive system. Freeman is empowering, enlightening and revolutionary, translating history in to a story format.

A deep, emotionally compelling production!

Tanica Psalmist

Literature, Music, Theatre

Review Poet In Da Corner, Debris Stevenson, Royal Court Theatre by Tanica Psalmist

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POET IN THE CORNER is a production that foretells Debris Stevenson’s internal story from when she was a girl developing in to a woman finding herself and then articulating her voice exclaiming why her and many people within the community, who feel disenfranchised, have connected and affiliated to Grime. We see how Grime was a gateway for her to escape her pain and permitted permission for her to willingly explore herself as a female, artist and individual. It cultivates awareness of a captivating society that’s held within a social culture, easily lost and withdrawn from the torment inflicted in to the young, who may also be struggling to adjust to life so confide in the culture of Grime music.

The surrealism featured in Debris’ play openly expressed learning difficulties, family complexities, Sexuality, mental struggles, exploration of the body, attempting to adjust to religion, family standards, identity crisis, unrealistic devotions, bullying, friendship disputes circulated around pulling each other up and the misunderstood appreciation all manifesting under the same roof. This gave an empowerment testimonial in to what Debris’ life was like growing up feeling detached from home, school and her social life.

The set majestically opened up formulating a moving circular shape; one of the cast members opened up as an open format live DJ, lively and vibrantly creating a gig feel setting in the theatre. Debris brought a taste of her rhythmic, fiery and raw lyrics incorporated in numerous sequences within the play. Immersive techniques were used when artist and lyricst Jammz who was discreetly seated in the audience interacting with Debris on set, smartly causing a scene by increasing tension away from the stage and in to the audience. We then see Jammz eventually being escorted on to the stage, bringing double the heat, radiating from his microphone exhilarating even more speed, energy, passion and insight in to his perspective and elements of his incomparable struggles to hers growing up as a black man in a council estate with limited opportunities with a single mother. Debris Stevenson sparks a rational comeback, which exhibits how her being a Caucasian female doesn’t deflate the fact she also has struggles. Emphasising how both herself and him coming from different worlds, but yet have so many controversial, similar struggles is the emphasis to the value of them respecting each other’s struggle.

Poet in the Corner is fused with breaking fourth wall elements, projections, hot dance moves consisting of basement, krumping and street, exportation of the limitation through commercialised media, power of poetry, physical theatre techniques and a grime concert feel , rave feel and gig all wrapped up in one with a depiction of the sentimental artistic, fabrication of England. This production is enticed with expressions and intimate real life moments, discussions and powerful emotions. It is definitely a production worth seeing, an experience for all!

Tanica Psalmist

Theatre

Review, Lord of the Flies, Theatr Clwyd/Sherman Theatre Co-Production by Gareth Williams

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out of 5 stars (3 / 5)

The all-female cast of Lord of the Flies, a Theatr Clwyd and Sherman Theatre co-production, may have caused a stir in some quarters. But, for me, it’s actually one of the least interesting aspects of the production. This adaptation of William Golding’s 1954 novel translates the characters from page to stage seamlessly. It is their unique and distinct personalities, and the interactions between them, that fascinate most. The gender, as well as race, of the actors on stage very quickly becomes superfluous. I hope that, after all the hype and controversy, Jodie Whittaker’s introduction as the 13th Doctor next week will have a similar effect.

Director Emma Jordan has chosen to explode this production onto the stage. Sitting comfortably in my seat, the sudden detonation of light and sound to begin the play made me jump out of my skin. It was terrifying. Yet the exhilaration was equally palpable. It doesn’t take long for the characters, stranded on a desert island after their plane crashes, to establish themselves in the minds of the audience. The sensible Piggy (Gina Fillingham), the humble Ralph (Lola Adaja), and the vitriolic Jack (Kate Lamb) are as familiar here as they are in the pages of Golding’s book. Nigel Williams’ script remains relatively faithful to the novel, whilst condensing the action into a tightly-framed two hour performance. This means that the narrative skips along nicely. Yet the big moments still have plenty of room to breathe, resulting in some dramatic scenes that ooze tension and leave tangible space for reflection in their wake.

Far removed from her lovely persona as Delia Busby in Call the Midwife, Lamb seems to relish the role of Jack. The harsh delivery of her early criticism towards Fillingham’s sweetly amusing Piggy makes her character instantly dislikeable. Lamb appears at pains to place her character as the central antagonist through her brash and bold movements alongside the venomous verbal outbursts contained in Williams’ script. Such characterisation presents a confidence and commandeering that translates itself into a vision of leadership that can seem right and proper. It is in stark contrast to the pragmatic Ralph, played by Adaja. Her presence is less about physical flare. Instead, it is a more contained performance that sees the character wrestling internally with conflicting ideas and sentiments. This is conveyed brilliantly by Adaja through far more subtle movement than we get from Lamb. Combined with more strain and staccato in her vocal expression, Adaja demonstrates both the humility and self-doubt that lie at the heart of Ralph. This makes her, to all intents and purposes, a far more qualified leader, in my view. Yet this is a vision of leadership that is so often judged as weak and ineffective. The dynamic between these two, very different characters is, I believe, of huge relevance today, not least in the context of local, national, and global politics.

When I encounter Lord of the Flies, it is the use and misuse of power that fascinates. It is a theme that goes beyond gender. It speaks of the human condition. Therefore, to argue that changing the gender of the characters is problematic is, in my opinion, nonsense. Not that it is completely irrelevant. After the show, I overheard one female audience member comment that girls can be just as savage as boys. Would this observation have been made without the female-only cast? To offer an alternative (female) perspective, one that still remains sadly lacking in contemporary theatre, is important. But it is by no means one of the main reasons why this production is worth seeing. It is worth seeing because it features a very talented and dynamic cast who work brilliantly together to create an engaging and interesting adaptation of Lord of the Flies. Add in some well-placed music and very effective use of lighting and it makes for a bold and challenging dramatization of a narrative whose themes still resonate strongly today. In the end, this is simply a great story, well told.

Click here for tickets.

gareth

Literature, Theatre, Uncategorized

Review Lord of The Flies, A Theatr Clwyd and Sherman Theatre production by Karis Clarke

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out of 5 stars (5 / 5)

 

Director:  Emma Jordon

Adapted by Nigel Williams

From the second I jumped out of my seat when the lights went down in the theatre I was hooked! Unfortunately I had entered the theatre with a  pre conceived idea – that I wasn’t going to enjoy this production. … because of the very thing that was creating all the hype, the all female cast. I though the gender / feminist card would be thrust down the audiences throat as hard as that of the casting of a female Dr Who! I was wrong. For the first few minutes I fought hard with myself, looking for flaws – but honestly the play just won me over.

James Perkins design was simple but effective, multi layered and stylized – it didn’t need anything dramatic the play was so well crafted it could have been performed on a empty stage.   Tim Mascoll’s clever use of light, shade and silhouettes, added to the sinister savagery consuming the Island and gave depth to the set.

The all female cast were young, playing young children / teenagers –  not an easy task – it can be very easy to over act and it looks ridiculous,  underact and the importance of the childhood is lost. This cast was spot on  – Each one showing the transition from girl to woman to savage as well as portraying Golding’s symbolism .  Piggy  rationality, Rhalp civilisation, Simon innocence, Jack, savagery, Roger evil. Each one gave a well rounded performance each one being allowed to deliver moments of humour amid the unfolding horror.

Piggy was sublime and was a treat from beginning to tragic end – the likability of Gina Fillingham’s performance only heightened the pathos felt for the unheard, unlikely heroine.  This was a stark contrast to the  hatefully personality beautifully portrayed by Kate Lamb as Jack. The timing and interaction of all the girls was strong, credit to movement director Liz Ranken who utilised the bond of the cast none more so than with –  Lowri and Mari Izzard as sisters Eric and Sam who were faultless. It was the timing and rhythm of the play that enabled the girls to work themselves into the halftime frenzy  – creating highs and lows in pace and emotion allowing the audience to catch up with the events unfolding on the stage.

It was disturbing, as a female to watch the sisterhood destroy itself –  the  book depicts the symbol the boys waiting to be destroyed by the Beast aka man- this takes on a whole different meaning when you think of teenage girls on the brink of womanhood being petrified by the beast of man!

Most of us are familiar with the story of The Lord of The Flies and the demise of  the boys left to their own devices in a world with no order – but to see females descend into the chaos of evil starting at innocent name calling and teasing, ending in death was bitter. I watched the play with my teenage son – who thought “the play was brilliant – but would have been more believable with boys as girls wouldn’t behave that way”

I disagree, as I have been a teenage girl and could fully  buy into the ugliness that transpired. With this I learned two things – casting isn’t important the quality of the acting is and boy, girl, man or woman we are all victims of humanity, with a frailty of sanity on a  knife edge between good and evil.

Once again a 5 Star production in this coproduction from Cardiff’s Sherman Theatre and Mold’s Theatr Clwyd who are back where they belong  – leading the way in North Wales Theatre.

Lord of the Flies can bee seen at Theatr Clwyd until the 13 October. The production then play at Cardiff’s  Sherman Theatre from Wed 17 Oct 2018 – Sat 03 Nov 2018

 

 

Theatre

Review Dick Johns – Let’s Talk About Death, Baby, Chapter Arts Centre by Hannah Lad

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Dick Johns presents ‘Let’s Talk about Death Baby’ in the Seligman Theatre at Chapter Arts Centre. The show is presented in a cabaret style with audience sat around tables to be brought in to Dick’s story of football, bandannas and space hoppers.

The piece is honest and raw, a story very personal to the performer and writer Dick Johns. It follows the parts of his childhood/life relating to his father as the story is about the passing of his father. It is presented in fragments of Dick’s life, all these fragments relating to life and death. Stories about personal belongings and their value after you are gone.

The story was a little bit of magic because Dick performed with such truth that the audience were with him every step of the way, feeling like they were in the car on the way to West Wales or having a hidden cigarette out of the bathroom window. There were also lovely moments where we got brought in to his story where we put on football stickers or bandannas, and shared laughs about that.

My favourite part of the performance was when we got to speak to Dick through the generations to get a real sense of the performer. This show had brilliant heart, laughs and some tears. But overall it was an incredibly enjoyable and comforting story, about a topic people avoid talking about.

I thoroughly enjoyed this show and highly recommend it.

This production can be seen at Chapter Arts Centre until Thursday the 27th of September.

Hannah Lad      

Musical, Theatre

Fame: The Musical at New Theatre, Cardiff by Barbara Hughes-Moore

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‘You want fame? Well fame costs and right here is where you start paying – in sweat!’

This is the warning that Principal Sherman (Mica Paris) gives the audience, and the future class of ’84, as the curtain opens on NYC’s School of Performing Arts. Students flock here, hoping it holds the key to one day seeing their name in lights. But these hopefuls, like the musical they inhabit, have a lot to live up to, and not all of them make it to the top.

I somehow missed the boat on the entirety of the Fame franchise, knowing only the excellent title song, the iconic street dance scene, and a vaguely sketched synopsis. This UK tour is a restaging of the 1988 musical, developed by David De Silva, story by Jose Fernandez and original music/ lyrics by  Steve Margoshes and Jacques Levy, which incorporates elements of both the movie and the series that came before it.

We’re first greeted with a wonderfully evocative image: a bird’s-eye view of a taxi driving down a skyscraper-lined street, the sounds of traffic transporting us to a balmy summer in 80s NYC. The production design is never quite as effective after that; for most of the action, the stage is illuminated by yearbook photos of the cast, perhaps implying that this is the closest some of the characters will get to seeing their names in lights.

Although the actors work incredibly hard throughout, the characters sadly aren’t much to hold up the two and a half hour runtime, neatly slotting into the archetypes we’ve seen time and again. We have the talented but overconfident hopeful (Stephanie Rojas’ Carmen), the insecure progeny of a prodigy (Simon Anthony’s Schlomo), the hipsterish wannabe playwright (Keith Jack’s Nick) and the shy girl with an unrequited crush (Molly McGuire’s Serena). And despite the talent on display, some of the cast members are about as convincing as high schoolers as Steve ‘how do you do, fellow kids?’ Buscemi was in 30 Rock.

Jamal Kane Crawford’s Tyrone has the most compelling story by far, as a young African-American man trying to make it in the white-dominated world of professional dancing. Getting by on his natural talent and charm, Tyrone focuses on the performance side of PA over the academic in an attempt to avoid anyone finding out about his dyslexia. One of the few powerful scenes in the production involves Tyrone opening up about this to Principal Sherman, and Crawford shines in the role, especially with his fellow dancer and love interest Iris (a lovely turn by Jorgie Porter).

However, the most egregious mistake this production makes is the music. Despite an excellent finale featuring the titular iconic tune, the rest of the setlist is an exercise in mediocrity. At one point, Schlomo criticises Carmen for lyrical blandness, which, frankly, was a bit rich coming from a show featuring possibly the most clichéd songs I’ve ever heard. And the ballad they write together, ‘Bring on Tomorrow’, heralded in-show as a future hit, has the emotional richness of a ringtone.

The songs here are as generic as the American (Generican?) accents on display. The ballads in particular are pretty dire (and I really didn’t need multiple reprises of ‘Let’s Play a Love Scene’, ‘I Want to Make Magic’ or ‘In L.A.’), but not quite as bad as the nightmarishly on-the-nose ode to Meryl Streep, creatively titled ‘Think of Meryl Streep’. There’s nothing that reaches the tuneful heights of ‘Hi-Fidelity’, the melancholy magnificence of ‘Beautiful Dreamer’, or the delightfully disco-ish ‘I Can Do Anything Better Than You Can’ from the beloved series. It’s a shame to squander such uninspiring songs on a clearly talented cast who deserve better, especially Mica Paris, who is burdened with a thankless role and the most clumsily literal number of the show in ‘These Are My Children’.

For a show which proclaims the value of innovation over duplication, it sure does bask in banality. And yet it kinda messes up the bit we were all waiting for. ‘There’ll be no dancing on cars here’, Miss Sherman states, as if leaving out the most iconic scene from the film was some kind of subversive, revolutionary act. Not having the cast dance on cars at the end was a sin of the same magnitude as The Importance of Being Earnest daring to omit ‘a handbaaag?!’ We came here to see the street dance scene, Fame – and, car-less through it was, it still eclipsed every other number with its timeless intensity.

In the end, the musical suffers greatly in comparison to its predecessors, possessing none of their charm or quality despite the best efforts of a great ensemble cast. It has neither the gritty realism of the original movie, or the frenetic joy of the tv series, and sits somewhere between the two as the awkward, sleazily comedic middle child of the Fame family. Plus, it manages to be even less progressive than its forbears, particularly in its treatment (or is that wilful omission?) of LGBT characters. If you are a die-hard Fame fan, particularly of the musical itself, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this latest production. But, for me, it hasn’t got what it takes.