Theater Reviews

Nov 20, 1999 - Great Cast and Energy Can't Save "Fame's" Dreadful Book

By Jack Neal

"Fame," the spinoff stage musical from TV and movie fame, shrieked, snapped, popped and rapped its way into Reno for a Friday night (11/19/99) opening at the Pioneer Center. The show starts off with near brilliance, then sputters through one banal cliche after another until the death of Carmen, one of the talented kids from New York's High School for the Performing Arts, comes twenty minutes too late to save theatergoers the embarrassment of one of the least convincing demises in stage history.

What "Fame" has going for it is a highly energized cast of talented players, an impressive set by Norbert U. Kolb that looks like everyone's favorite in-need-of-repair high school and terrific lighting by Richard Winkler that pinpoints action and does a yeoman's job of covering the show's myriads of inadequacies.

More than anything else what sinks "Fame" is its book, one of the most inept professional scripts I've experienced. Cliche ridden and without much redeeming social value the show's plot rambles from the plight of a hunky young black chap who can't read but who is suddenly rescued by an unpopular teacher (she has standards) and is saved from a life of dyslexia, to the death of Carmen who tries grabbing the brass ring of success only to discover her brass ring is filled with one line after another of cocaine. You name it and somewhere Jose Fernandez has written it into his incoherent everything-including-the-kitchen-sink script.

Steve Margoshes' music and Jacques Levy's lyrics do what they can to hide the show's shallowness but come up with little more than one broadside to good taste after another. Part of the problem is the penchant in current musical theater to make every song an emotional blockbuster. Add to that unfortunate tendency the chest-pounding, vocal pyrotechnics considered impassioned "withitness" for delivering songs and over-kill is the order of the day.

Lars Bethke has directed and choreographed the show and both contributions are a cut above the rest of "Fame's" creative notions. Bethke's choreography is energized and explosive. It isn't until the show's second half that the sameness of the choreography begins to wear thin. It's all pretty repetitive stuff.

Given what it's saddled with, the cast makes the evening almost tolerable. Darren Ritchie (Nick) is an attractive performer who sheds the repeated suggestion by the girl who says she loves him that he's gay with amazing grace. His singing "I Want to Make Magic" is one of the show's nicest singing moments. Sheri Sanders (Serena) plays Nick's girl friend with the subtlety of a female wrestler. In Her calmer moments Sanders actually brings touches of pathos to her work. Her singing of "Let's Play a Love Scene" is "Fame's" best musical moment.

Natasha Neary (Carmen) is riveting until the plot becomes so strung out with her addiction no actor could save her sappy final scene. Carl Tramon (Schlomo), the violinist with a virtuoso for a father, plays more-or-less opposite Miss Neary and gives as much depth to what could be a touching role, if the writing had given it more substance. Jose Restrepo (Jose) is the show's comic hyperactivist and he does what he's called upon to do and still leave the set intact.

The singing-shouting match between Fame High's two female teachers leaves most everything to be desired but Christia Leigh Mantzke (Miss Greta Bell) and Regina Le Vert (Miss Ester Sherman) give their argument (a terrible piece of writing) the old Fame High try.

Managing the show's racial cliche, a body building young black man who raps but can't read, Dwayne Chattman (Tyrone) makes the most of his all-too-predictable outbursts of anger. Chattman does have an enviable body, costumed for maximum exposure, and a classical dancing talent that makes his pas de deux with Jessica Cohen (Iris) lovely and a much needed relief from the show's unrelenting zest for hyped action.

In fairness, the audience gave the show what might be called a semi-standing ovation (about a third stood, a third sat and a third were on the way out) and seemed to buy into "Fame" more than I do. Without question we all agree on the performers. They're terrific.

"Fame" finishes its Reno run with performances today (11/20/99) at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sunday (11/21/99) at 2 and 7 p.m. "Fame" can be seen at the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts, 100 South Virginia Street, Reno. For information call 775 686 6600.