Remember their name - Kingstone High School triumph again with Fame (From Hereford Times)

Remember their name - Kingstone High School triumph again with Fame

2:18pm Monday 6th February 2012 in Leisure By Fiona Phillips

When Kingstone High School pupils put on a pitch-perfect production of Les Miserables last year critics and audiences alike were astounded at how superior to the stereotypical school play it was.

So astounded, in fact, that no-one believed they could pull it off again.

But last week, at The Courtyard, they did just that.

Cleverly the producers steered about as far away musically from Schonberg and Kretzner’s stylish Les Mis as possible and instead went for something entirely different but equally challenging – and just to add to the mix, picked a script that had to be performed in American accents and called for ballet dancing and piano playing.

Fame – The Musical has had several incarnations, as a play, a film and a TV series, but the team from Kingstone managed to present a fresh and authentic take on this 80s classic, filled with legwarmers and teenage angst.

As ever it seems churlish to mark out individual performers from a large and hugely talented cast but Jack Dennehy and Alice Tyler as Nick and Serena were well-pitched and perfectly matched while Jacob Oseman and Emma Lewis provided the – frequently broad – comedy courtesy of Joe and Mabel . However stand-out in an inspired cast were Elena Crapper as the brittle Carmen and Sam Shewell as the prickly Tyrone. Both were excellent with performances that belied their youth. Credit too, to the the youngsters who were cast in adult roles – never easy, but each one, Katelyn Kennedy, Susie Fitzpatrick, Jordan Bryan and James Martin brought an authentic gravitas to the proceedings.

All were more than ably supported by the other principals - Katie Sherer, Matt Hince, Lacey Watkins, Colton Richards, and principal dancers Rhiannon Jordan and Emma Morden plus a large and talented chorus.

The Courtyard provided the genuine theatre experience that the production deserved and a special accolade should go to the team that designed and produced the set. Never intrusive, but perfect in its execution and its purpose it underlined the 1980s setting without ever getting in the way of the action.

This all-singing, all-dancing production was yet another triumph for a school that excels in its ability to rise to a challenge. As Irene Cara sang: Fame – I want to live forever: it was certainly a production that will live long in the memory and be hard to top… but I suspect that if anyone can do it, the pupils from Kingstone High can.