Storylines Have Been Tweaked and Songs Cut, But the Production Captures the Sheer Determination of These Aspirants

An exuberant revival of Fame the Musical is lighting up Theatre Royal Plymouth until 15 August, capturing the round-the-clock toil of aspiring performers. Directed and choreographed by Tom Jackson Greaves, the production features a book by Jose Fernandez, music by Steve Margoshes and lyrics by Jacques Levy. Shanay Holmes, though a shade young to play Miss Sherman, is the driving force whose narration carries the class through a four-year cycle at a prestigious performing arts school in New York City, while her vocals are the show's dynamite.

Storylines have been tweaked and songs cut, but the production captures the sheer determination of these aspirants. Early number Hard Work sets the scene with movement filling every corner, while Richard Howell's lighting visualises the sense that the students' whole world is a stage by casting a giant spotlight on Soutra Gilmour's school set. Nods to the 1980s come in the shape of leg warmers and the sound of squealing tape recorders being rewound.

It doesn't shy away from grittier moments, including the fate of the initially spunky Carmen (Talia Palamathanan), but as in a Greek tragedy, they take place offstage and are reported back. It beams brightest when the students pool their talents for the boisterous canteen scene and flashmob to the title track, written by Dean Pitchford and Michael Gore, with flying jumps and mid-air splits. That's when Miss Sherman's message rings truest: success is not a solo endeavour but something to achieve together.