FAME" - The Can-Do Spirit of Youngsters
The Show - The Can-Do Spirit of Youngsters
Audiences around the world, especially youngsters, have been inspired by the passion, perseverance and the "can-do" spirit for fame as embraced by the students of the High School for the Performing Arts. The production includes sensational music, phenomenal dancing and a cast of 27 highly energetic and extremely talented performers.
The Story
New York City's renowned High School for the Performing Arts is the setting for this story about the hopes and aspirations of a group of students planning to have careers in show business.
The story begins with applicants from each of the five New York City boroughs, from every walk of life, and ethnic and cultural diversity, attending the audition in the earnest hope to be selected into the "FAME" school.
The main story focuses on seven talented student characters: Coco, a gifted singer; Montgomery, a confused gay actor; Leroy, an illiterate but talented dancer; Bruno, a synthesizer player; Ralph, an actor ashamed of his Puerto Rican heritage; Doris, a shy insecure singer; Hilary, a talented but spoiled prima donna dancer; and Lisa, a frustrated dancing student.
They go through a four-year odyssey, from audition to graduation at the school, whose unofficial motto is "Fame costs and this is where you start paying." This exhilarating production is about the joy, discovery, loss and ultimate triumph of the human spirit as experienced by these students as they strive for their own individual fame.
The graduation scene is the climax of the show. The complete cast appear on stage to perform the finale, with energetic dances and the theme song "FAME", which includes memorable lyrics such as, "to live forever", and "remember my name", which conveys the strong sense of hope, verve and self-recognition. Another song from this show has long been adapted by Hong Kong Canton Pop and was an all time hit called "ßdçîßîðß" - "I Sing the Body Electric"
The Director - David Atkins
With a career spanning over 35 years, David Atkins has appeared in over twenty musicals, appeared extensively in film and television and has created events as diverse as the Royal Command Performances, video clips and concerts for artists such as Elton John, and Frank Sinatra, to name a few. David began producing 12 years ago with his first original dance musical, Dancin' Man. This also marked the beginning of his directing and choreography career. David has won nine Mo Awards and the prestigious Oliver Award for his London production of Hot Shoe Shuffle. David was the Artistic Director of the internationally acclaimed opening and closing ceremonies of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
The Logistics
The Asia tour of "FAME" kicks off in Kuala Lumpur in May, moving to Hong Kong in June, with the final leg in Singapore in July. The logistic journey however starts in Australia where stage sets, costumes and electronic stage equipment is manufactured, assembled and loaded at Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, before being shipped to Kuala Lumpur, all requiring very careful coordination. This is a very short tour with extremely tight schedules, not only for rehearsals but also for shipping the set and electronics for the show to the next location. The delivery schedule for the show set and the equipment are extremely tight between Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and Singapore and it is a most precise logistics operation as the show must go on.