Are they ready for Fame? Gazette reporters join musical's cast for dance masterclass

Fame! We wanna live for ever... Or collapse in a sweaty heap in a quiet corner of the Opera House for a breather.
Reporters James Graves and Anna Cryer try their best Fame leapReporters James Graves and Anna Cryer try their best Fame leap
Reporters James Graves and Anna Cryer try their best Fame leap

The latter probably being the better option for the Gazette’s entertainment writer Anna Cryer and her sidekick, reporter James Graves, after Katie Warsop, dance captain for Fame - The Musical’s UK tour spending this week at the Winter Gardens’ theatre, put us through our paces.

Katie, who excitedly told us she’s engaged to a Blackpudlian West End star Barnaby Thompson whose parents have been sharing their cuttings from his various appearances in the Gazette with her, decided to teach us the show’s finale routine to the famous title track.

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Now, most of us know the Fame song from the 1980 hit single by Irene Cara which accompanied the film, but the version used in this production marking the stage show’s 30th anniversary picks up the pace somewhat and took us by surprise.

Reporters James Graves and Anna Cryer try their best Fame leapReporters James Graves and Anna Cryer try their best Fame leap
Reporters James Graves and Anna Cryer try their best Fame leap

But, soon enough, alongside Radio Wave’s breakfast presenters Scott Gallagher and Stacey Houldsworth, we were ball-changing, twisting and bouncing about under glaring disco-like lights, blinding our eyes to the empty cavern of the Opera House auditorium - while also turning cheeks an appealing shade of pink.

Given that the routine comes two hours into a high energy production, it just goes to show how hard musical performers work at their craft to hone the intricate steps - something we did not ‘quite’ acheive, while also building the stamina to go out and perform to their best eight times a week.

Not forgetting they’ve had hours of choreography sessions, never mind many years’ training, to get stage ready, while we had a super-speedy 30 minutes.

Remember our names - maybe not as new stage stars, but hopefully as journalists prepared to give anything a go?

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