Fame fizzes

Fame The Musical, The Lowry.

DOING the splits while standing is pretty impressive.

And it was with this early dance move and his equally impressive chiselled physique that Alex Thomas, playing the angry Tyrone Jackson, stamped his prowess in the show.

Fluid, energetic and sharp, there was little he couldn’t do in the way of dance, and he proved a favourite in a big cast.

But his expertise on the dance floor was matched by some great vocal performances in this high energy stage version of the 1980 classic, in which gifted performing arts students are set on the road to fame by the famous New York performing arts school.

Landi Oshinowo, who played English tutor Miss Sherman, displayed a tremendous voice, as did Jodie Steele as Carmen Diaz - the student who leaves the school in search of fame and becomes badly unstuck.

There were some strong comic moments — Joseph Giacone as Joe Vegas was hilarious with his slightly risqué spot confirming his irresistible attraction to the fairer sex.

But for me Mabel Stewart, as student Mabel Washington, stole the limelight with her bluesy voice and the comic scene in which she begged for the will to stem her compulsion to eat everything laid in front of her - or failing that, to make her fellow students fat.

The show is good fun; the two hours and 37 minutes running time passes in a flash.