“I’m gonna live forever” declare the youthful cast in KD Theatre’s production of Fame – The Musical at the ADC. And with their enthusiasm and energy, it is tempting to believe them. The show evolved from the hit 1980s film, following a group of young hopefuls as they work their way through New York City’s High School of Performing Arts. The kids from Fame – we are told in the opening scene – are the cream of the crop: elite student performers, actors, dancers and musicians. From the start, our expectations of this professional production are set high.

The show is structured as a series of vignettes, with each of the many characters given a chance to showcase what they can do. Woven into this is a simple and unchallenging plot: they go to drama school, they sing some songs, and graduate. Somewhere in between, there are a few kisses, an argument or two, and a sprinkling of clichéd coming-of-age problems. The way the script constantly holds up Shakespeare, Mozart and Arthur Miller as role models for creativity and talent therefore only emphasises the weakness and lack of originality in the writing of this show. So, it is down to the cast and the director to bring it all to life and convince us that it can live up to its aims.

Thankfully, there are a few absolute gems of performances to lift this production off the stage. Rachel Flynn steals the show as Serena, the shy and socially awkward aspiring actress whose growth as a performer and a person is both touching and believable. Her act two delivery of ‘Think of Meryl Streep’ is a tour de force, where Flynn proves that with great delivery and technique, one person can mesmerise an entire audience without the need for gimmicks, over-acting or over-amplification. Mohammed Mansaray has smouldering anger and passion as Tyrone, the talented dancer who lacks the academic skills or the discipline to succeed at the school. He manages his arguments with as much energy and confidence as his backflips, and proves that he can both dance like an angel and rap like a devil. Charlie Culkin certainly puts the power into ‘power ballad’ in her comic turn of Mabel’s Prayer, a hilariously delivered love song about the joys of eating.

For a show with so many large dance scenes, the capabilities of the cast are inexplicably strangled by an unnecessarily huge and clumsy set. This split-level double staircase construction looms over the entire show and, rather than being imaginatively used to create a sense of movement or space, simply smothers the evening. Lurking half-hidden within this set is a five-piece band, charged with delivering the musical magic and atmosphere of 1980s New York. Sadly, the sound that hits the auditorium is more reminiscent of the soundtracks of cheap 1980s computer games, and at times is so loud that it totally blocks out the speech or singing. It's disappointing that a piece which has the performing arts at its heart fails to have the musical strength or credibility needed.

Director Daniel Bell’s vision of New York City’s High School of Performing Arts appears to be reincarnated as the School of Shouty Acting and Hand Waving. A lack of focus on character, subtlety, delivery and timing distorts the balance between the dialogue and the choreographed numbers – ably handled by Katherine Hickmott and Jessia Theobald, and deftly delivered by the leads and ensemble. The performers all seem far more at home when dancing than speaking, and it feels rather brave of them to keep the scenes where they discuss Stanislavski's ideas on acting and truth.

On the whole it is a colourful show with some genuinely funny moments, strong dancing, and a few performers who you hope will go on to great things after the final graduation ceremony. Even if the musical score is rather weak, at least the evening ends with an energetic and full-bodied rendition of Fame, the title song, leaving the audience on a serious high note. 

You can see 'Fame – The Musical' at the ADC Theatre from 21st September to 1st October