"Fame Jr" by Kristian Thomas Company Seniors
Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton.

I love cheesecake. Strange way to start a review, but stick with me. "Fame Jr" is cheesecake. Now I could eat a whole cheesecake but this production was a slice of cheesecake, and you know what it is like when you have just a slice of something you love, you want more. And you want more of the same cheesecake from the same maker. I wanted more of this musical from the same cast and crew, because I loved this one so so much.

There were quite a few scenes and songs omitted form this production, "Dancing On The Sidewalk", "Tyrone's Rap", "Can't Keep it Down" and my favourite song from the musical soundtrack "The Are My Children". Nevertheless what was included was simply brilliant.

There are a few things that I can count on when I see anything produced by the Kristian Thomas Company. Amazing choreography and incredible vocals are just two, and these were here in abundance.

Olivia Weaver (Carmen) is one of those brilliant triple threats. She has an incredible voice, she is an amazing dancer and she can act.

Bailey West (Schlomo) I have seen several times before and I have seen his progression as an actor grow,a s well as his vocal talents.

Darcy Cole (Iris) has lovely ballet lines and is a believable young actor.

Lenny Antwi (Tyrone) showed us his fire as the dancer who discovers that he had dyslexia, is a terrific little dancer, but I would have loved to have seen him perform "Dancing On The Sidewalk" to show us more of his street choreography, and I'm certain that he would have been able to deliver "Tyrone's Rap" with fire.

Hannah Riley (Serena) has one of those voices that sent shivers down my spine. Her clarity and tone and the feeling she injected into her songs were just beautiful.

Daniel Lane (Nick) is another one of those young actors who can get into a character and make you believe he is that character, and he does that well with Nick, the actor who joined the school to be taken seriously as an actor.

Millen Scrivener (Mabel) is another vocalist who sent shivers down my spine with her gospel tinged "Mabel's Prayer".

Isaac Brooks (Joe Vegas), for me never had the chance to shine with this character. Vegas is the comedy character and apart from the Romeo and Juliet scene, he didn't really have a lot to do. That is because Joe Vegas' main scene is when he performs "Can't Keep It Down", which I know may be just a bit risque for a "Jr" edition, but it's the scene where we get to really know Joe. I really hope that Isaac gets a chance to do this role again, or another comic role as I can see that he has the making of a decent comedy character actor.

Isabelle Massie (Lambchops) and Grace Collishaw (Goody) again had their roles reduced as the two girls in the band formed by Schlomo.

Loved Emily Bridge (Miss Bell) and Issy Smales (Miss Sherman) as the respective dance teacher and English teachers. Their argument duet were executed with real passion,and they both have the most gorgeous voices for such young actors. Again I would have loved to have heard Issy take on "These Are My Children".

Aiden Carson (Mr Myers) always delivers, whatever role I see him in, and Oliver Davidson likewise as Mr Sheinkopf, the two male teachers.

The ensemble really do work as a team, but what I love about this group is that when you look at any of the individual faces as an ensemble, they show that they love what they are doing. They all perform individually as if they are the star of that scene, but as individuals they all fit together like a jigsaw that develops into a beautiful scene.

The vocals individually and together are some of the strongest I have heard at this level and the dancing is exciting with some excellent lifts that aren't as easy as this cast make them look.

The energy from that stage,a s well as the infectious enthusiasm for everyone was enough to light up the night like a flame and still have enough in reserve for the power grid to provide illumination for the rest of the run.

Musical Director Tom Bond has done a brilliant job with this cast, and it's his hard work, as well as the vocalists that make this production such a strong show.

Likewise Katy Maclaughlin with the wonderful choreography. Katy has not given her cast of dancers an easy ride with these moves, and that has really paid off.

Produced by Shannon O'Donnell with Kristian Cunningham and Directed by Shannon, they have yet again raised their own bar, as they continue to do with every production I am lucky enough to experience from this creative pairing.

Adeptly stage managed by Tom Bond who kept the scenes and stage flowing with action, ably assisted by Emily May Corner as Deputy Stage manager.

A very comfortable Sound Design by Dave Dallard and a brilliantly exciting Lighting Design by Stephen Greatorex and operated by Tom Bathurst.

Everything from the set design (Proscenium Ltd) to the 1980's costumes was spot on, and when you get something as visually and aurally exciting as this show is, you really do not want it to end, but it did, all too soon for me. 90 minutes from start to end with a 20 minute interval. Oh how I wanted more of that cheesecake.

Kristian Thomas Company is one name that everyone should remember when seeking out damn good theatre productions, and I know that there is so much more to come from this incredibly prolific theatre group.

"Fame Jr" is at the Duchess Theatre in Long Eaton only until Saturday 25 January, so make sure you get a ticket for the hottest show in Long Eaton this week.