For as long as audiences are drawn to musicals, we will indeed remember its name. It’s Fame, the musical, and it will be coming to the State Theatre July 28 to August 1. 

    The song and dance-laden musical follows several arts-savvy students during their final years at New York City High School for the Performing Arts during the 1980s. The students sashay their way through competition and conflict (including drug addiction, weight problems, unrequited love, and literacy), while learning to balance school with their dreams of being stars. ECCT’s Executive Director, Wayne Marek attributes the real appeal of the show not to the plot, however, but to the energy of the production. “It’s a heavy song-and-dance show, especially heavy on the dance,” he says. “It’s a great show for summer.”

    As promised, we haven’t seen the best of it yet, as the Eau Claire Children’s Theatre puts their own spin on the musical’s famous finale – a dance number on the roof of a New York City taxi. Eau Claire local Courtney Shoenberger, who is cast as a NYCHSPA student, says that audiences can look forward to the Chippewa Valley cast’s individual talents to make the show exciting and unique. “Everyone brings their own personalities and different singing and dancing training to make such an awesome production.”

Fame • July 28-Aug 1 • The State Theatre • 7:30pm Wed-Sat, 1:30pm Sat-Sun • $ 8 youth; $16 seniors; $18 adults • 839-8877 • www.ecct.org