The Central Catholic Masque performed Fame the week of Thursday, April 7 to Saturday, April 19. Fame is a musical developed by David De Silva, and with lyrics and music by Jacques Leavy and Steve Margoshes. Fame- the Musical was based off of the hit movie Fame (1980) which starred Eddie Barth and Irene Cara. The film and the stage production draw some parallels, but the musical is an entity of its own.

Fame- the Musical follows the lives of several high school students at the prestigious Performing Arts High School in New York City as they strive to achieve fame. The true stars of the production were Central and Oakland Catholic’s performers. The star of the production, in this writer’s opinion was Johanna Loughran who played Carmen Diaz. The other hopeful student of Performing Arts High school were played by Maria Belchak, Cecelia Cecconi, Tucker Helms, Anthony Fellows, Jack Connolly, Evans Malkin, Kathryn Daigle, Candace Burgess, and Tom Dougherty. All of whom had his or her part in making Fame-the Musical and memorable experience for the audience members.

The stage crew also did a fantastic job at creating a multi-functional set that was aesthetically pleasing. The crew created a class room, complete with lockers and a chalkboard, that was filled with the entire cast for a remarkable performance of the scores Hard Work and Fame.  Overall I judged the show to be a success all around! On Thursday, May 5 the nominations for the 26^th annual Gene Kelly Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theatre were announced by the Pittsburgh CLO.

Central Catholic Masque’s own Maura Ward was nominated for best supporting actress for her role as Miss Sherman. Also Central Catholic Masque was nominated for best execution of choreography. The Gene Kelly Awards winners will be announced at the awards show at the Benedum center on May 28. As always, congratulations to the cast and crew of Fame- the Musical and a thanks to the faculty moderator Mr. Campbell!

Click here for a complete list of all the 2016 Gene Kelly Award Nominees.