YOU must remember Fame... "I'm gonna live forever, I'm gonna learn how to fly -- high!", writes Peter McLean.

If you do, then you'll remember the characters like Leroy, Julie, Dwight with his sousaphone and most of all you'll remember the trend of leg warmers.

If you don't, then Fame 2000 The Musical, now on at Blackpool Opera House until September 2, will not seem so strange -- not a leg warmer in sight!

Fame was a truly 80s film and TV series about high-spirited, talented youngsters, searching for recognition and fortune at the New York High School for Performing Arts.

The musical follows this premise and opens with a huge ensemble cast (pictured) taking part in auditions chanting a mantra of "hard work".

The plot progresses by following a series of relationships that spring up among the pupils who gain places at the school.

Tyrone, the illiterate, womanising dancer is tamed by pink-clad posh shrew Iris.

Sensitive, overcoated-violinist Schlomo, falls hopelessly in love with fiery Hispanic junkie, Carmen. But the main story, and the two best performances, come from Nick Piazza (Robert Miller) and Serena Katz (Nicola Dawn).

Nick is an innocent but determined actor who gave up his role in a national TV soap opera to go to the renowned school.

Serena is an aspiring actress with a unbelievable crush on Nick and who keeps trying to get him to practise love-scenes -- despite his apparent lack of interest in her.

But eventually, through misinterpretation and misunderstanding, Miss Katz gets her mister.

The songs are strong, as are the singers' voices, and the staging is dramatic, keeping your eye entertained, but there is something lacking in the production as a whole. Because of the episodic nature of the story line, with huge leaps in time and space and no real feeling of connection between them, it is often hard to feel a part of the show.

And because of this disjointed feel, when the story lines come to their conclusion (often with a rather obvious and cliched author's message, such as "Drugs are bad" or "Black people have to work hard to get out of the ghetto in America") it is hard to feel any empathy with the characters.

But, that aside, anyone whose toes do not tap, or who's back-of-neck hairs do not stand to attention when they hear the theme music from the film, is either too young to remember or too old to care.

Fame 2000 The Musical is running until September 2, and tickets and details of show times are available from Blackpool Live on (01253) 292029.