Before Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, before the sold-out stadiums, and before superstardom, George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley were just two 17-year-olds with big dreams.  “FUNNY STORIES FROM THE MAN WHO (ALMOST) MANAGED WHAM! A SURPRISINGLY POIGNANT CELEBRATION.” - The Times  ★★★★ In 1979, Michael Burdett spotted their potential and took them into the studio to record their first songs. But there was a twist – at this point they were the two singers in a ska band. That plan didn’t work out, but what happened next changed pop history forever.  Now, in this funny, surprising, and uplifting solo show, Edinburgh award-winner Michael Burdett takes you behind the scenes of Wham!’s meteoric rise – from early rejections to global fame, selling over 30 million records. And 40 years later, Burdett travelled to every county in the UK photographing strangers listening to the recording on headphones. Could they guess who they were listening to?  Told with wit, warmth, and a healthy dose of self-deprecating humour, Before Fame is the story of, In Michael’s words, two musical geniuses and an idiot. (Spoiler alert: Michael’s the idiot.)  If you like Wham! or enjoy the early travelogue adventures of Dave Gorman, or you just want to hear James Acaster read George and Andrew’s first rejection letter this is the show for you.