Grease is a hard act to follow, the 1978 cult film with John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John such a beloved multi-generational classic that everyone has seen it at some time or other.
So the question was could the musical do it justice? The short answer is a resounding yes, the longer answer more complex because the film was actually based on a musical which came out in 1971, rendering this more revival than film adaption.
And yet director Nikolai Foster has switched it up for a modern day generation, so while all the joy, excitement and teenage angst are as prevalent as ever, that intoxicating high school mix of hormones, dating and festering rebellion still tangible, the disparity between the T Birds testosterone fueled posturing and the Pink Ladies simpering was levelled up.
‘the question was could the musical do it justice? The short answer is a resounding yes’
Take Sandy (played so mesmerisingly by Hope Dawe whose voice raised the roof); while as infatuated with Danny (Marley Fenton) as ever, she isn’t as wet behind the ears here but more disheartened and feisty, standing up to him and his antics, rendering him rather than her, in a bad light.
Indeed his constant flirting, woman chasing and sexual intentions appear sleazy rather than heroic, and are largely ignored by the female cast. His solo ‘How Big I’m Gonna Be’ – about how he’s going to change and be better – turned out not to be for Sandy but to enable him to pull more, raising a few eyebrows.
‘it deserved every second of the standing ovation as the audience stood up and danced along to the final Megamix number’
If this sounds deep, it wasn’t, but it made you think. Whether that’s a result of the #MeToo movement or careful scripting remains to be seen but it was a powerful cocktail.
Either way Grease The Musical was brilliant; the energy, humour, choreography, individual and group performances and standard of singing deserved every second of the standing ovation as the audience stood up and danced along to the final Megamix number.
‘100% go. Grease The Musical is amazing, but I bet you’ll watch the film in a whole different light next time’
Avid fans were also surprised to find the songs didn’t appear chronologically matched to the film, which made things more exciting, as we waited to see which classic belter would come next. Sandy’s Hopelessly Devoted To You was sung when Cha Cha (Deena Kapadia) stole Danny in the dance competition for example, keeping us on our toes. But boy he can dance!
Likewise many of the characters were totally different to the film – Frenchy (Alicia Belgrade) kicked ass, Patty (Phoebe Roberts) was a one man kinda gal rather than an obsessive man-chaser, and Vince Fontaine was brought kicking and screaming into the 21st century by a comic Joe Gash in his leopard print suit.
So go. 100% go. Grease The Musical is amazing, but I bet you’ll watch the film in a whole different light next time.
Bea Payne
Grease The Musical is on at New Theatre Oxford until Saturday September 28. Book here https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/grease/new-theatre-oxford/
