Grease

It was lovely to visit the Theatre Group again to see my first performance of Grease, as I’d seen neither the stage version or the film before. I have to say I wasn’t disappointed, it was a cracking good show.

All the principals were well cast in their parts, Shaun Donald as Kenickie, Mark Rudd as Doody, Mark Seldon as Rump, Todd Morgan as Sonny and Aron Armstrong as Danny made convincing ‘T Birds’ and they were ably supported by the ‘Pink Ladies’, Hayley Brown as Frenchy, Rachel Denwood as Betty Rizzo, Cassie McCluskey as Marty and Jennifer Daglish as Jan, and the interplay between these characters  was very good. Special mention should go to Kayleigh Cullen as Sandy, she played her part as the naive innocent newcomer with great conviction. All the smaller parts were well played, I particularly enjoyed Simon Armstrong as school wimp Eugene, he really got inside the role.

The classic songs were well performed, I enjoyed my old stage colleague Jim McLean as the Teen Angel, he hasn’t lost any of his style. Also memorable  was ‘Greased Lightening’, the car wasn’t bad either and ‘Hoplessly Devoted’, but to be honest, they were all well performed, the ensembles were also well choreographed.

Technically the pre recorded accompaniment worked very well, the sound was generally good, which isn’t always the case at the Civic Hall. Scenery and lighting were adequate and the costumes were of period.

Well done Theatre Group for taking on ‘Grease’, they clearly had the talent to make a success, and the enthusiasm of the audience was good to see. I hope they achieved full houses for the rest of their run.

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