Grease

For anyone who is of a certain age and remembers the great music of the 70s, this was the show for you. The audience was humming and rocking in their seats, and so they should have been, from the very start to a really dramatic and brilliant ending when they were encouraged to sing along with the entire cast. This show calls for good backing and here we had better than good. This cannot have been all that easy, the orchestra being placed at the back of the stage, out of sight. However they created just the right volume, never drowning out the singer which, as many of you know, is my pet hate. Well done Nigel, the orchestra were great.

The story follows the various ups and downs in the lives of Ryedale High pupils, from the very beginning of term when our two principals meet again, having spent many hours together during the holidays. Sandy played by Emily Green was outstanding; her singing voice was a joy to hear. “Hopelessly devoted to you” was as good as the original, her acting was totally convincing and her transformation in the last scene brilliant. Danny played by Ben Butt was the perfect foil for Emily, their singing voices working very well together, especially “You’re the One that I Want” at the grand finale, supported by the rest of the ensemble. Rizzo played by Kiarnie Camp sang my favourite number “There are worse things I could do” with great feeling, filling the part to perfection, well partnered by Jack Winrow as Kenickie. They made a brilliant couple together backed by Polly Lewis, Hannah Gobel, Rachel Brown, Amy Hart, and Christine Taylor as Miss Lynch - the somewhat strait laced teacher of Ryedale High.

One of the highlights of this production was provided by Adam Knight as “Teen Angel” and Amber Kelly as “Frenchie” who gave a lovely rendition of “Beauty School Drop Out” in the most magical setting. However these excellent performances did not overshadow the other principals as all roles were performed well. It is important to name all the outstanding performers in this production as everyone played their parts to the full especially Riley Ford, Alex Brown, Lee Knight, Ellis Forrester, and Matthew Collins as Vince. Add to these the hard working chorus who provided the important support for a production of this magnitude. Well done to you all.

This Society always appears in excellent costumes, this time designed and created by Andrew Taylor assisted by Viv Geal. They were brilliant! Mark Winrow was the designer of this very clever set and Stephen Holroyd lit the entire show with his usual flair but there is no doubt in my mind that the star of this production was Terri – her direction was outstanding.

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