Grease

“I never thought it would be so not boring”.  Not my words, but those overheard from a young lad at the end of the show.  Sort through the double negative and there you have praise indeed.  But also, it’s evidence of the way the show attracted all ages – grandparents, mums and dads and their offspring. Ticket sales are said to be “phenomenal”, in spite of an advert appearing in the Yorkshire Post hours before opening night publicising a professional production of the show in Leeds later this year.  Coincidence maybe but nevertheless the good people of York seem to have rallied round this local Company to see for themselves that theirs are usually the equal of most professional productions.   

So what is the appeal of this show?  Is it nostalgia for our school days or the 1950s (for some of us, it’s the same) and/or for the iconic film of 1978?  It’s a show that’s not as common as some on the circuit; I cannot recall seeing a previous amateur production and a trawl on the NODA website reveals only three more productions scheduled for this year.  This version takes the original 1971 stage show, adds some songs written for the film and the result is a very entertaining compilation.  From a performer’s viewpoint, there are opportunities to impress in a number of roles.  The High School setting does, of course, demand a youthful cast and here in York they are now reaping the reward of nurturing their Youth Section over the last few years, although not all the cast have arrived through that route.

To be specific about this production, there are some excellent performances from all involved. Casting a real-life couple, Sarah Craggs and James Horsman as Danny and Sandy was always a good move and they responded with good, natural performances, self-assured in the one case and a little shy and reserved in the other. Such was the standard of other principals, however, that it was difficult to decide which received the greater acclaim at the curtain call.  Jack Armstrong (Kenickie) provided excellent support and a fine rendition of Greased lightnin’, Emma-Louise Dickinson (Rizzo) a similarly memorable performance of There are worse things I could do, whilst Richard Bayton’s cameo role as Teen Angel gave him the opportunity to excel in Beauty School Dropout.  The coupling of Fiona Baistow and Finn East was particularly entertaining as they extracted much comedy from their rather zany characters and it seems a mystery that their song Moonin’ should have been omitted from the film.  

Costumes and wigs, as always with York Light, were spot-on and a 7-piece orchestra, whilst smaller than usual here, was no doubt all that the score required.  Even the programme had been designed as something of a school magazine with contributions from various sources including one from the PTA, better known as NODA!  Because of a fairly lengthy illness, from which he has now thankfully recovered, the Director was unable to spend as much time as usual with the Company, necessitating more work by his Assistant, Sue Hawksworth, with a little help from her opposite number at Darlington Operatic Society, Jo Hand.

A word to the young man mentioned earlier: Musical Theatre might be many things but it’s never boring!      

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