Grease

West Bromwich Operatic Society (WBOS) created another brilliant night of high energy entertainment with some classic text book ingredients. WBOS also proved they are extremely good with thinking outside the box and added in their personal touches, which made this production of Grease even more enjoyable.

It was also massively obvious the audience loved the show, it was a packed theatre with enthusiastic members of all ages who had enormous smiles on their faces, whilst singing along, contributing towards a powerful atmosphere.

The choreography tonight was simply outstanding. The lights which were designed by Colin Wood and operated by Matt Bird of Midland Theatre Services and the sound by Drew White really helped drive the energy, with the music being incredibly tight and led expertly by Musical Director, Matt Hall. The Stage Manager and backstage crew appeared graceful in moving the action along at a great pace. Oh, did I mention the choreography was simply outstanding tonight?

Grease The Musical is a popular choice to perform for many companies, amateur and professional; WBOS showed they had the quality and commitment in making this production stand out with style, but it was also well cast with talented actors with each performer owning their part tonight.

The relationships between the high school friends in the 1950’s had some convincing doses of loyalty combined with the peer pressure and the feelings of teenage love. Most of these relationships came across in some lovely and surprising ways. Some of the “affectionate” dynamics between The T-Birds came across rough but hearty with friendly slappings, but the slap on the back of the head must of hurt? There were quite a few moments of slapping and punching, which sometimes resulted in the sound booming across the theatre.

The leads, Danny Zuko (Dan Smith) a member of  The T-Birds and Sandy Dumbrowski (Emily Smith), hanging around with The Pink Ladies were awesome together. I was pleased to see the dynamics work many times and they both complimented each other well. Dan and Emily both have excellent voices and presence. Great casting choices.

The rest of The T-Birds, Doody (Connor Welch), Roger (Callum Rogers) Sonny (Jack Baggott) and Kenickie (Theo Pitter) were brilliant. All of their moments were not wasted.

One of my highlights was Connor performing the perfect Those Magic Changes (my favourite song). I also significantly liked Callum and Connor’s excellent version of Rock and Roll Party Queen. 

Jack who played Sonny held some great diction and was very professional showing a great skill in his surroundings which included his co-stars. He appeared in control with his excellent timing and played his attitude well. Theo who played Kenickie came into his own with the classic song Greased Lightning and remained a very enthusiastic and bouncy extrovert throughout. Finally, the playful character of Roger played by Callum on many occasions had the right approach. He worked very well with the character; significantly when acting with the brilliant Amy Sandford who played Jan. They both had a great chemistry.

The Pink Ladies, Rizzo (Holly White), Frenchy (Beth Logan), Marty (Mollie Anna Riley) and Jan (Amy Sandford) were also brilliant and worked well together. You could tell Holly had a lot of fun with the character of Rizzo and certainly owned the stage with her sass. Beth portrayed a nice friendly character who came across successfully with no selfish motives. Mollie who played Marty gave a wonderful personality on stage and Freddie My Love was a tremendous version of the song. Amy who played Jan, stood out with her independence and her portrayal of a fun and warm character, choosing comfort over style and enjoying life to the full. There was the occasional brief glimpse of seeking approval from her peers, which didn’t last long. Jan appeared the most secure of the group.One of my favourite characters and Amy smashed it. 

Other characters, such as Cha Cha Digregorio added extra flavour, Emily Weblin showed she was a strong dancer. Which reminds me, did I mention the choreography was simply outstanding tonight? Patty Simcox was excellent as Chloe Lowe helped bring to life the cheerleader who was trying to impress. Eugene Florczyk played by Denzy Davies was funny as the geek who just wanted to fit in, but was very easily intimidated. Vince Fontaine played by Andrew Bird was a great personality on stage and Liz Jeffries who played Miss Lynch had some nice moments which made me think of my school days when my teacher would pull my ear and…...only joking.

Let’s not forget, Coach Calhoun (Martyn Davies) who was great and so was Rose Broadfileld who provided the Radio Voice. Finally, the amazing cameo with an incredible vocal range was The Teen Angel, played by Tye Harris. His song Beauty School Drop Out was a definite strong point.

The finale was strong and electrifying, there was a clear explosion as the whole cast united. The show and energy went through the roof. There was also some quick thinking from a dancer from the ensemble who moved some forgotten props from the stage effortlessly as the finale continued around them, not losing that pace, focus and energy. Excellent team work and skill. The whole cast were very strong and skilful throughout, but the ending was something else. There were smiles all around and very slick dance routines. 

Massive congratulations to Claire Flavell and Adam Partridge for choreographing this production.

Now, onto some very thrilling news. WBOS have secured the UK Amateur exclusive of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies with tickets already on sale.

Love Never Dies is coming to The Wolverhampton Grand on 1-4 May 2024. This is a very exciting time for WBOS and this I am sure will be a challenge but the show will be in very good hands.

Thank you very much for the kind invitation tonight and the hospitality. Congratulations to you all on a wonderful evening and I wish you all the best for the future.

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