Grease

Let’s put one thing straight, Darlington’s choice of Grease is by no means a safe option, consistently rated as the nation’s favourite Musical film the expectation of a great show is incredibly high.

Thankfully DOS never fail to amaze their audiences and this latest delivery was no exception with a highly energized, expertly cast and brilliantly directed and choreographed performance.

Grease is not just famous for its main characters but also iconic hit numbers, slick costumes and complicated staging and large-scale props and scenery. Well, this show had a huge tick against every one of these aspects.  The costumes were dazzling with numerous quick scene changes, the set worked brilliantly giving different angles and levels to the staging and the huge numbers were breath taking.

Before I get onto the cult characters, I want to praise the huge ensemble and more minor cameo roles (although nothing small about their performances). With a packed cast, every single member stayed in character the entire run, every single member of the ensemble took on a character role and nailed it. I loved how the ensemble interacted with the Principal roles and the amount of acting off script was a joy to watch.

When you think of Grease you instantly think of Summer Nights, We Go Together and for me personally, the High School Dance and WOW! Joanne Hand as Director and Choreographer had yet again worked her magic – the routines were better than some West End Shows I have seen with every member of the cast in perfect sync with each other and at no point did the dances seem repetitive or just “same routine, different tune” that often appears in Amateur Theatre.

Now obviously the T-Birds and Pink Ladies are your natural thoughts when it comes to the characters but this show would have been nothing without some stunning characterisations from our other stars.

David Murray was perfectly cast as Bruce Fontane, I loved his little interludes from the stage box and his later interaction with Marty at the Hop was so effective it made the audience feel a little bit creepy – exactly the effect he should have. His accent was perfectly on point and I loved all of the little touches he had put into this role to make the character realistic.

Jordan Hamilton-Leighton continues to build on his reputation as one of the best comical actors in the area with a sensational performance as Eugine, the squeaky voice and quick interjections into the story were hysterical and his interruption in We Go Together was side-splitting. I loved the little dance section with Cha Cha, played wonderfully by Zoe Bellamy with just the perfect mix of sass and bite. Jordan’s interaction with Natalie Robinson as Patty was brilliant and the 2 of them built on solid acting showings with great comical dance routines alongside each other and other members. When you remember the film you remember how much you really dislike Patty, well Natalie took this up another level steadily annoying every student at Rydell; her energy and grinding voice was amazing.

I must give a huge shout out to Nicholas Fletcher-Holmes in the role of Teen Angel – a scene in the film I really don’t like, however Nicholas made this role so current and likeable. All of the little cheeky smiles, glances and winks were a master-class and combined with an exceptional vocal showing and backed up by some amazing Feather Clad dancing angels this number became one of my favourites of the evening. The line “you think you’ve got it bad, 10 years ago I was playing Kenickie” was just one of many genius touches added to this show.

Well on to our T-Birds and what a fab gang of rogues, the shine on the leather jackets was almost as sparkling as the performances. Kyle John Craggs as Sonny gave us the perfect amount of cheek, back chat and juvenile humour – never easy to be the joker of the group but it was mastered. I think everyone just wanted to put their arms around Natham Thompson playing Doody, despite some dubious guitar playing it was a heartwarming display demonstrating some cracking vocals in Those Magic Changes. I loved the way he portrayed the shy and embarrassed side to the character with this floppy side to his character never dropping.

Michael Hirst as Kenickie gave us the perfect mix of strut and arrogance that the character deserved, leading the classic Grease Lightning he demonstrated his vocal ability which equally matched a finely polished dance performance, especially in High School Hop. I loved the way Michael managed to show a different side as his feelings and compassion for Rizzo developed with the pregnancy scare.

The standout T-Bird for me however had to be Andrew Hamilton as Roger; The characterization was genius with the cheeky chappie looking to moon at every opportunity finely balanced with his affections for Jan. The relationship and friendship that developed between these 2 was brilliant and their duet of Mooning showed that these two are not just wonderful actors but sensational vocalists too.

Lucy Adams as Jan was a joy to watch as the life and soul of a great group of Pink Ladies, her bubbly character and endless appetite masking some underlying insecurities. Lucy made us smile everytime she appeared on stage, she certainly was the friend you would want around you in times of need and one you’d definitely enjoy sharing a Twinkie with.

The ladies had a great camaraderie between them with each one showing off completely different characteristics. Katie Blythe was wonderful as the slightly doe-eyed and almost spaced-out Marty, the constant hair twirling and gum chewing was delightful as was her star-struck flirting with Vince.

The character Frenchy has always been a bit of a confusing one to me yet Rachel Geddes brought the role to life in this show and gave her a believability that I just didn’t get in the blockbuster movie. The balance of giddy excitement blended perfectly with her embarrassment when deeming herself a failure and I really warmed to her in this part. An acting display almost as dazzling as the wonderful bright pink wig – well done.

The vocal masterclass of the evening has to go down to the wonderful Jessica Harrison as Rizzo with a completely sensational There Are Worst Things I Could Do. Normally blasted from start to finish, Jessica balanced the song to perfection showing wonderful light and shade, taking us on a journey and drawing us in before a powerhouse finale. This song matched an exceptional acting display with a rough and tough strutting Rizzo offending everyone in her way before letting her guard down to show her vulnerable side later.

The 2 characters you instantly think of when you mention Grease are obviously Danny and Sandy and in Ben Connor and Abbie Dodsworth, DOS had struck Gold. Their chemistry from the off was clearly evident with the excitement to see each other only cancelled out by Danny’s arrogance. Abbie showed every wonderful side to Sandy we have learnt to love, her naivety shining through in the company of the girls, her vocals had a wonderful tone and her Hopelessly Devoted to You was absolutely pitch perfect. Abbie also managed to give us a wonderful tough and confident Sandy at the end strutting her way through You’re The One That I Want, giving poor Ben the run around.

Ben Connor continues to show what a wonderful versatile performer he is, you can certainly never label this actor as one-dimensional as he brought us another wonderful performance as the cocky and confident Danny. A great acting display and incredible vocals to match an amazing dance ability, he certainly would not have been getting a tap on the shoulder from me in the dance off. It is a sign of a great actor that you can jump from a drag-artist to a donkey to an alpha-male in three consecutive shows yet still be completely convincing and sensational in each one – hats off to you Ben this was another brilliant display.

You could almost be forgiven for just focusing on the quality of the acting and choreography such was the quality brought out in these performers by the again amazing work by Joanne Hand yet the singing and harmony work matched this to perfection. A huge congratulations to MD Nigel Ball and his wonderful orchestra who not once overpowered the cast allowing their quality to shine through.

The behind-the-scenes team, led by Adam Martin, ensured that the pace didn’t drop with some incredibly complex yet slick scene changes brought to life with a lovely lighting design by Alex Edwards.

Thank you, DOS, once again I am blown away by what you have managed to achieve. Thankfully the full-house audience behaved, saving the singing for the Mega-mix which was a brilliant way to celebrate the end of an Electrifying Evening’s Entertainment.

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