Grease

Arriving in the foyer, I was warmly greeted by Adrian and his front of house team. There was a really good feel atmosphere full of excited chatter. I took my seat, the lights dimmed and the show began. Grease was created in 1970 as a stage show to celebrate the golden age of the 1950s' era and the birth of Rock and Roll. It is set in the fictional town of Rydell, more specifically at the Rydell High School and tells the tale, trials and tribulations of the new girl Sandy and established cool dude, Danny Zuko plus their associated entourage.

The staging was the school front going from left to right with the band on the roof. There was good space for the cast to utilise to its maximum. The stage was well lit and its inventive programming added to the action. The costumes were very colourful and so many of them as each scene passed. It added to the overall feel of the show very well - well done to Sue Tatnall and her team.

The band of seven led by Musical Director Martin Bennetts started at a good pace and made an excellent sound, which was at just the right volume. Great, as it meant that the cast had the ability to follow it well and not to be drowned out, very important in a show like Grease where the cast is often not heard properly, but not in this instance.

The choreography by Morgan Dunn (aided by Charlie Yaldern) was creative and imaginative, it was challenging in places but the whole cast rose to that challenge brilliantly. Good routines especially for the opening number Greased Lightnin', Beauty School Dropout and the closing scene. A testament to the hard work in rehearsals that the team put in. It certainly showed. The direction of Paul Munday here should also be mentioned. A lot of well known youth theatre productions can often be just a procession of "off and on" but a lot of thought had obviously gone into this. The cast were enthusiastic and really looked as if they were enjoying the whole production. They were obviously well rehearsed by Paul and this really shone through. The chorus all knew where they were supposed to be, when and most importantly why.

The principals, Aaron Axtel as Danny and Alice Blanco as Sandy were confident in their characterisation and their diction was good, I was able to hear all the lines. They were very ably backed up by Ella Friel as the feisty Rizzo and Seth Clarke as the hard man Kenickie. As with Aaron and Alice, he and Ella bonded really well and fed off each with good self assurance. 

Overall this was a very good show, one I thoroughly enjoyed. Good sound and lighting along with a simple and effective stage, a great band and good diction from all made this a very enjoyable evening. Thank you Footlights, bravo.

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