Grease

What a delightful start to my first visit to Ditcham Park School: we walked into the comfortable auditorium to be greeted by the house band “Henry and the Champs” playing music from the Grease era. I took my seat expecting great things and I was not disappointed.

Grease is a good show for schools because, apart from the easily relatable story and the great songs, the principal roles are shared out fairly evenly amongst the cast and everyone gets their chance to shine. The glow from this show must have been visible from outer space! The School Edition, presented here, is a pared down version of the full stage show, more suitable in content for teens and pre-teens, but it still retains the fun, spirit and songs that have made the show such an enduring favourite across the generations.

Eloise Smith as Sandy (on the night I attended) really looked the part and gave a nicely innocent and controlled performance until she emerged, like a butterfly into the sunlight, in her final number. The rest of the “Pink Ladies” provided tremendous support, with Holly Witte (as Marty) being a standout for me with her rendition of “Freddy My Love.”

Max Oppenheimer as Danny was everything the character should be: brash and cocky but with a vulnerable side. A confident singer and mover, his duets with Sandy were a joy to hear, their voices blending so well together. The other guys provided great support, and all worked together to make a believable gang of friends. Chris McCrohon as Doody (and later as Teen Angel) was particularly watchable, and demonstrated a singing voice mature beyond his years in “Beauty School Dropout.”

Every inch of the stage was used, and the choreography was always interesting and well within the ability of the cast. There were some nice directorial touches too – my favourites being the use of the high level to act-out the movie at the drive-in, and the introductions to each act, performed with such flair by Stephen Powell.

The set too was impressive: on two levels, with the band up top and sliding doors beneath. Two moveable sets of steps and good quality props and furniture completed the minimal look. We mustn’t forget “Lightning,” which was so cleverly transformed right before our eyes. The stage crew worked hard under Stage Manager James Hoad, wrangling the steps and making the scene changes look slick and simple. It was great to see them receive their own bow at the end – very unusual and well deserved.

Lighting was excellent, creating the right moods and highlighting soloists. Sound too was top quality, though mic cues could have been a little tighter. Costumes (take a bow Rose-Marie Turner and assistants) were a riot of colour and looked spot-on for the period. It must have been a major undertaking to make such a large cast look so right. Music (under MD Ed Williamson) was mainly recorded tracks, but with some numbers and incidental music played by the live band. It all sounded great and never drowned out the cast. Ed must have drilled the cast well because singing by principals and chorus throughout was top-notch, with the soloists all showing great confidence and style.

This was an excellent introduction to the talents of the students at Ditcham Park! Heather Baker and Olivia Bicknell have weaved their directorial magic over the cast and produced an explosion of energy, colour and sheer exuberance which delighted the packed audience. I hope you get a similar standing ovation at every performance – you deserved it, every one of you - on stage and behind the scenes. It was a triumph for the whole team.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.