Grease

The T-Birds and the Pink Ladies took to the stage at Westholme as ‘Grease’ was the word in the Croston theatre. 2025 ‘s first production from Westholme was exciting, vibrant, and full of classic songs, instantly recognisable from the highly popular film turned stage show. I had the pleasure of seeing this show twice, with alternate cast members. This show report is based on the Saturday performance.

It is 1959, and at Rydell High School, students are returning from summer break. The T-Birds and the Pink Ladies, the coolest gangs in the school, are starting their final school year. The two main protagonists, Rydell top dog, Danny Zuko and sweet natured Sandy Dumbrowski, met and fell in love over the summer. When Sandy begins at Rydell High School, after a change of plans, Danny treats her terribly, his reputation as the hot rod bad boy overruling his heart. ‘Grease’ tells the story of love overcoming boundaries, finding your own identity, and teenage rebellion, all set amongst toe tapping tunes and fabulous 50’s fashions.

Directors, Mrs A Holland, and Miss C Roberts created a lively, engaging show. The cast and company were energetic, the atmosphere electric. The opening number ‘Grease is the Word’ was wonderful, the harmonies fantastic, earning Westholme rousing applause from an enthusiastic audience. Westholme had many actors on the stage during company numbers, the stairs in the auditorium held cheerleaders, the areas around and in front of the stage were in constant use, all available space was utilised. Impressively every actor gave room to their fellows, there were no straight lines, no blocking, each actor visible throughout, difficult with such a huge company, well done all. American accents were impressive, the cast confident, moving naturally as they spoke, the humour within the show played to its fullest. The proscenium wings, painted to resemble a juke box, bright colours welcoming the audience, provided atmosphere as tunes from the 1950’s filled the auditorium. The stage had stairs and balcony set to the rear, these allowed bleachers to move into position stage left, whilst the cafeteria table and Marty’s bedroom moved onto stage right. The placement of the stairs and balcony added an extra dimension; the cast used the structure beneath for dance routines as Vince Fontaine stood on the balcony, the screaming Rydell students stood below. The car – Greased Lightnin’ worked exceptionally well. Pushed from its hiding place under the balcony, totally concealed when not in use, the stage crew dressed as mechanics as they manoeuvred it into position. The whole show had a refined feel, moving sleekly from one scene to the next.

The orchestra, conducted by Musical Director, Mr. B Holt, were impressive. They easily kept the tunes flowing at a steady pace. There were fast rhythms, with numbers such as ‘Born to Hand Jive’ and ‘We Go Together’ all timed wonderfully, never rushing the vocalists as they tackled tricky lyrics.’Greased Lightnin’ was excellent, the energy was lively, the orchestra strong. The overture was fantastic; it was lively and strong. Musical Direction by Mrs C Lewis and Mrs S Eames created close harmonies. Soloists were strong, comfortable with the pace, clearly well versed in the music and its lyrics. The Sound Technicians, Mr M Bradford, and Oliver Clemson-Dave provided a great combination of vocals to orchestra sound. There were no dropouts of vocals or open microphones, and sound effects were prompt. The Lighting Designer, Mr G Ward-Thompson gave the audience a spectacular display of lights throughout the show. A half glitter ball, set front centre stage, spot lit to throw cascades of sparkles around the auditorium looked great. Red, blue, cyan, and white adorned the stairs and balcony. The spotlights were precise, the actors always perfectly lit as they performed. The stage crew unobtrusively moved set and changed the scenes under the watchful eye of Stage Manager, Mr J Oracz. All backstage departments worked together to create a visually stunning show.

Choreography by Mrs K Barber was dynamic, the company moved tirelessly through energetic routines. The Rydell cheerleaders moved in synchronisation, red and white costumes complete with pom-poms energetically jumping and leaping around. I thought the tight formation during the opening routine looked great. The couples during the hand jive coordinated and animated. The ballet during ‘Blue Moon’ looked beautiful. The company worked hard throughout production, their energy boundless. Mrs. J Ward-Thompson created the costumes for this production, and they were outstanding. The attention to detail was incredible, each character on stage dressed for their respective gang or social group. T-Birds in leather, their logo emblazoned on their backs, the Rydell cheer squad in red and white, Pink Ladies in pencil skirts and bobby socks, the beautiful, netted underskirts worn by Sandy, all painstakingly made specifically for the show. A phenomenal achievement from the wardrobe department.

As the semester at Rydell High began, the T-Birds, the school’s rebel rousers, are getting ready to cause mayhem, chase the girls and steal car parts. Mason Smith played their leader Danny. Mason was full of bravado, cool and streetwise with excellent timing. His characterisation was strong; he moved confidently around the stage. I enjoyed his rendition of ‘Sandy,’ the emotion and pain of the song was excellent. Mason gave an impressive performance.

Stealing car parts to impress his on/off girlfriend was Kenickie, played by Peter Ward-Thompson. Second to Danny in the pecking order, Kenickie was surly and tough, ready to fight and cause a rumble. Peter was notable in this role, his character quick witted and confrontational. ‘Greased Lightnin’ was particularly good, sung with confidence. Fellow T-Birds: Doody, Sonny, and Roger provided comedy as they goofed around. Doody, performed by Gracie Smith was the impressionable one, following the others without question. I particularly enjoyed Gracie’s musical number, ‘Those Magic Changes,’ sung with Roger. Iris Griffiths was comical as the constantly hungry, game for a laugh, Roger. The song ‘Mooning’ added humour, as Iris waved her (thankfully clad) bottom at the audience. Iris played her character to the fullest. Zak Whitbourn portrayed a convincing Sonny, the braggart, wheeler dealer and joker of the group. Convinced of his abilities as a lady killer, rebuffed repeatedly, his optimism never wavered. Zak was comical, with great timing and funny facial expressions.

The Pink Ladies, the occasional girlfriends of the T-Birds, reluctantly accept new student Sandy into their clique, but her clean-cut demeanour is vastly different from their outgoing personalities. This puts her at odds with Pink Ladies’ number one, Rizzo. Darcie Dewhurst was wonderful as the sweet natured Sandy; she showed light and dark in her character as she butted heads with Danny over his treatment of her. Not one to put up with his bravado, she made him work for her attention. Darcie had a great vocal range. Her rendition of ‘Hopelessly Devoted’ was simply lovely, passionate, and heartfelt.

 Maya Pickford played Rizzo, the leader of the Pink Ladies. Streetwise and sarcastic, she hid her vulnerability beneath a tough persona. Maya gave a superb performance; her accent and mannerisms were excellent. ‘There are Worse Things I Could Do’ was fantastic, full of emotion and sincerity. Maya has an excellent vocal range, and her song elicited a huge round of applause from the audience. The Pink Ladies also included, Frenchie, Marty, and Jan. Amelia Wood donned the iconic pink wig as Frenchie. With aspirations to attend beauty school, Frenchie was vibrant, positive, and friendly. With masses of energy Amelia stood out during dance routines. Her characterisation was great. I loved her facial expressions during ‘Beauty School Dropout’ she was jolly comical. Charlotte Kenyon performed the role of Marty. Marty, dated much older men than her peers, was glamorous and slightly more mature than Frenchie and Jan. She flirted outrageously with Vince Fontaine, whilst treating Sonny with disdain. Charlotte was strong in this role, confident, and assured. I thoroughly enjoyed ‘Freddie My Love,’ Charlotte has a great vocal range, the harmonies with her fellow Pink Ladies were notable. The ‘innocent’ character of Jan, performed by Scarlett Brindley, with her trademark pigtails and penchant for food, made up the final member of the group. Scarlett was very comical as Jan, awkwardly flirting with Roger. The audience laughed aloud as she joined Roger and ‘mooned’ them whilst singing the duet. A comical performance from Scarlett.

I thought that Jonathan Baker was wonderful as Eugene. Constantly looking around, nervous and nerdy, with a great accent, Jonathan gave a full performance, jolly funny, confident in his character. Gracie Harfield performed as Patty, the over enthusiastic cheerleader. Patty was an energetic character, constantly seeking the approval of others, obsessed with Danny. I thought Gracie was jolly funny as she constantly tapped on Danny’s shoulder and threw herself in his way. She was loud and annoying, speaking rapidly, a wonderful performance. Eleanor Lomas stepped into the dancing shoes of Cha-Cha. Considered the best dancer at rival school, St Bernadette’s, she shoved her way into the winning dance pairing of Danny and Sandy. Eleanor was impressive in this role, with excellent timing, her dance moves energetic and confident. Molly Philbin cast a fine figure in a gold suit as the fast-talking, veteran, disc jockey and fellow ‘greaser’ Vince Fontaine. Confidently delivering the rapid dialogue, without fault. Playing the all-American rock star, and Rydell student, Jonny Casino, with greased back hair, was Enrikas Juselis. An enthusiastic performance from Enrikas, I particularly liked his energy during the ‘Greased Lighnin’ routine. Isla Naisbitt played the no nonsense head teacher, Ms Lynch, with energy and enthusiasm. Her accent was great. Following in Lynch’s shadow was Blanche, was the slightly silly school secretary, played comically by Holly Bolton and her xylophone. Louka Miller looked resplendent, descending the stairs as Teen Angel. The costume, a head to toe, white sequin suit, complete with sparkling stiletto heals and matching glitter makeup looked fabulous under the lights. I had to admire the stair walk down, not a hitch or hesitation. With a wonderful warm singing voice, Louka played the part to its fullest, the whole scene was just fantastic.

This was a great show from start to finish. The cast and crew worked together to create a lively, entertaining production. The audience rose in ovation as the curtains closed, a testament to all the demanding work carried out by everyone involved. I would like to thank Westholme for inviting me to their show and look forward to many more in the future.

 

 

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