Grease

Any stage production of Grease has a lot to live up to, inevitably being compared with the John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John film. But as soon as Helen Stoddart’s production for South Downe Musical Society got underway, the film was forgotten. We were given a stonkingly bright, colourful, energetic and exuberant show and the packed first night audience clearly loved every minute of it.

Perry Ralls as the cocky, handsome bad-boy Danny, and Hannah Ali as the sweet and wholesome, girl-next-door Sandy, were very well matched, both having great vocal skills and stage presence. They really made their on/off relationship convincing and courted us with their melodious singing.

Kimberley Harvey portrayed the tough as nails yet vulnerable Rizzo really well, and there were equally strong performances from Lauren Kempton as sassy, boy-crazy Marty and Alice Mayhead as the good-natured dreamer and wannabe beautician Frenchy.

The boys’ roles were equally well performed. Nick Williams was a tough, swaggering second-in-command Kenickie. Olli Heath’s awestruck, gullible guitarist Doody was most likeable and Matt Gibbins’ Sonny was every inch the bragging, self-important ladies’ man. To my mind, the pairing of Emily Rennicks and Matt Sackman as Jan and Roger, was a masterstroke. They would melt the heart of anyone who is a smidge on the heavy side, and their rendition of Mooning was a delight.

Steve Reading gave a brilliant cameo performance as Teen Angel – what a spectacle that scene was, with him as Elvis with wings, surrounded by a bevy of magnificently costumed angels! Alan Jenkins and Ben Horner also made the most of their brief appearances as Vince Fontaine and Johnny Casino.

You had to feel sorry for the orchestra, squashed into half their normal space by the stage extension, but under Alan Pring’s expert direction they still produced an excellent 1950s’ sound, accompanying and never drowning out, the singers. It was also nice to see (and be able to applaud) the backing singers occupying the other half of the pit – so often they are kept hidden and unappreciated.

The set was ultra-simple, consisting of three-level staging (High School “bleachers”) filling the main stage, a central pier thrusting out over the orchestra pit (to conceal the car) and two small off-stage areas to the left and right in the auditorium. The brightly coloured, spot-on period costumes completed the dazzling picture and, when combined with very effective lighting and the projection of images on a large screen, this was all that was needed to create the atmosphere. The few scene changes that were needed, were carried out efficiently, mainly by members of the cast, and the entrance of the very impressive car, Greased Lightning, was a great moment.

The choreography (Helen Stoddart again) looked simple, but probably wasn’t because it always looked right for the scene, enhancing the action. Bringing it out into the audience was a nice touch too, really making us feel part of the action.

My only quibble with the production concerned the use of the areas in front of the stage, left and right. I felt that these would have been better accommodated on the main stage. Because the Ferneham Hall is so wide, these areas were a long way apart and it was sometimes difficult to tell where the person speaking or singing was located, and you started to feel you were at Wimbledon, as the action switched from left to right and back again.

With the unusual staging and innovative directional touches, Helen and the company have taken this oft-produced show by the scruff of the neck, given it a twist and made it totally their own. Every single person on stage gave an outstanding performance. Accents never slipped or became too strident. Most of all, everyone looked like they were having the time of their lives, and that always rubs off on the audience leaving us feeling uplifted because we’d had a great time too. Well done everyone!

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