Grease, The Musical

Worcester’s Swan Theatre was packed to the rafters for WODS’ production of Grease – testament to the enduring popularity of a show that is now well over fifty years old, believe it or not!  And they were not to be disappointed, as the team put on an energetic, ebullient performance.

The stage was set with a large open space with a high platform to the rear, on which sat an excellent six-piece band, led by Musical Director Laurence Nicholas and conductor Peter Morris.  This made for a flexible backdrop that was effectively transformed into locations such as Rydell High and the Burger Palace – including some very nicely produced signage. 

Maximum use was made of the wide space provided by the Swan theatre stage, although at times I felt the actors were a bit too spaced out, reducing the intimate, ‘gang of friends’ feel that powers the show. 

We were plunged straight into the action, as the whole ensemble launched into the song ‘Grease’, with some neat choreography highlighting the members of the Pink Ladies and the Burger Palace Boys.  We soon got to meet the principal characters over at the cafeteria, starting with the Pink Ladies, led by Rizzo (Boe Aston), appropriately cool and snooty.  Also in her gang were Frenchy (Nicola Dalton), Marty (Al Linforth) and Jan (Becky Price). Each member of the gang would get their moment in the spotlight as the show wore on, such as Marty’s charming ‘Freddy My Love’, and they all took their opportunities with strong, confident performances.

Over on the bleachers were the Burger Palace Boys, all sporting very impressive hair dos!  The wigs on display were nothing short of remarkable, although, to be honest, I initially found them a bit distracting, and did wonder if things might have gone a bit too far when Danny’s entrance prompted a laugh from the audience!  Nevertheless, congratulations must go to wigs team Judy Hooper and Jake Heaton for clearly hitting their brief!  Costumes too were absolutely on point, really evoking the look of the 1978 movie to which so much nostalgia is attached.

The boys were led by Kenickie (Jake Heaton), full of alpha male strut, alongside Doody (Toby Edwards), Roger (Rob Connor) and Sonny (Elliot Kainey).  They worked well as a group and again had strong solo moments, such as Doody’s ‘Those Magic Changes’ (I liked the wry nod to the audience as his guitar playing suddenly improved!)  Jan and Roger’s duet ‘Mooning’ was effectively played for laughs, parodying a certain style of fifties love song.  But ‘Greased Lightnin’, led by Kenickie, felt like the moment when the show kicked into high gear, assisted by some very effective, high energy choreography (good work, as always, from Rachel Price) and some great physicality from the chorus.  I did wonder if we were going to get a physical car on stage, but the backstage team didn’t let me down! 

But of course the focus of Grease is the on/off romance between Sandy and Danny.  Rosie Bond and Eddie Paisley were both very good in these roles.  They both sang strongly and had a nice chemistry between them.  I liked Eddie’s nervous, Travolta style laugh and he got full value from ‘Sandy’, following some amusing drive-in shenanigans (there was also some really nice lighting at the drive-in, simply but effectively evoking the location).  Rosie did a great job with the famous torch song ‘Hopelessly Devoted to You’ – her wistful gazing at dancing couples around her was also a nice touch – and the concluding ‘You’re the One that I Want’ got both barrels from the pair. 

Completing the supporting cast were Chloe Pickstock, a winning performance as the much maligned Patty; Ethan Cook, nicely madcap as Eugene; Sophie Cottrill, strutting her stuff as dance Queen Cha Cha; Judy Hooper as the officious Miss Lynch; and Tom Dalton orchestrating the High School Hop as Johnny Casino.  Particular congratulations also to Alfie Thompson, Dan Hooper and Neil Waghorn, who took on the roles of Coach, Teen Angel and Vince Fontaine at short notice and all slotted in seamlessly.  Dan’s performance of ‘Beauty School Dropout’ was a second-half highlight (with more great headgear on show amongst the chorus) and Neil got some great laughs out of Vince’s inappropriate canoodling with Marty! 

There was a compact ensemble of eleven, who really enlivened the group numbers, particularly ‘We Go Together’ at the end of the first half, which was full of fun, and ‘Born to Hand Jive’ near the beginning of the second, in which some really complex movement was accurately executed.   

The show concluded with a ‘Grease Megamix’, providing the audience with an opportunity to sing and dance along.  Just like the show itself, this was very punchy and sent the audience home happy.  Congratulations to all at WODS for a great show – onto the next one as something completely different awaits for April 2026 with Evita.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.