Grease, The Musical

Grease was the word at Redditch’s Palace Theatre, as Alcester Musical Theatre Company took on this classic show, which believe it or not is over 50 years old now!  And they didn’t let us down, as the team delivered a performance that absolutely matched the high standards that they have set for themselves. 

The curtains opened onto a nice, split level set, which made good use of the depth provided by the Palace stage.  This was cleverly transformed into a variety of locations, neatly opening up like the pages of a book.  The scene changes were effected very pacily, although sometimes at the expense of distracting from performers singing downstage.  It was also good to see the band on full display on the top platform, where they were sometimes joined by members of the cast, for example at the High School Hop. 

Grease, of course, tells the story of the on-off-on romance between High Schoolers Danny Zuko and Sandy Dumbrowski.  This was foreshadowed in an opening rendition of ‘Sandy’ by the pair, which gave us a foretaste of the ups and downs to come.  There were good performances from Tara Weston as Sandy and Stu Parish as Danny.  They both sung well and had a nice chemistry together.  I particularly liked Stu’s lovelorn rendition of ‘Sandy’ after he was stranded at the drive in, and Tara’s emotional reprise of ‘Look at Me I’m Sandra Dee’ prior to her final-scene transformation, which was full of conviction and heart. 

Over at the canteen and the bleachers we met The Pink Ladies and the Burger Palace Boys.  The Pink Ladies were led by Rachel Philpott’s spikey Rizzo, who was joined by Marty (Amy Beauchamp), Frenchy (Jen Nunn), and Jan (Lucy Frankton).  These were great performances, full of gossipy fun as they brought the characters to life. 

Meanwhile Jamie Glenn’s Kenickie (complete with a particularly impressive hairdo) took charge of the Burger Palace Boys - Doody (Ben Moore), Sonny (Matt McCracken), and Roger (Andrew Sutton).  I enjoyed the humour that they brought out in their interactions, with Sonny and Doody providing some particularly good comedy moments.  The famous ‘Greased Lightnin’, complete with a fabulous, full size car which transformed before our very eyes, provided a first-half highlight for the Boys. 

The first half of the show finished with a spectacular version of ‘We Go Together’, which featured some very well-choreographed (good work from Naomi Beckford) hand movements and entertaining interjections from Eugene!  Great work from the ensemble, who really played their part in bringing the show to life.

The second half began with another impressive set piece as we joined the cast at the High School Hop.  The character of Vince Fontaine was nicely realised – if a little creepy, as he hit on any woman who happened to be in range!  Later on in the half there was a great version of ‘Beauty School Dropout’ as Frenchy was serenaded by a chorus of dancers wearing very impressive curler head-dresses.  I also enjoyed the depiction of the drive-in, which featured some well-designed cars alongside Greased Lightnin’ itself. 

The ensemble were once again to the fore as the show concluded with ‘You’re the One That I Want’, which was well performed by Sandy and Danny and the whole gang.  Director Bev Hatton and musical director Phil Radden certainly got the best out of their cast, whose clear enjoyment of the material was infectious.  A word too for the costume and lighting teams, whose efforts were very much appreciated and really made for the full Grease experience. 

The evening finished with a medley of hits from the show, which gave the audience a nice opportunity to sing and dance along.  I thought it was interesting to see the whole cast relax and really throw themselves into this encore, which was huge fun and saw a great response from the Palace theatre stalls. 

My congratulations to all at AMTC for another excellent night out – as the song goes, it had a groove, it had a meaning!  See you next year.

Chris Davies – Regional Representative district 05

As Regional Councillor for the West Midlands I was delighted to attend Alcester Musical Theatre Company for a highly enjoyable evening where Grease was the word. Although I attended a different performance I can only agree with Chris regarding the stand of the show, this therefore must demonstrate a high standard throughout the run. The set was impressive especially the car (congratulations on managing to move it). The vocals and chorography were consistently to a high standard.

The show was well directed and therefore well received. The audience most certainly enjoyed the show and were given a wonderful opportunity to let their hair down at the end.

I most certainly look forward to Calendar Girls – the musical next year. Congratulations to all involved.

Andy Brown, Regional Councillor NODA West Midlands.

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