Grease The Musical ( Junior Edition )

Grease

Music and Lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey

Directed by Tracey Hamilton

Assistant Director -Mike Hamilton

Musical Director –Alison Dale

Performed by Exmouth Youth Theatre

On Friday 8th November 2024

At The Exmouth Pavilion, Exmouth.

 

First performed on Broadway in 1972 and then created for film in 1978, Grease is a wonderful musical, loved by millions and  full of uplifting music, emotion and teenage angst. I remember being one of those teenagers when I first witnessed the film in the ABC theatre in Exeter in 1978 and I, like many, have never stopped singing those iconic melodies.

I entered the foyer of The Exmouth Pavilion and it was like stepping back the 50’s.  I was greeted by smiling front of house members dressed as Pink Ladies, what a great touch. This is a happy show and you could see this permeated throughout the cast, crew and front of house.

As we took our seats, the auditorium was filling up very fast. Grease pulls in an audience from many generations so it was heartwarming to see how supported EYT were for this production.

The stage was open and the set looked impressive. The design was clever, splitting the stage with the white painted ‘bleachers’ on stage left and the school picnic area on stage right with a brick build wall behind. This was used to produce, surprisingly, ‘Grease Lightning’ from rear of stage, throughout the show. There were steps either side of this set leading to a raised terrace situated above the wall and bleachers giving the director the ability to develop scenes with differing depths and perspectives All topped off with a lit ‘Rydell High’ sign above and gorgeous pinks and blues lighting the stage and flooring.

A radio buzzes and the voice of Vince Fontaine is heard and The Guys, having entered stage left,  are spotted with downlights, all dressed in jeans, white t shirts and black leather jackets near the bleachers whilst the pink ladies enter with the ensemble from stage right. The first few bars of the song and the audience are hit straight between the eyes with the powerful number, Grease, which hints at the misunderstood teenage problems they feel. This was superbly choreographed and costumed perfectly. The girls in tea dresses and A-line skirts, colourful tops, bobby sox and pencil pushers, some with 50’s style glasses, ponytails and neckerchiefs. The boys in jeans, tank tops, shirts, T-shirts or leather jackets, all move around the stage easily telling us “They think it’s just a growin’ pain. Why don’t they understand? It’s just a crying shame”. A great start to this uplifting show.

As we meet the Pink Ladies and The Guys, we hear the iconic Summer Nights. Before this we are introduced to the lead characters.

Marty, with her gorgeous American accent and white sunglasses is played brilliantly by this actor and she rocked this part with her naivety yet brassiness and utter sass. Freddy My Love was delightful, as were the harmonies from her fellow cast members.  Betty Rizzo is the sarcastic leader of the Pink ladies and is portrayed as exactly that. Her famous solo of There are Worse Things I Could Do was impeccably performed with real emotion and a lovely voice. I enjoyed the characterisation by the actor playing Jan as she was as loud, funny and awkward, not easy to master but this actor pulled it off with aplomb. The scenes between her and Roger were so cleverly funny and, between them, they had great comic timing. The dreamy and caring Frenchy was portrayed by a capable actor who sang well and gave us a perfect interpretation of the character, especially as she sheepishly shows us her bright pink hair (great wig) whilst being berated by the Teen Angel in my favourite song of the show, Beauty School Drop Out. These four worked very well together. Great casting.

Frenchy’s takes Sandy Dumbrowski, under her wing, having enrolled in Rydell High. During the previous summer break,  Sandy had met Danny. Falling for his soft, cardigan wearing side and thinking it was just a summer fling, they fell for each other and never expected to see each other again. They bump into each other and the story unfolds.

Sandy is portrayed as a cute, sweet and naïve ‘new girl in town’ and this actor looked the part and achieved the ‘wholesomeness’ of Sandy required for this role. She was believable, dressed in a yellow tea-dress, pink ribboned pony-tail, white ankle socks and cardigan. With a lovely rendition of both Hopelessly Devoted to You and then the rock chic in You’re the One That I Want,  this actor showed the much-needed variation expected of this iconic character. A lovely ‘Sandy’ indeed.  

The Guys are a gang headed by our leading man Danny Zuko, a real charmer who is outwardly strong and confident but underneath is vulnerable and really cares for Sandy. I liked this portrayal from an actor with good stage presence and who sang well throughout especially during Summer Nights and Sandy.  Kenickie is Danny’s second in command and loves himself nearly as much as he loves his car, Grease Lightning. This was an excellent portrayal from this actor and showed his vulnerability when needed with Rizzo, particularly. Greased Lightening was a superb number, fronted by Kenickie, with a great car stage prop and the ensemble (dressed in gold mechanics overalls, white T-shirts and yellow caps) joining him and The Guys, as they overhaul the car.  I loved the oppressed Doody, always getting the wrong side of the principal. The scene where he plays his guitar, spelling out the chords as he starts singing Those Magic Changes was terrific with the backing of the gang and ensemble. The actor playing Sonny understood the brief for this character and became the clown, winding people up and thinking he is a lady-killer. Roger was just hilarious and had some great comical lines which he delivered well. His singing voice is superb throughout, especially in Rock n Roll Party Queen and Mooning with Jan, which was sang well by both.

Throughout the performance there were number of special moments. One of these was It’s raining on Prom Night,  a lovely duet between Sandy and the Radio Voice whose voices blended beautifully. Staged and lit well with Sandy on the raised terrace, listening to the prom on her radio and her duet partner stood on the bleachers. The Teen Angel, with a fabulous voice, serenades Frenchy during Beauty School Drop Out as the Pink Ladies and ensemble enter in white nightdresses and silver hair dryer hoods on their heads. Using mirrored choreography this was fabulously funny and had the audience in stitches. The end of Act One produced an energetic, well sung  We Go Together from the whole company.  Born to Hand Jive was another toe-tapping number with creative choreography. This was performed well by the actor playing Johnny Casino and cast, with great enthusiasm, you could tell they were loving every minute.

Patty was perfectly bouncy and annoying and Eugene made you laugh every time he spoke with his distinct fear of girls! I loved the character of Vince Fontaine with his great singing voice and his confidence in the role. Miss Lynch was rightly serious at all times and looked great in her gold lame dress . Cha Cha Di Gregoria gave a confident performance and danced well.

Costuming a huge company is no mean feat. The whole show was brought together by the careful thought taken with the costumes and hairstyles of the time. As I mentioned previously the ensemble looked fabulous in their 1950’s styles such as the shiny suits and ladies’ sparkly dresses in Act Two. We first see Marty, dressed in white capri pants (pedal pushers), coloured tie, blouse and white pumps , Frenchy in a white polka-dot skirt and yellow blouse, Rizzo’s black and white striped dress with red belt. Pyjamas and negligees in Frenchy’s bedroom and the requisite black painted-on-trousers and ‘Bardot’ top, that Sandy wears to impress Danny in You’re the One That I Want.

This production was full of huge chorus number such as Shakin’ at the High School Hop, with energetic dancing from all it was a joy to watch. The company numbers were impressive at all times and if I could mention every one of you in this report I would as you all deserve huge praise for making this show a success. You all performed to a high standard on and off the script. Not a word was dropped allowing the story and show to flow smoothly.

The stage crew, with the challenge of the car, mastered this well and scenery changes were good.

Huge applause to the lighting design and team. From first view of the stage, to the moving downlights in ‘Summer Nights’ and the greens and yellows used in ‘Born to Hand Jive’ this production was thoughtfully lit. I loved the use of the spot in various scenes and this was handled well by the operator who, at times, was responsible for two spotlights.

It is not always easy for an actor to sing in time to recorded backing tracks as there is little or no room for changes in timing. Some may say it is easier as you can rehearse with the recording however when you are on a stage thing can change. That is why a sound engineer has to be on their game. I am happy to say that every musical cue was timed perfectly, there were no embarrassing pauses and the levels were perfect on each of the personal mics to compliment.

Grateful thanks should always be given to the wonderful group of chaperones who, without them, there would not be a production. Many of these are parents of the performers, so thank you all.

Exmouth Youth Theatre have produced high quality productions since their conception. Chicago, earlier this year being a perfect example. The cast and production team are to be congratulated for their presentation of Grease. The audience loved it. You gave us a vibrant, amusing and memorable performance which had people on their feet and singing as they left the auditorium, including me! Thank you for a wonderful evening of theatre and fond memories for many of us watching.

Lyn Burgoyne ( Noda Representative, District 5 – Mid and East Devon)

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