Grease The Musical ( Junior Edition )

Grease

Book, Music and Lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey

Performed by Tiverton Junior Operatic Club

On Tuesday 18th February 2025 at New Hall, Tiverton

Directed by Dan Kilshaw

Musical Director -  Lydia Fitton

Choreographer – Katie Hawkins

 

The auditorium was full and sold out every night for this production of Grease by TJOC which is a fantastic achievement even before the curtain was raised.

The stage was set with a podium sporting the Rydell High insignia, and a Rydell High sign hung on the cyclorama with flats set either side of a hidden entrance which was used as access on stage for Grease Lightning and where the school lockers were placed in various scenes.

With an orchestra of six musicians the Alma Mater is sung off of stage by the cast and the podium is spotted. Patty Simcox, played as an excitable and funny character by this actor along with Eugene with his thick glasses and nervous nature, address their fellow students at the beginning of the school year. The Pink Ladies and the T-Birds are the two cool gangs of guys and their gals and the story revolves around their love lives and that of Danny Zuko and a new girl to Rydell High, Sandy Dumbrowski. 

The Pink Ladies consisted of Frenchy, Rizzo, Jan and Marty. These four actors worked so well together. Frenchy played as a dipsy yet lovable friend to all by this actor with a good American accent. Marty, the flirtatious one whose rendition of ‘Freddy My Love’ was sang well and delightfully portrayed.  Jan was played by an actor with good comic timing and stage presence and sang a fabulous duet of ‘Mooning’ with Roger.  The actor portraying Betty Rizzo, the tough, sarcastic leader of the Pink Ladies was perfect in the role. Her moodiness and agitation when worried about her possible ‘condition’  was well acted and her version of ‘There are Worse Things I Could Do’ was sang with real emotion. 

The rebellious T-Birds being Roger, Doody, Sonny and Kenickie, led by Danny are definitely ‘High School Cool’. The actor playing Roger, the more reticent character of the group, sang well especially with Jan in ‘Mooning’ and with Doody in ‘Rock and Roll Party Queen’. Doody was great in ‘Those Magic Changes’ with a lovely tone to his voice and a good comical actor. A strong performance from the actor playing Kenickie especially during ‘Greased Lightenin’.  The actor performing as Sonny was the wheeler-dealer of the group and as a self-confessed lady-killer was very funny and believable. I did see the first performance and at times felt the dialogue between the guys was a little rushed with some funny lines being lost but by the second act this had improved. 

The actor playing Danny Zuko you could see relished the part. He was obviously in charge of the guys and played cool and uncomplicated well. I especially liked the scenes with Sandy when his character tries to impress her by joining the track and field team. With a strong voice he handled ‘Summer Nights, ‘Sandy’ and ‘You’re the One That I Want easily. As did the actor portraying the sugary sweet new girl Sandy, who then packs a punch when she tears Rizzo off a strip for being so bitchy and Danny when he flirts with Patty. A lovely rendition of ‘Hopelessly Devoted to You’ and ‘Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee, Reprise’ showing her emotion and determination.  

These leading roles were supported well throughout by cameo roles such as Miss Lynch, the headmistress who shows her desperation in controlling the T-Birds in particular and that of Cha Cha DiGregorio, the best dancer at St Bernadettes who antagonistically moves in on Danny during the ‘Dance off’. Vince Fontaine, the radio present from W.A.X.X radio was played by a younger member of the cast, dressed in a pink suit and with a good accent while he promotes the dance competition. 

The ensemble was used to great effect by the director and the choreographer from beginning to end and in all of the major dance numbers. The choreography by Katie Hawkins started simply through ‘Summer Nights’ and with couples dancing through ‘Those Magic Changes’ which ‘revved up’ through ‘Greased Lightenin’ ending up with well executed full on dance numbers during ‘We Go Together’, ‘Born to Hand Jive’ and ‘You’re The One That I Want’. All of these, including the Finale, were  joyously sung and danced by the cast. The director made a change to my favourite number of this musical ‘Beauty School Drop Out’ by replacing the part of the teen angel with Roger, Doody, Sonny, and Danny performing the number wearing pink wigs while the ensemble, dressed in waitress’ outfits, provided the backing. It was unexpected and the audience found it very funny.  

The set, built by the company, worked well. The main set remained on stage the majority of the time with doors sliding or opening allowing the stage prop 3D Greased Lightening Thunderbird car, with seats and lights, to be driven on to stage which was very impressive and that’s why the guys are called the T-Birds! The large pink flat for Marty’s bedroom with a bed and dressing table with mirror. A 2D painted tree in the picnic scene and an authentic 50’s record player and sofa stage props as they sit around Jan’s basement. The Burger Palace painted red and gold, with a red and white tiled counter and three bar stools was just perfect,  as was the ‘Wurlitzer’ situated on the raised balcony (stage right). 

Costumes were sourced by the company and some by the cast. Sandy in a blue and white spotted dress, white cardigan, bobby socks and ‘Mary Jane’ style shoes, a gorgeous pink and orange checked dress and cardigan and the classic paint-on black leather trousers, red top and black jacket. Rizzo’s red top and capri pants. Cha Cha’s lovely red top and black skirt covered in sparkly red embroidery. The T-Birds in their iconic jeans, t-shirts and black leather jackets with their T-Bird insignia. The members of the ensemble were dressed in A-line skirts and tops with neck kerchiefs or capri pants and the guys in jeans.  Perhaps a few petticoats could be sourced to go under the skirts to look a little more authentic. It is always worth asking other Noda societies who may have recently performed Grease.  

The lighting design was extremely well thought out with great touches such as during ‘Summer Nights’ the cyclorama was lit with pink and green behind each group. The white spots and twinkling blue star cloth during ‘Mooning’ and the drive-in.  Good use of gobos on stage and the use of only red as Sandy sings ‘Totally Devoted’. The sound operator worked hard to sort the levels of the personal mics on stage with the orchestra of six especially when the dialogue was underscored but succeeded. It is always a delight in smaller theatres for a cast to be accompanied by live musicians and it really enhances the production immensely. They made a great sound and gave such a professional feel to the whole performance. 

I was expecting great things off of the back of last year’s production of ‘All Shook Up’ and I was not disappointed. The cast worked their bobby socks of throughout this performance and deserved the huge applause received from a very entertained audience. Very well done to the director Dan Kilshaw, Lydia Fitton the musical director and their choreographer Katie Hawkins, the stage crew, production team, set builders, wardrobe department and chaperones for a lovely production. Special thanks to the front of house team in their pink ladies’ jackets, the bar staff and Graham, your chairman, for such a wonderfully warm welcome. 

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

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