Grease 🛞

#PRInvite #Gifted | The automatic, systematic, hydromatic Greased Lightnin' has kicked off it's fuel injection for Aberdeen audiences this week at His Majesty's Theatre.

Star rating: ★★★★

This week, ‘Grease’ is the word as the reimagined production of the hit musical returns to Aberdeen with a new facelift. The story of ‘Grease’ explores the beginning of teenage culture in the 1950s, whilst the musical scoring marks the change in society through the birth of rock ‘n’ roll. The title speaks for itself: everyone has at least heard of ‘Grease’ - following its success as an iconic film and stage production - but this new version prides itself on being different. The creative team promise a ‘grittier’ version of the show we are all too familiar with - but does grit and ‘Grease’ Go Together? It certainly does.

The plot of the show revolves around Sandy and Danny, two high-school sweethearts at Rydell High. The ‘greasers’, as the working-class teens are affectionately known as, are made up of ten teenagers who traverse through social issues such as friendship, peer pressure and gangs. This is more than a story of love between our two leads, intertwined by sub-plots including teenage pregnancy and sexual exploration. ‘Grease’ is as feel-good as it is thought-provoking; and it is in these themes where the raw feel of this production thrives.

This adaptation of ‘Grease’ is directed by Nikolai Foster who has kept the title fresh for audiences in 2024. The staging of this piece is effective and stripped-back, really focussing on the bare essentials. From the offset, it is darker in tone, less lively and without the cliché. This is not the bubble-gum pop, sleek and styled show audiences have grown familiar with and this was particularly refreshing. However, this had consequences for all of the principal characters who felt muted and indifferent to each other. The characters of ‘Grease’ are so distinct - from the Pink Ladies to the T-Birds each having their own individual personalities. Yet, restraining this felt like a disservice to the iconic names and felt limiting to the actors who could have fleshed out their character more. This production also strayed away from the film - replacing the T-Birds with their original name, the Burger Palace Boys. It also boasted material from the original production of ‘Grease’ which was perhaps new to audiences for this tour.

Boldening this grittier version is Colin Richmond who created the Scenic and Costume design. The set was a particular highlight for me personally, notably the two sets of treads which created a variety of levels and kept scenes moving at all times. Out are the overworked costumes in replacement of edgy and well-constructed outfits - the Pink Ladies’ have new jackets which look like they have been taken out of a thrift store, and they are perfect. The set and costumes are elevated by the lighting design by Ben Cracknell, which embodied the exposed nature of the show with lighting rigs visible from the back. With each contemporary production, lighting becomes more and more important when enhancing the storytelling, and this was evident here. The visuals of this production are stellar and achieve show-stopping moments even in a toned down reimagination.

The class of 2024 bring the energy with Hope Dawe as Sandy and understudy Ben Middleton as Danny. ‘Hopelessly Devoted To You’ was the pinnacle of Dawe’s performance as Sandy, married together with some gorgeous staging throughout this number. Rebecca Stenhouse was a noteworthy Rizzo - a far cry from the character of Elle Woods which I saw her perform as last in Aberdeen. What I loved the most about the casting in this production is its diversity - actors from all backgrounds were belting out the new vocal and harmony arrangements by Musical Director Charlie Ingles and kept the beat with choreography by Dame Arlene Phillips. The tenacity of this cast is ferocious, easy to tell that they are working hard to impress audiences. Phillips' choreography was slick with lots of footwork and all of the traditional hand-jiving you expect, just with a contemporary twist.

Perhaps another fault of making 'Grease' grittier is that Sandy and Danny never felt like Sandy and Danny. Again, they didn't feel indifferent to the other characters, so Sandy in particular never felt like someone you could connect with. You really start to lean towards the supporting character's stories - such as Frenchy's failed career, Rizzo's pregnancy scare and Jan finding her love despite her anxieties. This is not a fault of Dawe or Middleton respectively, or any actor for that means, but a repercussion for the new directive take. Another niggle throughout the show is the background ambience created by the ensemble. The chitter-chatter of the school halls, canteen and dance is definitely realistic, and drove away from the polished version Foster was avoiding, but this was at times distracting and took the spotlight away from the dialogue happening on stage.

‘Grease’ packs in all the well-known rocky anthems such as ‘Summer Nights’, ‘We Go Together’ and ‘You’re the One I Want’ - toe tappers at their core and earworms for the next few days. ‘Greased Lightning’ was a stand-out in Act 1 and the use of pyrotechnics brought the wow-factor, alongside the refreshed choreography. What I couldn’t believe about this production is that these numbers were not produced by halves. Some hair-raising performances took place in the middle of each act, raising the roof, leaving the audience almost expecting an interval to follow - but it carried on with its impressive streak. I loved the attention to detail, especially a well-coordinated move from Vince Fontaine, played by Joe Gash, at the end of ‘Mooning’. Just when you thought the cast were done - somehow, they managed a megamix at the end where audience members are invited to film and take pictures. 

‘Grease’ is at His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen, until Saturday 6th July - and it could be said this reimagined version is one of a kind (like yip da dip da dip, shoo bop sha dooby doo). With the holidays fastly approaching, 'Grease' is the perfect start to your Summer Nights. From the limited tickets left, my advice is to grab hold and ‘go Greased Lightning’.

Credits

Instagram links: @theatregramuk, @aberdeenperformingarts, @grease_uk

Review by Joel Simpson cc: theatregram@gmail.com

Production photos supplied by Aberdeen Performing Arts