Grease - 4.5 out of 5 stars
Pelican Productions
TICKETS: End of Season
Grease is certainly the word this weekend! Pelican Productions is well-known for its high-quality shows with great production value and spectacular talent, and this show was no exception. A common comment heard throughout the audience was ‘I honestly forgot it was a youth show!’
Grease is the classic musical; even if you have zero
knowledge or interest in musicals, you know Grease, and if you have ever been
involved in theatre in any capacity, chances are you were involved in a
production of your own at some point (I know I was!) It’s a story of love,
friendships and coming-of-age in the 1950s, complete with petticoats and hair
gel galore and songs that will leave you humming all the way home.
Vanessa Lee Shirley was the director for this production,
and though I haven’t seen a show of hers before, I was thoroughly pleased with
the show she created. Despite what one might think, putting on a show like Grease
can be surprisingly difficult - when a show is as popular and has been done
as many times as this one has, it can be hard to make it feel fresh and new.
But Shirley’s direction and the cast’s energy breathed new life into the show
and made it a truly enjoyable experience. The blocking was also incredibly
well-polished, with speedy and effective set changes done entirely by the cast.
Nic Collins, as choreographer, followed the motto ‘simple
but effective’. The dancing wasn’t technically difficult or overly flashy, but
fun, quirky ' 50s-style moves were plentiful, and the cast were clean and
sharp. This was best demonstrated in the large company numbers, especially Born
To Hand-Jive - the stage was filled out perfectly without being too cramped
or choreography too muddled, which can sometimes be an issue for shows with
casts as large as this one.
Ben Francis was fantastic as the show’s musical director. He expertly led a 7-piece band, with not a single beat or note out of place. An extra shout-out goes to Casey Mifsud, who played Johnny Casino and did a trombone solo during the ‘high school hop’ scene. It was a fun little extra, and it was incredibly executed too. Admittedly, there were some slight mixing issues at times, leaving the leads overwhelmed by the band or ensemble’s backing vocals; however, for a show like this where audiences pretty much know all the songs by heart, it wasn’t an overwhelming dilemma.
The cast was enthusiastic and vibrant, with a lively
ensemble filling the stage during the big numbers. Each Pink Lady and Burger
Palace Boy (that’s right, they’re not called the T-Birds in the original
musical!) had their own personality that shone through, with each member having
their moment to shine.
As the leader of the Burger Palace Boys, Patrick Longden
oozed charisma as Danny Zuko. He perfectly toed the line between the sweet guy
who loves Sandy and the tough macho man who holds the respect of his gang, and
had amazing vocals to boot.
As his sweetheart, Polly Schubert made a wonderful Sandy. It
was a lovely directorial choice to keep her Australian accent as an homage to
Olivia Newton-John, and it really helped her role in the story as a fish out of
water - wanting to fit in with the rough and rowdy Pink Ladies whilst staying
true to herself.
As the leader of said Pink Ladies, Charlotte Norman was
great as Rizzo, with a too-cool-for-school attitude disguising a young woman
scared to be vulnerable. Hearing her sing There Are Worse Things I Could Do
was a highlight - her jazz-style vocals lent themselves perfectly to the song.
And Ewan Pugh as her beau Kenickie was a stand-out performer. He had just the
right amount of sleaze to be cool without being, well, sleazy. And Greased
Lightning was a truly fun number to watch.
Kayla Symonds, Annabelle Pearce and Kylah Moreno-Santos
rounded out the rest of the Pink Ladies as Marty, Frency and Jan. They were
sweet, they were feisty, they were funny and just a little
rough-around-the-edges. As a former Marty, Freddy My Love absolutely got
my seal of approval.
Joel Howis, Noah Magourilos and Thomas White made up the
rest of the Burger Palace Boys as Doody, Roger and Sonny. They were a truly
believable gang of brothers, lewd and childish. It was clear they were having a
great time.
The most interesting casting of the show definitely goes to
Mark Stefanoff as Teen Angel. It was a wonderful cameo, and of course he blew
us all away with his rendition of Beauty School Dropout (complete with a
sequinned jacket that I absolutely wanted to steal); it just felt like a rather
odd choice for a youth production. Odd, but not unwelcome (because let’s face
it, Mark Stefanoff is never unwelcome).
Honourable mentions must also be made for Jasmine Howis as
the Radio Voice for It’s Raining On Prom Night, Tayla Walker as Cha-Cha,
Kate Wooding as Ms Lynch, Hanno De Klerk as Vince Fontaine, Ella Caruthers as
Patty Simcox and Oliver Cenko as Eugene. Though they are smaller roles, each
actor gave every single line and movement their all, and it showed. It can be
disheartening when the minor roles are treated as throwaways, but that was not
the case for a single person on stage, ensemble included. They elevated the
rest of the production and made it the smashing success it was.
All in all, it was an incredibly enjoyable show that made
for a fun afternoon out. I’m sad that the season was so short - I would have
absolutely encouraged readers to see the show for themselves and relive the joy
of this theatre classic.
- Carolina Fioravanti
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