Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey‘s 1971 Musical, Grease, gets the Allegro treatment, and the result is a joyous, polished trip back to the 1950’s. Now, we’re long past the point where critiquing the musical’s plot and themes is functionally useful. Suffice it to say that its themes of changing yourself to fit in, and ‘getting over’ your boyfriend’s unwanted sexual advances were rotten when it was first written, and that hasn’t changed.
None of which really matters in light of the musical’s immediate and enduring popularity on stage, and screen. The score remains as strong as ever, as does the comedy. The ever-excellent Greg McCafferty Thomson makes a blindingly good Danny Zuko, capturing the comic mix of swagger and moronic in an all-dancing, all-singing tour-de-force. His opposing number Zoe Brookes‘ Sandy captures all the ingenue awkwardness required, bringing a country twang to the iconic, ‘Hopelessly Devoted to You’ (an import from the movie). The vocal honours, however, belong to Rebecca Drever, whose sassy Rizzo brought the house down with a soaring ‘There Are Worse Things I Could Do.’
Now there were a few technical issues with sound balance for the first 10-15 minutes of theQR’s time with Grease, but between Felicity Halfpenny’s energy-infused choreography, and a bright, enthused cast powered on through. Thereafter the show mostly sounded as good as it looked, barring one or two principals whose voices struggled to rise above band and chorus.
Which is a high compliment because it looks great. Scenic Projects set certainly gives high school realness, readily transforming from lunch hall to bedroom as needed. The large cast never clutters the stage and between a strong choral performance, slick costuming, and a barrel of step ball changes, this is a good-looking show. The iconic numbers are carried off with aplomb, whilst the band under Louisa Everett makes a swinging success of the pop-rock tunes.
The comedy is sold with style, not a single punchline missed, or miss-timed. There are buckets of attitude throughout, and a knowing, but uncynical embrace of the show’s hoaky silliness. Like most modern productions of Grease, Allegro have opted for a version including the songs written specifically for the screen. It’s the right choice, the audience expects the tunes it knows, but it does compress the drama, such as it is. The strength of characterization throughout, however, prevents this production from becoming a jukebox.
Further, In terms of set-piece success, Mark Wilson‘s superb rendition of ‘Beauty School Dropout’ as Teen Angel tops a strong list. A perfect combination of voice, attitude, and group choreo, this is Allegro at its nigh-professional best. In the end, Grease may not be as perfect as last year’s Legally Blonde, but it’s still a marvellous production which deserves each sold-out night of its run.
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