Every slag this side of the Northern Hemisphere has at least heard of Grease, and although usually this is the part where I explain the plot of the production I’m reviewing, I don’t think it’s worth going into that much detail when my most avid readers will be the cast. All you need to know is that there was little to no actual grease onstage in this adaptation – except perhaps in the follicles of Callum Wardman-Browne (playing Danny Zuko).
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ID: *deep breath* Maeve Murray, Matthew Colquhoun, Sophie Longstaff, Ruby Thake, Calia Reilly, Sam Morrison, Carla Anderson, Marco Gil Harris, Isabella Yow, Callum Wardman-Browne, Nim Warner, Ian Crews, Isabella Gustitus, Ben Stockil, Madeleine Wilton, Roseanna McNaught-Davis, and Rebecca Wilson. Credit: Ellen Rowlett.
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Sat in what seems to be Reviewer’s Corner (Row G, house right), I watched a very large amount of people sing, dance, and at one point perform the splits very professionally – congratulations to Calia Reilly (playing Cha-Cha) – their way through a beloved classic. A special mention must go to the lighting technician, Lucy Turner, as the lighting design very much made up for a common, yet debilitating illness which seems to plague student productions all across the Byre Theatre: no money for set design. However, this is not to say that I did not like the Greased Lightning whip. I appreciate a cardboard design always, and the stage crew (the prod team?) handled the blow-up wheels with flair.
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ID: the cast during 'High School Hop'. Credit: Ellen Rowlett.
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My favourite Pink Lady had to be Jan (played by Nim Warner). Her American accent was the most believable out of the non-American cast members. On the other side of that coin, a few of the accents on stage did make me question if Surrey was part of the USA. I also thought her dynamic with Roger (Ruby Thake) made them the most convincing couple on stage, and their duet was my favourite piece of choreography within the show. I hope to see them both in more performances in the future!
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ID: the cast during 'Summer Nights'. Credit: Ellen Rowlett.
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Moving onto the T-Birds, I enjoyed Marco Gil Harris as Doody, especially the song “Those Magic Changes.” The cardboard props once again made an appearance, which as previously stated, I love! Roger and Danny’s backing singer act was also appreciated – they looked akin to a pair of startled weasels as they were turned into chorus girls. On a T-Bird related side note, I found the casting choice of Kenickie, a character whose defining trait is combing his hair back, very amusing as it was evidently given to the man with the strongest hairline (Ian Crews).
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ID: the cast during 'Grease'. Credit: Ellen Rowlett.
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Other special cast mentions must include the ever-appearing, ever-funny Bella Yow as Patti. I have never seen someone drag themselves so melodramatically across a floor before. I doubt I will again.
The only criticism I’d have about this production is that the whole show seemed slightly ill-rehearsed. Having been in a St Andrews musical orchestra before, I empathise with being given 20 songs to learn in 3 business days, and in this case, I believe more time would have been beneficial to neaten up cues. However, this could have also been a case of first night nerves, and I expect tomorrow night will be a whole different story.
Finally, I believe that every Grease production should be rated on its Teen Angel. Matthew Colquhoun made this show fantastic. From the shoulder shimmies in the dark to the spotlight reveal of the infamous Merms casting couch, Colquhoun was also the angel of the audience. Sauntering around in a little white suit, the guy had the audience by the balls for the four whole minutes he was centre stage. “We love you, Matthew” was screamed from my left like this Teen Angel was actually Gabriel with news of the return of Jesus. And for all I know, maybe God’s will is for us to go back to high school.
To conclude, this performance of Grease was an excellent way to spend a Tuesday night, and if it weren’t sold out, I would recommend you buy tickets!
