GREASE

This was the best production of Grease I have ever seen - fast, funny, and massively entertaining.

David Gilmore’s direction, based on his long-running West End revival satisfied on every level. From Terry Parsons’ ablaze with neon set, Arlene Phillips era inspired dance routines, to Stephen Amos’ kick-ass band, 1950s Rydell High was brought brilliantly, if garishly, to life.

Like most recent productions of the musical, the original score had been augmented with the movie’s hit songs and the show benefited enormously by it.

As head greaser Danny, Rob Mills was likeable, sang and danced well and handled his comic business with skill, likewise Gretel Scarlett as the virginal Sandy who delivered a pleasing “Hopelessly devoted to you”. In the best written role, Lucy Maunder as ‘Pink Lady’ Rizzo never missed a bitchy remark and made “There are worst things I could do” one of the best musical moments. Stephen Mahy found humor in Kenickie and impressed big-time on “Greased Lightnin’.

Casting the cameo roles with personalities has become a Grease tradition. Pint-sized Anthony Callea (Johnny Casino) sang the heart out of “Born to Hand Jive,” Todd McKenney was a fun Teen Angel and even managed to send-up his stints in The Boy From Oz and Dancing With the Stars during his “Beauty School Dropout” song,while old-stager Bert Newton was totally at home and an audience favourite as disc jockey Vince Fontaine. Val Lehman’s Miss Lynch had the unenviable job of coaxing the audience into sing-a-long which became tedious.

The hard-working ensemble never missed a beat with the title song, “Greased Lightnin’”, “We Go Together” and “You’re the One That I Want” bringing thunderous applause.

The show these days is as wholesome as a slice of fresh white bread, but like fresh white bread, once you’ve had one slice you want more. That’s what the audience wanted last night and even a requisite mega-mix finale didn’t satisfy them, they still wanted more.

Despite the satire of the piece being blunted by years of over-familiarization, it still works. Australia’s love affair with the Grease phenomenon has not abated, with this current production already a hit before it opened having amassed a larger advance than any other show at QPAC this year. John Frost will be hand-jiving all the way to the bank.

Peter Pinne     

Photographer: Jeff Busby

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