| GREASE - review |
| Written by Sian Rafferty |
| Tuesday, 17 August 2010 16:56 |
 The thing I love most about the musical ‘GREASE’, is the crowds it tends to draw in. You get everybody from the Pink Lady die-hards in the front shimmying and shaking everything they have got, to the golden oldies who you know saw it first time around, all sitting together with whooping great grins smacked on their faces. There’s the boyfriend/girlfriend duos, with the boys looking all smug, safe in the knowledge that for the next couple of days at least, they are in the good books. However it’s a pity really, that the only thing you don’t tend to see are guys in full T’Bird get-up's, combs in hand, and a black jeans and jacket combo. For a strictly limited season, ‘Grease’ has come over from South Africa for a show which will have your feet tapping and your hearts racing. When summer loving ends, Danny Zuko (Jonathan Rocksmouth) and Sandy (Bethany Dickson) return for their final year of high-school, only to find themselves reunited in Rydell High. However back in the real world, Sandy is far too much of a prim Princess for Danny, who can’t let go of his smooth bad-boy image. Thus, the pair struggle to recapture the magic. Throw in a comb, some really, really tight black jeans for the boys, and pony tails and poodle skirts for the girls, and you have a snapshot of possibly the best decade we never got to experience live on our great Civic Stage.  With a set which shifts from diner to high-school track field, from Friday night disco to a drive-in movie, your every ‘Grease’ flashback will be more than satisfied. The dance numbers have the whole audience struggling to keep their legs and arms from jiving right there in the aisle. A particular favourite would have the be the epic rendition of ‘Beauty School Dropout’, where the whole stage is engulfed in mist and silver sequins, complete with Thembeka Mnguni, and her voice which booms across the entire theatre, right down to the back seats. Rocksmouth with his cheeky, rumbling snigger, mischievous winks and swinging hips, is a modern embodiment of his Royal Highness Mr. Travolta himself. Dickson is fresh faced and naive as little Sandy, and both have voices which ring out across the stage. The rest of the cast is superb with notable shout-outs going to the snappy Rizzo (Gena Galloway) and the trampy, yet superbly talented Michele La Trobe as ChaCha. All in all, 'Grease' is still the greatest high-school love story out there, and will triumph over all the Taylor Swift's, and Twilight’s and romantic comedies of the 21st Century. Go and get your well-deserved boogie on, and re-live those classic golden days. 'Grease' plays at the Civic until the 29th of August. THINGS YOU MOST NEED TO KNOW: Embrace nostalgic summer loving with ‘Summer Nights’, re-call those high school chums with ‘We Go Together', get your bad boy on with ‘Grease Lightning’, and to top it off - fall in love all over again with ‘You’re The One That I Want'. HEARTOMETER: 1 2 3 4 5 6 + 1/2 [ out of 10 ] YOU WILL LIKE, IF YOU LIKE: Happy sunny musicals like ‘Hairspray', and ‘Momma Mia'. Or ‘High School Musical', but with a bit more bite. WATCH: The original film and then the cheesy Michelle Pfeiffer led sequel to make a day of it.  |
