Grease: Galvanic or Gratuitous?

It’s automatic, it’s systematic, it’s hydromatic… but is it greased lighting?

Grease The Musical injects a fresh take into the 1970s show, trading in its old hot pink logo with swooping hair for an electric red and a lightning bolt. In fact, lots of aspects are traded out in this production in the name of modernising a classic. The question is: Does it work?

Inspiring the cult classic 1978 film with Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta (both indomitable forces as their respective characters), Grease The Musical follows characters Sandy and Danny who find themselves in the same high school after a whirlwind summer romance. They soon find that the status quo of Rydell High might tear them apart, with Sandy inducted into the glamorous Pink Ladies and Danny a leader of the incorrigible T-Birds. Packed with some of the most iconic musical theatre tracks in history, Grease holds a special place in so many hearts, and Melburnians are welcoming the show back to our city with open arms.

Stunt casting in Australia is usually done right, and this production is no exception. Marcia Hines is radiant and playful as Teen Angel, Patti Newton is charming as Miss Lynch and Jay Laga’aia brings the zeal of Vince Fontaine. In saying this, each of them are criminally underutilised. Particularly in Laga’aia’s case, we hear his voice throughout the entire first act, but only meet him at the high school dance.

Our radiant Pink Ladies Mackenzie Dunn, Brianna Bishop and Catty Hamilton and Caitlin Spears sparkle as Rizzo, Marty, Frenchy and Jan respectively. Dunn steals the show with her sharp dance moves and stirring rendition of “There Are Worst Things I Could Do”. Bishop also wows the crowd with “Freddy My Love”, a song unique to the musical, and perhaps the best performance of the night. Hamilton is sugar-sweet as Frenchy, and Spears shines as she sings “It’s Raining on Prom Night”.

Australia’s T-Birds are Keanu Gonzalez, Tom Davis, Andy Seymour and Harry Targett as Kenickie, Doody, Roger and Sonny respectively. Gonzalez, as with Dunn, abducts the show with his energy (and some impressive flips!). Davis is perfection as Doody, and “Those Magic Changes” is where he gets a roar of applause. Seymour and Targett channel the slapstick humour of the film and are ones to look out for, even when they’re in the background.

As the virtuous Sandra-Dee Dumbrowski, Annelise Hall is a picture of naivety and grace, with stunning vocals to match. Infusing the character with self-assurance even before her famous transformation, watching her call Danny out on his disrespect is gratifying.

Pulling on the black leather T-Birds jacket, Joseph Spanti smirks and snickers his way through Danny Zuko’s confliction, and nails the vulnerability of “Sandy”. With monumental shoes to fill, Spanti doesn’t try to mimic Travolta’s iconic characterisation, softening the character instead.

With everything to like about this production, it could be love if not for a few egregious setbacks. 

The most obvious are the colossally sized bleachers that diminish the stage size and create a clear source of concern for the actors navigating vertical and horizontal space while performing. Rarely as effective as they are distracting, they appear to replace sets rather than add to them, making the stage somehow feel more empty than full. They also seemed a nightmare to move, with stagehands ending up in full audience view clinging to the back of these mammoths to try and stay hidden. Their encroachment onto the floor space is glaring at the high school dance, withering the number of couples and diminishing what should be the greatest display of talent in the production.

Art is nothing without risks, but when you take too many it threatens the final product. The choreography choices in this show were certainly unique, but ultimately cheapened some numbers. Punctuated by a collective guffaw from the audience, the inclusion of the “shoot dance” (which went viral over five years ago) in “Greased Lightning”, was the most bewildering. 

Despite all of this, if you love Grease in all its forms, you should absolutely check this production out. We all know and adore the characters, the story and the songs (and you might get to sing along at the end!), and that’s certainly enough if you’re after a fun night!

Grease The Musical is currently running at Her Majesty's Theatre until the 7th of April!

Find out more at their website: Grease Australia

This review is based upon the performance of Grease The Musical on the 7th of February, 2024.

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