F*** Magazine
GREASE
25 April – 18 May 2014
Grand Theatre, Mastercard Theatres at Marina Bay Sands
Singapore
It’s automatic, it’s systematic,
it’s hydromatic and now Greased Lightning has pulled up to the Grand Theatre at
Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. The musical Grease
by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, which debuted in Chicago in 1971, has remained
in the public consciousness for over 40 years. This is thanks in part to its
hugely popular 1978 film adaptation that starred John Travolta long before he
was swapping visages with Nicolas Cage or mangling the names of Broadway
stars/Disney movie voice actors. Co-starring Olivia Newton-John, the film was a
smashing success, and is still the top-grossing musical film in the United
States to date.
Set
in 1959 at Rydell High School, Grease
tells the story of Danny Zuko’s romance with Australian lass Sandy Dumbrowski,
with whom he shared a summer fling. Much to both their surprise, Sandy stays on
and attends Rydell High. Danny is a greaser of the T-Birds gang, while Sandy
hangs out with the popular clique of girls known as the Pink Ladies. A
coming-of-age tale featuring such familiar themes as adolescent rebellion,
friendship and young love set against a particularly nostalgic backdrop, it’s
easy to see why so many hold Grease
so dear.
Above
anything else, Grease is a lot of
fun. It’s an idealised view of the ‘50s, offering up caricatures of the
different types of students populating any given American high school at the
time and, of course, featuring actors who all look way too old to be high
schoolers but who give it their all anyway. The humour is more slapstick and
pantomime than in the movie, but it works on stage and there’s an earnest
silliness that’s not obnoxious or self-conscious. The show’s definitely better
when it’s in comedy mode than during its dramatic moments. Following a sold-out
Australian tour, this David Gilmore-directed production will return down under
after its Singapore leg.
Featuring enjoyable number
after enjoyable number, those memorable Jacobs/Casey tunes (with additional
songs by John Farrar, Louis St. Louis, Scott Simon and Barry Gibb) are enhanced
by Terry Parsons’ set design and Andreane Neofitou’s costumes. The interior of
the Burger Palace is period-accurate and authentic while Marty’s room is
stylised, with something of a Dr. Suess flavour to it, neon hearts descending
from the rafters during “Freddy My Love”. Of course, there’s also the
transformation of a beat-up jalopy into the glittering Greased Lightning,
during the song of the same name.
The choreography by Arlene Phillips
is also entertaining, featuring several spots of dirty dancing and a trio of
towel-clad jocks swaying their hips to “Those Magic Changes” in a scene set in
the locker room. The orchestra, led by music director/keyboardist Luke Hunter,
is positioned in an elevated alcove, spending most of the show hidden by
backdrops but revealed during several numbers. The orchestra has costume
changes too – starting the show in polyester pink shirts, then sporting leather
jackets and then bejewelled blazers.
Stephen
Mahy stars as Danny, promoted to the male lead after having played Kenickie
during the Australian tour. Bearing a passing resemblance to Johnny Knoxville,
he’s sufficiently charismatic and has good comic timing even if his vocals
aren’t quite as strong as Gretel Scarlett’s. As Sandy, Scarlett gets to keep
her Australian accent and is sweet and charming, utterly nailing the
show-stopper “Hopelessly Devoted to You”. Of the T-Birds, Scott McConnell as
Doody is the stand-out, effortlessly crooning “Those Magic Changes”. Lucy
Maunder is a commanding presence as Rizzo if not completely tough-as-nails and
Jason Capewell threatens to steal the show in his dual roles as DJ Vince
Fontaine and the Teen Angel, hitting those super-high notes in a most fabulous
fashion.
The
opening night performance featured a cameo appearance from local DJ Vernetta
Lopez of oldies station Gold 90.5. While she was clearly having fun, her comic
improv skills did leave much to be desired. If you’re a fan of the film, seeing
Grease live will certainly be a
thrill, but do be advised that many iconic images from the movie are absent
(this reviewer was looking forward to Sally and Danny riding off into the
sunset in Greased Lightning, but that didn’t happen) and the story structure is
somewhat different from how it’s presented in the movie. At the end of the
night, it was clear that “Grease” pretty much still is the word. If you’re in
the mood for some fun, glossy nostalgia, break out the pomade, slick back your
hair and make a date with the T-Birds and the Pink Ladies!
Jedd Jong
