Grease is [still] the Word

Engadine Musical Society is launching its 2017 Season in May with the much-loved classic, Grease.

Since its announcement last year, EMS’ Grease has generated much excitement among both the older and younger generations of the local musical theatre community. Many people put their names forward to be part of the production team, a plethora of talent turned up at auditions, and now audiences await the show’s arrival at the Engadine Community Centre.  

But all this excitement begs the question, why is Grease still so popular? Is it the songs? The stories? The dancing? Stage Whispers popped into rehearsals to find out what makes this Grease so loveable…

The first person we see as we walk into the room is the bright and bubbly, Lexy Hutchinson who plays Patty. She recalls with delight being ‘forced’ to watch the film with her mother time and time again. In Lexy, we see what many of us feel when we think of Grease; a sense of nostalgia that we connect with childhood sleepovers and family movie nights. It’s the movie that our parents told us we had to watch, and it’s the movie we’ll make our children watch.

Notes before rehearsals, and we see that the show is in the capable hands of Director Paul Oscuro, who clearly knows and loves this show (he played Danny the last time EMS produced Grease in 2005). For Oscuro, it’s the characters and their stories that make the show great. “Everyone has been a teenager, and everyone knows what it’s like to battle the adversity of adolescence. Grease explores these universal problems with such honesty and humour that it’s impossible not to fall in love with the show and its characters.”

Soon the chords of ‘Grease is the Word’blare from the Musical Director David Allen’s piano, and the cast’s energy fills the air as they sing and dance. And we’re left thinking, maybe it’s the music that makes this show so engaging. The music is familiar, it’s catchy, and when you hear it you want to bust a move (or at least tap a foot).

Maybe Grease is popular because it is simply the perfect combination of loveable characters, memorable songs and classic one liners. Maybe it’s popular because it’s a feel-good story that helps us escape the hustle and bustle of modern life. Whatever it is, the magic of Grease looks set to be alive and well in EMS’ production this May.

Grease will be performed at the Engadine Community Centre from May 19 - May 28, 2017. To book tickets or for more information visit www.engadinemusicalsociety.com.au

Photographer: Grant Leslie

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