Grease

The Radford College (ACT) production of Grease demonstrated how imaginative direction and a talented cast can keep an old favourite fresh, playing to sell-out crowds. From the “typewriter font” program, to the wonderful use of period TV advertisements as between scene fillers, the Radford production had a delightfully “retro” feel. The imaginative set created a specific T-bird zone on one side, with a wall of car parts and accessories, and a Pink Ladies zone on the other side, with a multi-purpose area in between. This ensured that the energy of the show was not lost in scene changes. The momentum was maintained by brief video clips from the days of early television, while the actors entered and exited the stage for each scene. The Pink Ladies and T-Birds ensembles worked well, with regard to both choreography and songs. Each actor sustained their character, without dominating the group. Under the musical direction of Joel Copeland, the “Greaser Band” and choruses brought out all the exuberance of the wonderful songs that audiences know and love, without sacrificing diction or pitch. I suspect it came as a surprise to some of the students that their parents knew the lyrics just as well as they did, and weren’t afraid to sing along - loudly. Indeed, there were a number of audience members who admitted they were fondly remembering their own time in the cast of long ago school productions of Grease.