The latest production of Grease is a very solid piece of work. While some may doubt that a big budget stage show could live up to the 35 years of compounded nostalgia associated with 1978's acclaimed film adaptation (and they'd be partly right), it comes a lot closer than you'd expect.
The cast is strong. Lucy Maunder's Rizzo is particularly exceptional. The only blackspots are Anthony Callea's Johnny Casino, whose Born To Hand Jive is weirdly lifeless, and Todd McKenney's Teen Angel, who hams it up just a mite too much. The band do a fantastic job of capturing the musical's many, many hits. The sets are surprisingly spartan (given the genre), but design is still suitably spectacle-driven.
Where matters fall apart is in the area of pacing. For some reason (opening night jitters, perhaps), our cast seem intent on sprinting through tonight's dialogue scenes. They're visibly impatient to get to the next song. While that may gel well with those merely looking for sing-alongs, it tends to strangle the emotional narrative of the show. When Danny and Sandy finally get together, it's not especially emotional. Still, they nail the basics. Fans will have a great time.
