GREASE - Review

Casino draws from the top deck
GREASE
Lyric Theatre
The Star
16 October 2013
Ben Oxley

The new Australian production comes to Sydney at the Lyric Theatre in the Queensland Performing Arts Centre to an enthusiastic reception. Maybe the pre-show interjections and 'back to school' routine set the mood, but this was a clever segue into the opening.

Let's not forget since the show’s Broadway premiere in 1972 and the 1978 hit movie starring John Travolta and our very own Olivia Newton-John, GREASE went on to become the highest grossing movie-musical of all time. Presented in Australia by GTO, this brings the show back where it began.

Applause for John Frost for assembling a strong cast of creatives: Terry Parson’s fantastic set brought together with lighting from Mark Henderson. Bobby Aitkens sound creates the oh-so-familiar mood for an evening of fun with nothing to wish for. Costume design by Andreane Neofitou caught the preppy tone, and dazzled in the Teen Angel scene. Arlene Phillips, Natalie Gilhome and Charlotte Bull coax the ensemble skills of this cast to full effect. Music direction from Stephen Amos brought the show up to its peak. It's amazing the band is just seven players; I'm sure there are more.

Rob Mills gave some comic flair to the role of Danny, and keeps pace with a hot-rod ensemble of T-Birds. Most impressive was Stephen Mahy as Kenicke, with a supercharged rendition of ‘Greased Lightning'. The boys definitely make this scene rock, with the car a must-have extra.

Gretel Scarlett as Sandra Dee really came alive for the finale in her transformation. She plays the character very straight, as she sings. We learn to love her, and she is an excellent foil for Danny.

Standout performance of the show is Lucy Maunder's Rizzo, with searing vocals and attitude to match. Having the confident swagger, and then the pained heartbreak caught this troubled character.

The A-list pack is revealed further in the form of beautiful star turns from Todd McKenney as the Teen Angel, and Anthony Callea's superb vocal display as Johnny Casino. Their performances bring a sure professionalism to this part of the show.

Bert Newton back to his early roots in radio spun the discs as DJ Vince Fontaine after undergoing a quadruple heart bypass late last year. Award winning Val Lehman, a long mile from Queen Bea on Prisoner, gives the right tone to Miss Lynch for us to enjoy the night and not feel like we never left school.

Watch out for the new Australian Cast Recording featuring this star-studded cast on sale for audience members and includes those unforgettable songs we all love to sing at karaoke – You’re The One That I Want, Grease Is The Word, Summer Nights, Hopelessly Devoted To You, Sandy, Greased Lightnin’ and many more. Stay right to the end, there’s even an audience sing-a-long moment towards the end of the show!

Another piece of advice for theatre-goers: make sure you arrive in the theatre a little early or you’ll miss some great pre-show entertainment. Get the gel out, don your bobby socks, step back into a fun era, and Chang chang chang-it-ty chang shoo-bop that's the way it should be wha oooh yeah!

GREASE at the Lyric Theatre runs in Sydney until December 22 and Melbourne from January 2, 2014.