What is the Word?

So it's time to put you out of your misery and let you know what the second Musical I went to see on the Orchestral Course was. As you might have guessed from a little clue in the title we went to see Grease (Grease is the Word :D) at the Leeds Grand Theatre. I have been told that as a child I ALWAYS requested for my mum to put the film on. I'm pretty sure there was a time when I knew all off the words to the entire film off by heart and ever since this time it has always been a Musical I have wanted to see.

As soon as I walked into the theatre the 50's vibe was really going. The projections on the safety curtain were typical of the era and really set the scene (pictured left).

The show began with the same opening scene as the film, Danny and Sandy on the beach professing their love for one another, and I was so excited. I thought that it was going to be just like the film but live and on stage, however I was later proved wrong. It turned out there were quite a few differences in the story line, not to mention the song additions. Don't get me wrong, just because it wasn't exactly what I expected I still LOVED it. I would also hesitate to say that most die-hard Grease film fans would love it too.

Not one of the characters undersold their role, Sandy was as innocent as could be, Danny the best soft-centred Jock we could ask for, Rizzo truly sarcastic and Jan the most fun-loving food fanatic person on the stage. Casting was perfect everyone fit perfectly into their roles and played them to perfection. Personally I was made a bit uncomfortable by Vince Fontaine at some points during the show as some of the things he did seemed a little unnecessary and misogynistic. There were a few times he overtly sexualised and groped some of the women, while it was clearly a decision made by the Creatives to build his character, it did make me and a couple of people I went with a little uncomfortable. I know that they probably included it to show the attitudes that some men had towards women in that era but I think it could've been handled with more subtlety than what i saw.

One character I did have a little soft spot for was Doody. He was the sweetest character on the stage and I loved how they incorporated it into the story that he wrote 'Those Magic changes'. It gave the song more meaning within the story and he sang it so beautifully. In truth my heart melted. Well done Jordan Abey!

I also have to give Rhianne-Louise McCaulsky a mention. Her rendition of 'There Are Worse Thing I Could Do' was just amazing. She played it just right, and her vocals were seamless. The fact that in this instance she was singing it to Sandy rather than by herself about Kenickie like in the film added even more emotion and meaning to the character. It was just perfect.

One song I was a tiny tot disappointed with was 'You're The One That I Want'. It was so much shorter than I expected and maybe even too short. To say it was the penultimate song of the show and arguably the most well-known song from the Musical it just lacked a bit of the omph and sassiness that it required.

Now another thing which Grease is known for is the Hand Jive, one of the only dances even the most uncoordinated of us is able to do. However I was sort of irritated to see that they had updated the choreography for the Hand Jive, which I will admit looked cool but it did mean that it wasn't as accessible as it used to be. So when I got home I had a little look in the programme as I always do and had a look at who the choreographer was who had committed this sacrilege and was surprised to see it was none other than Arlene Phillips. This surprised me a little as I kind of always saw her more as a ballroom choreographer due to her long stint on Strictly Come Dancing but I have to say overall the choreography was good and since the initial shock of the change to the Hand Jive I have since got over it and can appreciate the creative alterations.

They also threw in the Grease Mega-mix at the end for everyone to get up and sing and dance to. I think all shows should include some audience participation like this at the end. It really made the show experience!

Finally as always in my Musical reviews it's time for me to have a little chat about the Pit Band who were Musically Directed by Neil MacDonald. As always the band was faultless, stylistically on point and so tight. They were also a friendly bunch who were happy to wave back at us appreciative musicians who wanted to show them how much we enjoyed the show.

Have you been to see Grease recently? Let me know your thoughts!