Grease was the word today at The Players Theatre. This version, without a doubt, it the best version I’ve seen: sharp, stylish and bursting with energy with the very first note.
Grease is the 1971 musical which follows the lives of the Burger Palace Boys and the Pink Ladies, as they navigate relationships, social attitudes and sing whilst doing it. If I’m honest, Grease is not a show I feel very fondly towards. I think that the show lacks a lot of character: regardless of the fact that the soundtrack really is great. However, I was excited to see the The Lowestoft Players tackle this show in the Players Theatre. The Players Theatre is a unique experience, feeling very rich in history and feel good. I was fully expecting a quality show from the Lowestoft Players, after watching their previous musicals (including Sweeney Todd and Kipps Half A Sixpence). But did they bring Rydell High to new heights?
The set continues to be immersive for an amateur group, with lots of moving parts and units. I really enjoyed the moving staircase in this show as it worked well to help build atmosphere. Similarly, the lighting was brilliant with these strong lights around the side of the stage. I’ve seen many a production of Grease (including the recent 2024 tour) and I would say this set and lighting was the best: a massive achievement for the whole crew. Talking of crew, Daisy Rodgers was the director, Ellie Rodgers was the choreographer, Bec George-Broom was musical director and Clarissa Place was production assistant. It is clear that the whole team must have worked flawlessly together to bring this production to life, well done all involved.
One think you can expect from the Lowestoft Players is solid dancing and the ensemble really delivered on this. With great backing vocals and brilliant dance routines, they really were shining throughout. I apologise for not knowing which individual did the baton twirling but she was incredible! I do query why there was no male ensemble members but this may be due to lack of men in amateur theatre in general.
Cerys Roscoe plays Cha Cha and she has some of the most impressive moves throughout the show (as both Cha Cha and when she is working with the ensemble). She is very impressive and shows lots of energy throughout her dancing style: making it so much fun to watch. Ian Bayton plays Teen Angel, which initially threw me as usually Vince Fontaine and Teen Angel are played by the same person. However, Bayton gets to sing one of the best songs in the show and has fantastic range. Louise Hay plays Miss Lynch and made me question if she is already a teacher, as she really does a great job of making her a believable character within this show. Jimmy Atkin plays Vince Fontaine, bringing some radio update to the Burger Boys and Pink Ladies. Atkin has a smooth, laid back approach which works perfectly for this character. Macey Davis plays Patty and she is so good at being overall positive and annoying at the same time (in character, in real life I’m sure she is nothing like that). Patty is such as fun role to play and Davis seems to be enjoying every minute as it comes across very well in her character. Finishing the additional characters, Jack Bloomfield plays Eugene. Eugene is meant to be very nerdy and socially awkward which Bloomfield delivers in buckets. The fact that he maintains this posture and character during dances had be laughing each time.
The Burger Palace Boys are the cool gang that hang about together wearing leather jackets. Jamie Collins plays Sonny and is able to deliver some of the funnier lines in the show. I’ve always found it odd that Sonny never gets a song so unfortunately we don’t get to hear Collins solo sing, but his dancing was on beat each time: sometimes showing the others how it is done. Marshall Reeve plays Doody, who I already have seen before as Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid. Reeve has a great voice and utilised this well during ‘Those Magic Changes’, singing the best rendition of that song I’ve heard. Simon Warren plays Roger (Rump) who is best known for ‘Mooning’ people. I’ve seen Warren before and recognise his face instantly, as he gave a great performance as Roger. I thoroughly enjoyed how much he seemed to be enjoying shaking his ‘moon’ at the audience, as his infectious energy was really showing. Daniel Hughes plays Kenickie and gets to sing one of the most famous songs ‘Greased Lightnin’. He does a great job at emboding the character and is able to deliver on some of the more serious sides of the show.
The Pink Ladies are the best friend group you can imagine, wearing pink clothes all the time. Marisa Hook plays Marty who gets to sing about her lover across the country in ‘Freddy My Love’. Hook is able to deliver vocally a fantastic performance, with some of the best lighting coming from her lamp microphone. Lily Bond plays Jan who loves to eat food (and I can’t blame her). She is able to work well with Warren to sing ‘Mooning’, making for some good harmonies and choreography. Jemima Wilson plays Frenchy who I got to see as Ariel in the Little Mermaid. Unfortunately, Frenchy doesn’t actually sing that often within Grease. But each time Wilson had the chance, she brought powerful vocals to the show. Zoe North plays Rizzo and really is the character you would come to expect. North is able to understand what makes Rizzo work and uses her fantastic acting skills to bring this to life. Her rendition of ‘There Are Worse Things I Can Do’ was impressive, making me second guess what I had just witness.
However, the main part of Grease focuses on the love story between Danny and Sandy. Alex Bracey plays Danny who I have seen in a few shows now. Notably, he played the lead role in ‘Kipps Half A Sixpence’ as Arthur: where he was fantastic! Bracey faces a slightly different role here but embraces the difference flawlessly. He becomes Danny throughout the show and is able to show how great he is as an actor, dancer and singer. His solo ‘Sandy’ was fantastic and his duets with Sandy were equally as good. I’m sure it won’t be the last time I see Bracey, so I look forward to the next show he is in. Evie Forsdicke plays Sandy and I’m almost certain I have not seen her before as I think I would’ve remembered her gorgeous voice. Sandy is such a sweet character who just loves Danny so much and Forsdicke shows this so well! Her solo song ‘Hopelessly Devoted To You’ was mind-blowingly fantastic as she belted each note that I’m sure people in Great Yarmouth would’ve heard her beautiful vocals. I also feel that her dynamic with Bracey, at times felt a bit weak, but Forsdicke was fully embracing this each time: understanding what the assignment needed. I really hope to see more of her in the future (do I see a future Elsa in Frozen 2027? I would be for it)
Grease will continue to be the word till Saturday 27th September. It is currently sold out (as it deserves to be) but tickets may be returned to keep an eye out!
Max
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