Catherine Bennett resumes the weekly look at the performing arts world, with the sad end of Jerusalem, the luck of a cabbie, and French revolt. Do you hear the people sing?
Adam Alcock reviews Nigel Kennedy playing Vivaldi's Four Seasons and his own Four Elements at York Opera House.
Catherine Bennett highlights the trends in the performing arts world today.
Jonathan Cridford reviews 'Ghosts', one of the Freshers' plays for this year.
Indeed, with a musical this famous and this universally-loved, a “culture text" of its own right and without the legitimacy or backing of an institution such as the Central Hall Musical society, Happily Ever After Soc certainly took a risk with their first ever production. A very big one.
But the end-product was well worth it.
The entire cast as well as the orchestra included some of York’s most talented students. The leads were brilliant, complete with the American sixties twang, attitude and clothes. They were backed up by an equally talented set of dancers whose entrances and exits were excellently-timed. The choreographies were creative and never superfluous: the ballet sequence of “Beauty School Dropout”, for instance, was a fantastic interlude which captured the dreamy essence of the scene.
The arrival of the pink car was definitely an unexpected highlight—as was the surprise emergence of the T-birds in Danny’s (Sam McCormick) solo “Alone at a Drive in Movie.”
In fact, I was very impressed by the use of space. The stage, which was extended for the production, was never static. Though the set was minimal it contrasted starkly with the colourful costumes and elaborate choreographing of the scenes. The directors cleverly utilised the potential of Central Hall as a venue, in having props and characters appearing from behind the curtains, the upstairs gallery and the bottom stairs. The arrival of the pink car was definitely an unexpected highlight—as was the surprise emergence of the T-birds in Danny’s (Sam McCormick) solo “Alone at a Drive in Movie.”
Whereas both the musical and the film focus primarily on the Sandy/Danny plotline, here, the Rizzo/Kenickie dynamic undoubtedly steals the show. Indeed, Nicola Carter and Daniel Sofaer’s onstage chemistry was spot-on. Rizzo’s famous tragic “There Are Worse Things I Could Do” was extremely moving and beautiful, making it challenging for Sandy (Sophie Brown) to follow with her own solo. Kate Senior and Luke Malkin also deserve a special mention for their portrayal of the Jan/Roger pairing. Ed Lewis-Smith’s Eugene was particularly entertaining—everything, from the eccentric dancing, both in and out of the trash bin, to the maths jokes (“You know the one about the recurring decimal? It goes on forever.”) had me laughing out loud.
Yes, especially the maths jokes.
Unfortunately, the microphones occasionally malfunctioned and bits of precious dialogue and lyrics were lost, making certain scenes more difficult to follow and the production itself appear somewhat disjointed. Many were disappointed by the absence of the famous: “Hopelessly Devoted to You” and more importantly “You’re the One that I Want.” However, this was probably down to the rights of the songs that the society could or could not acquire.
While this production followed the plot of the musical rather than the film, some its original themes were lacking. The generation clash of the fifties versus the sixties, for example, was visually signposted through costumes, but could just as easily have represented a provincial versus urban dichotomy. Arguably, toning down this aspect allowed the story to be more universal in its appeal. Yet, in losing this anchorage in the Rock ‘n Roll era Sandy’s transformation equates less to a sexual liberation than a surrender to peer pressure.
There is a worrying sense that this “Happily Ever After” is shallower than even Mean Girls, as it is arrived at through superficial conformity. Sandy must abandon her values, dress-style, correct diction and pick up smoking in order to fit in and actively pursue her happy ending. In fact, in many ways the flaws of the production were that of Grease itself. No matter how good the direction is, how fantastic the harmonies sound or how synchronised the dances are, it is very difficult to conceal the sheer sillyness and dubious nature of the plot.
And yet, somehow—they do.
The show is an artless (though not seamless) blend of the comic (Panto-esque improvisation at the opening), the romantic (the pairing off of characters), the tragic (Carter’s spot-on Rizzo) and the snapshot of a key cultural transition. And more importantly it’s a damn good show, the kind that “wows” you and that leaves you smiling and humming “We Go Together” as you walk out of Central Hall discussing which cast member looks best in his or hers Grease attire.
Grease is on this Saturday in Central Hall at 7.30. Tickets are available from Your:Shop and OTD for £6 (students/children) and £9 (non-students/adults).
SANDY AND RIZZO STOLE THE SHOW! X
The plot is terribly thin, I agree, and I believe that prevents the climax from coming across clearly. I think it is crucial to see 'Grease' as a product of its times: the early 70's, when the culture changes of the early 60's were idolised rather than (as originally) somewhat feared. As Marie notes in her review, there is a marked contrast between Sandy, still living in the 1950’s, and rest of the school who are products of the emerging 1960’s, in particular Rizzo.
It is all too easy, and I admit the script doesn’t do enough to show otherwise, to interpret Rizzo’s behaviour (and Sandy’s subsequent attempt at copying – having become increasingly isolated I submit it is little wonder that she perhaps goes too far in trying to conform ) as some kind of sluttishness. I thought this production, especially Nicola Carter’s superb performance, did very well to show up how simplistic this view is. Yes, Rizzo “fools around”; she drinks, she smokes, she swears. She isn’t, however, doing anything the boys haven’t already been. I think (and I’m pleased to note that Marie’s review seems to agree) that the script sees Rizzo as exemplifying that first generation of women who were able to enjoy the freedoms so many men took for granted, and more than capable of sticking up for herself in the face of the T-Birds’ constant attempts to undermine her as ‘easy’. She may be the ‘Grease’ interpretation of the ‘liberated woman’! Indeed, it seems to me that Rizzo is the emotional heart of the musical.
In support of this, I can only refer people to the review’s observations regarding ‘There Are Worse Things I Could Do’. It is a powerful song, and it says a lot for the confidence of the directors and performers that they resisted the urge to try and have Sandy compete: it is no reflection on Sophie Brown that she didn’t top Carter – surely she wasn’t meant to – her reprise that followed was a well-judged response.
It is a shame that the evident ambition of the show (both this production and the script itself) is so often undermined by a weak structure of what amount to nothing more than loosely interlinked scenes. The sheer number and length of the blackouts often seemed excessive, and broke up the action even further, though whether the fault lay with the production, the venue or the source material, I couldn’t judge. Given such a thin script it is even more important than usual that no lines are lost, and I agree with Marie that technical faults of various kinds too often undermined the dialogue: a shame as it was not what the performers’ efforts deserved.
I can’t finish this lengthy post without setting down for the record my favourite moment of the night. The decision to include ‘Grease Is The Word’ was a risky one, but it was worth it for that magnificent entrance!
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