They're the ones that YOU want !!
Following on from last Autumns spectacular, Strictly Musicals,
Darlington Operatic Society launched their Spring show, Grease, last night to
huge applause, standing ovations and no shortage of critical acclaim.
Every year, DOS leave their audiences wondering how they can
possibly top their most recent show, and every year they go one better - well
with this show they've totally upped the bar when it comes to professional
production values, great voices and bags of family fun. Packed with all
the classic songs known and loved from the biggest musical film of the 70's,
this is much more than a simple sing-a-long stage version of the Travolta &
Newton-John legend. The choreography keeps it fresh and lively while the
slight change in the musical running orders stops any complacent viewer from
shuffling "I know what's coming next". As for the cast,
everyone on the stage looked like they had accomplished a childhood dream to
'sing Grease' on stage in front of a full house.
The leads, Michael Hirst and Selena Blain managed what so many
since John & Olivia have tried and failed - they really gave you the
impression they were into each other and the chemistry was there for all to
see, bubbling under. Michael had the swagger of Travolta, helped in no
small part by his proud jaw line, cheeky smile and smooth moves while Selena
(who many will remember for being Aerial in Strictly) had all of Newton-John's
candy kitsch and faux innocence until the bg switcheroo at the end. I
don't want to spoil just how amazing Selina looks as sexy Sandy, but I will
steal a quote from a previous show, The Producers, when I say "you can't
see it but we're giving you a standing ovation."
Of course, there are more than just the two love birds in this
show - Nick Holmes as Kinickie is perfect for belting out "Grease
Lightning" and it is very clear that he has studied all the words to
ensure his 'actions match up to their meanings'. Katie Carter,
making her DOS debut as Rizzo had a great first act in which she
stays very much the matriarch of the gang, slightly aloof, cocksure and more
mature than the other girls, but it was halfway through the second act, with
her solo of "There are Worse Things..." that Katie stopped the
whole auditorium dead in its tracks. She managed to bring out Rizzo's
vunerablilty perfectly, pealing away her protective shell to show a glimpse of
the little girl underneath, before putting the barriers back up and returning
to the hard Rizzo of before.
One of the great things of a stage show over a film is
that there is more licence to allow some characters to relax and have bit a
more fun - nonemoreso than Andrew Hamilton and Hayley Walker who, as Roger and
Jan, brought the house down with their mickey taking and comedic ribbing, especially
as they extol the virtues and love of lunar pastimes. Even when she
is not front and centre, Hayley adds so much to her character - at times I
found myself watching her instead of centre stage and laughing at her extra
little antics.
Another who made me hope she would be in all the scenes was
Claire Williams, playing Patty - she is just so adorably high octane that
you want to box her up, put her on a shelf and keep her for those
days when you're feeling a little low - she is a pocket rocket of energy, the
perfect Little Miss Goody Goody and a great mover to boot.
The set design and choreography are all fantastic and
show true ingenuity in how to make the most of stage space while
the costumes remain true to the feel of the film without being mere copies
- that said, Glyn Bigham in his all white suit was a heavenly vision
straight out of the (Beauty) school of Frankie Avalon.
Of course, Grease is habitually a younger persons show, it is,
after all, set in High School, but that's not to say that there weren't parts
for all ages of the society. It is a great testament to the all the cast of DOS
that so many familiar faces from Strictly Musicals were present in the company,
and even though they weren't taking leads this time they looked like they were
still having a fantastic time.
Looking round the theatre before curtain up and talking to
many at the interval, it was obvious that the majority of the audience were
there to see Grease based on a love of the film, however at final curtain
everyone agreed that this performance was every bit as good as the movie and
then some - there is a far better connection to the characters when you can see
them live in front of you but more than that, you can feel their total
enjoyment in what they are doing; the audience feed off the actors
enthusiasm who in turn respond to the crowd - perpetual energy has at last
been found.
The final curtain call was met with standing ovations
throughout, well deserved by all on stage and even more so by Directors Martyn
Knight, Joanne Hand and Michael Trotter. I hope that this great theatre
has strong foundations because on this showing there will be many more
throughout the 10 night run.
Grease, by Darlington Operatic Society, is on at Darlington
Civic Theatre until Saturday 12th April - there are still a few tickets left
but hurry - see the DOS website for more details.
PS - I couldn't write a review on a DOS show without
mentioning my two favourite girls - Zoe Birkbeck and Chloe Dargue - Great Hand
Jiving Chloe and Zoe, that mauve sweater - Oh My !! x
