Nineteen&Jaded: December 2013

I actually watched this on Wednesday night but I had already written two quite substantial posts that I didn't have the energy for another (plus I was in a pretty bad place emotionally).

I'm gonna start off with this opening statement: I've always had mixed feelings for Grease.

Basically for these two basic reasons: the morale of the story is horrible but the songs are so catchy!

And Wednesday night's show really illuminated those feelings for me...

The show starts off quite strongly with Bert Newton (playing the infamous Vince Fontaine) interacting with the audience completely in character, giving birthday and honeymoon shout-outs to members of the audience (which is quite nice as it connects us on a personal level). He then goes on to engage us in a raffle competition (which turns out to be a complete joke at the behest of the poor audience member in front of me who jumped up in glee thinking she had won $3000!).

The night started off quite enjoyably and I was beginning to think that I may even throw away those negative thoughts I had of the show and end up dancing out of the theatre (with the aid of the audience members next to me who were obviously religious Grease fanatics), but that wasn't the case...

It was the moment the actual show started that I began to remember the major cracks in the musical. The story lacks integrity and continuity and really showcases a series of events that occur in a high school year rather than actually build to any real climax or resolution. That may have been just the point of the show however there are some really awkward transitions between scenes especially the one after the pink ladies decide to have a sleepover and the next scene is of the T-Birds singing in the shower.

It really doesn't make sense.

And what's worse is that it doesn't explain later why that scene was so relevant, it just cuts to the pink ladies' sleepover party and never mentions it again.

Even for a musical that doesn't really have a story, you can at least make the transitions smoother.

I guess what I do like about it is it really attempts to replicate the life and attitude of American teenagers to love, drugs, peer pressure, sex and unwanted pregnancies however it doesn't offer any real morale or lesson. The story ends with Sandy deciding to be more like Rizzo which I guess some can argue is the message that the movie is trying to send out to its audience: dress like a slut and you can get the guy, but I personally don't think it is.

I think the basic aim of this musical is to replicate the lives of teenagers, nothing more.

No personal connection to the audience.

No offer of advice or inspiring message.

Just simple reflection.

But even then, the structure of it is still flawed and I really wished somebody had did a major rewrite of it before they allowed others to purchase the rights to it.

I guess what this particular production really tried to do differently was engage with the audience but not so much in the story but more by making the audience feel like they're a part of a musical theatre experience.

The sing-a-long "class" at the beginning really warmed the audience up and anyone who had never watched a musical before would've (whether in a positive or negative way) felt welcomed and involved. The banter from Bert Newton in the beginning was also helpful in connecting with the audience in a classic Australian way: down-to-earth by nature and full of jokes.

All in all, this production really did it's best to make this the best musical theatre experience for the audience.

Now to the actors.

I was talking to a friend of mine who is also an actor and he said that he didn't want to watch Grease as he was sick of seeing Rob Mills in everything.

I don't mind him so much.

I think he's being quite brave taking on musical theatre after being on Australian Idol (two completely different ball games) and he's been quite successful. I think this production really is one of his stronger ones acting wise. I really believed him as a popular T-Bird who struggled with keeping his high reputation in the school and his love for Sandy however his dancing is still nowhere near strong enough for the role. All throughout the dance competition, my eyes went to all the surrounding couples who were doing much more impressive partner work and acrobatic tricks and in a way my mind was slightly bemused when he ended up being a part of the winning couple (even though I already knew this would happen). He sure has improved since Wicked and did his best to show off his partner but I still wished he was a better dancer.

Although, I'm happy they didn't cast Lucy Durack opposite Rob Mills again, Gretel Scarlet was a bit of a letdown as Sandy. I can understand why she was cast: she graduated from WAAPA, she looks the part and her voice is stellar. I think the highlights of her performance were when she was singing cos it was then I really saw her as Sandy and her voice really made the show soar in a way no other actress I've watched play Sandy has ever done. However, during the moments of dialogue, she was quite mellow compared to the characters she interacted with. It could've been her mezzo speaking voice (as I was very accustomed to the high gentle voice of Olivia Newton-John) but I didn't believe her as Sandy during those moments of dialogue. Her delivery made her appear much more hardened and jaded than innocent and naive.

I think it was the supporting cast and the incredible staging and effects that really pulled the entire production through (a couple of strobe lights and sparks were present - a typical part of a show at the Lyric Theatre - but it really drove the show to new heights!) The dance numbers were incredibly tight and energetic although I was a bit disappointed that they didn't keep the original choreography for Greased Lightening (although at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter cos those T-Birds were incredible dancers!)

The highlight performances for me were Todd Mckenney as the Teen Angel (and the audience seemed to agree with me as he was given a standing ovation), Andrea Arena as Cha Cha (my eyes went straight to her whenever she was on stage, even when she was at the back), Eli Cooper as the hilariously funny school nerd, Eugene (I think I'm in love...) and Laura Murphy, who gave an incredibly strong and rambunctious performance as Jan which combined excellently with a cheeky Roger played by Duane McGregor.

At the end of the day, despite some massive flaws, this production of Grease was an enjoyable musical theatre experience. I would recommend people to go but tonight's closing tonight so...sorry!

But the next time you hear about a production of Grease that is playing, go in with a mind that is ready to be engaged in incredible visual effects and music. That is after all the only redeeming factors of this show. If you get all that, be satisfied, as the story will never live up to Tony Award-winning standards.

And as for me, I hope in the future that Sydney continues to produce shows that really make the effort to engage with the audience in a similar way that Grease Is The Word did. Cos at the end of the day, a show is nothing without its audience!

3.5/5

So I finally got paid and the first thing I do is go on a spending spree. What with Christmas coming up, I decided to finish up by buying some gifts and some holiday goodies for myself...

(I hope my parents, my sis and her boyfriend don't read my blog!)

For my sister's boyfriend...

Hehe.

I bought my poor sis the Models Prefer Eyeshadow palette that I gave a lukewarm review about a couple of weeks ago (I bought it at the same time as mine! Priceline was having a 40% off sale!). So to sort of redeem myself, I bought her a metallic eyeshadow palette by BYS. I quite like these eye shadows as they give quite strong colours and are half the price of ordinary eyeshadow palettes!

And now some holiday goodies for myself...

A Sydney Dance Company t-shirt (represent!)

Some De-Stress Sea Salt Therapy from Ikou (I love sea salt products! They are natural exfoliates and make your skin feel smooth. Plus this one smells really good and comes in the most adorable packaging!)

And a shirt from ZARA:

AND to end my post, here are a couple Instagram snaps of the wrapped presents and of my cat enjoying our Christmas tree (it's his first Christmas!!!):