Grease at Grand Opera House York Review

Grease
Grand Opera House, York

Reviewed by Nicola Cook

On Monday, 16 September I saw a production of Grease the Musical at the Grand Opera House in York. It was an amateur production involving a large cast of about 50 actors. It was cast to match the age of the characters, so mainly comprised of actors around 18 years of age.

An atmosphere was immediately created by the first songs, led by the live band. The acting was mainly good, and I felt that the T-Birds worked particularly well together. There were many comical moments throughout the play, with some modern references which were amusing to the audience. However the role of Frenchy did not live up to expectations and Katie Glover failed to deliver the comedy moments that this character usually provides.

The audience were not disappointed by the numerous well-known songs from the show, which were accompanied by fast-paced and complex dance routines. The only improvement would be that at times, some singing was out of key, though quickly recovered. Reece McMahon, playing Kenickie particularly stood out as an all-round performer and particularly shone during his performance of Greased Lightnin’. Both Robyn McKintyre playing Sandy and Daniel McGuiness as Danny performed well, particularly during the musical solos, although Danny seemed to lack confidence during the acting sections. Dance routines were seamlessly pulled off involving the whole cast, who brought a fun atmosphere to the show.

The stage was well thought out with images from the 1950s such as posters of music stars. A real Ford Mustang was also used as the vehicle ‘The Grease Lightning’. Overall, the performances were very good for such a young group of actors. The star performance must be from Rizzo, played by Lauren Sheriston. Her acting, dancing and singing were all of a very high quality and her characterisation was impeccable.

Rating: 3/5

Tickets cost from £16.90 to £25.90 (plus £4 transaction fee). Show runs until Saturday 21 September.

For more information or to book tickets click here.