Sydney Reviews

Left – Lucy Maunder leading the cast of GREASE. Photo – Jeff Busby

To get in the mood for what some were hoping was a Grease sing-a-long, Vince Fontaine (Bert Newton) continuously popped out of stage left with some comic fill while the audience waited for the latecomers to be seated. This proved to be more of an irritant as it went on for an extended period but it was great to see Newton relive his radio hosting roots. He definitely has the voice for it and fashioned an exceptionally ridiculous toupee to match.

Next to appear was Miss Lynch (Val Lehman, known for her role in TV hit, Prisoner) who executed her role as an uptight school teacher very well. Miss Lynch coached the crowd through the finer details of how to sing along to ‘We Go Together’ (rama lama lama ke ding a de dinga a dong!), which got everyone buzzed for the opening number, ‘Grease is the word’. The vocals of the company were loud and powerful, however the choreography left something to be desired.

This was redeemed with a few young men dancing out of individual showers in nothing more than a small towel wrapped around their waists in Act One and once more at the dance in the second act with ‘Born to Hand Jive’ thanks to the amazing Cha Cha (Andrea Arena) and the supporting cast.

In fact, the whole first half felt a bit rushed (perhaps to maintain a certain high-energy throughout), which seemed to settle in a stronger second act. Although not initially convinced on the casting of Rob Mills as Danny, it was a pleasant surprise to see him perform to a Travolta level, even if he still has that baby face which was constantly covered in a big cheesy grin.

Two one-off solo performances by some bigger Aussie celeb names were Anthony Callea (Johnny Casino) and Todd McKenney (Teen Angel). These were acknowledged in Act Two with roaring applause. Callea’s smooth singing talent brought us into a solid second act along with the pure star power of McKenney who can surely dance, but vocally ‘Beauty School Dropout’ seemed quite forced. It didn’t matter, as he was covered top to toe in sequins like a young Liberace. References were also made to his other roles including his judging in Dancing with the Stars, which everyone unashamedly loved. He also provoked extra applause, which the audience were happy to oblige.    

A real stand-out was Rizzo’s solo (Lucy Maunder), ‘There are worse things I could do’. Her voice and physicality replicated Stockard Channing’s take in the 1978 film. Sandy’s (Gretel Scarlett) voice was sweet and her numbers were well executed, however, her ballet body distracted from the transition from innocent to newly formed bombshell in ‘You’re the one that I want’.

In comparison to the iconic feature-film, this stage production does not include a car chase or ferris wheel, but is well-staged, with vibrant 1950s costuming and, most importantly, with the band looming high above in prime position (something whole-heartedly deserved). The music has lasted the test of time since its debut in Melbourne in 1972, its first production outside of America, which makes this one a sure-bet stage musical.  


Grease The Musical

Venue: Sydney Lyric Theatre
Dates: 17 October – 22 December 2013
Times: Tues 7pm, Wed 1pm & 8pm, Thurs 8pm, Fri 8pm, Sat 2pm & 8pm, Sun 3pm
Tickets: $64.90 – $149.90
Bookings: 1300 723 038 | ticketmaster.com.au