Grease

Grease is definitely still the word. Fab Nobs Theatre has once again successfully presented a classic production in the Fab Factory.

As I entered the Factory and took my seat, my breath was taken away with the excellent set design (by Anne Dewar) and the excellent transformation of the factory into a 1950’s diner complete with checkered table cloths and wall paintings.

As the production started I noticed the differences between usual productions of Grease. Usually the show starts with the song ‘Alma Mater’ before transforming into the 1950’s Rydell High that we all know and love. This version began with an announcement from Vince Fontaine by the wonderful Tony (Bones) Burge before flashing backwards to when Sandy and Danny parted ways at the beach in that 1950’s summer as they did in the movie. Anne had a small cast with little ensemble and used them superbly. The use of Eugene and Patty in most scenes whether it is at lockers, in rubbish cans or in basement windows was excellent.

As we moved into the halls of Rydell High we saw the delightful performances of the Pink Ladies and Burger Palace Boys (AKA T-Birds) in Summer Nights. This song had excellent choreography by Felicity Hill using the space and cast well. This trend carried throughout the show with some excellent and polished choreography. Well Done Felicity! It was great to see simple yet effective choreography that the male ensemble members executed with ease; however, it was disappointing to see Doody not playing his guitar during “Those Magic Changes”.

As previously mentioned the set was impressive! I did wonder in the lead up to the show how they were going to get a car on the stage. Wow! “Grease Lightning” saw the car inset in the giant juke box set and fold out of the staircase. This was a fantastic concept demonstrating the set team’s excellent and creative use of the Fab Factory and their limited stage size. For this they are to be commended!

The cast contained seasoned performers Tony Burge, Merryn Degnan, Victoria Zainal and of course Jonathon Guthrie-Jones; however, also a lot of newcomers particularly to the Fab Nobs community. I thought that they all did an excellent job at portraying these well-known characters so many of us hold near and dear to our hearts. Unfortunately, I cannot mention everybody in the cast but would like to especially congratulate Jan (Katrina Vink) who was the most consistent performer of the night. Her portrayal was so unique and different to the other characters. I did feel that the characters lacked depth. This could have been due to an inexperienced cast or a lack of rehearsal time (they only had 8 weeks to put on this monster of a show) however, I felt that the tension between Rizzo (Amy Cumming) and Kenicke (Josh Gavin) and the hidden desire between Sandy (Melissa Headstrom) and Danny (Nick Chilton) could have been drawn out a little more. After all, this show is about the relationships between these two groups of popular teens. It was also disappointing to note that Rizzo lacked a level of attitude that gives her that ‘spunk’ I know Stockard Channing is a hard act to follow but overall I felt that she was too nice. A special mention must be paid to the delightful Victoria Zainal as Mrs. Lynch (and pregnant angel in Beauty school dropout) her comic timing was excellent and always stood out on stage as usual.

The definite highlight of the show was that of Teen Angel (Version 1) Jonathon Guthrie-Jones complete with purple sequined suit. This song was done as Jonathon entered through the foyer and through the audience onto the stage and leaving via a Giant Malt Shake in the Sky (literally). Anne Dewar and team decided to be creative with the casting of Teen Angel and have a different one for each week. Next week is Shaun Kingma and closing week features Karl McNamara.

The music was in time and sounded polished. In spite of this, being opening night they were plagued by the usual sound issues. During a conversation after the show I was told about a band room that have been built for the band to play in and I am sure that these issues will be fixed over the course of the run once the levels and balance are balanced out (mind the pun!)

The lighting was very effective especially in the transformations for each scene. I was disappointed to read in the program about the 5,000 Led lights within the set that I didn’t see. But I am sure that with the expertise of Brenton and his team they will look sensational.

Other noticeable changes to the script were moving “Look at me I’m Sandra Dee” from the Park into Marty’s Bedroom scene (like the movie) and the inclusion of the song “Sandy” at the drive in (this was changed for the Broadway Revival Production).

Thank you to Anne and the Fab Nobs team for a truly enjoyable night out!

Renée has been involved in over 60 shows in the past 23 years - directing, choreographing, producing, performing and stage managing. She has played such roles as ‘Anybody’s’ in West Side Story, ‘Lucy’ in Cosi, ‘Agnes’ in Gypsy and appeared in Annie, Guys and Dolls, Anything Goes and many more. She has choreographe/directed Annie, Guys and Dolls (twice), Les Mis, Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Annie Get Your Gun, Back to Broadway, The Full Monty and Nunsense amongst many others. She has also appeared in Neighbours, Round the Twist, On the Beach, Short Cuts and a series of ANZ commercials. Renée has been a qualified dance teacher for the past 10 years teaching at many schools around Victoria preparing students for professional auditions, competitions, exams and VCE Dance assessment tasks. Renée was nominated for ‘Best Director in a Variety’ two years in a row with the Lyrebird Awards. In her professional life she is a Secondary School teacher. In 2010 Renée has directed "Stepping Out" for the 1812 Theatre Company and is choreographing Godspell for Phoenix Theatre Company Inc.