It's in that moment, when the opening sequence of 'Summer Nights' transitions from do da-do da-do da-do-do-da-do into something unfamiliar, that you realise this is NOT the 'Grease' you grew up with.
Sure, the characters are the same, their accents, personalities and roles in the story hold intact, but the sheen of Hollywood has been removed and in its place is a vulgar, risqué and raw tale of adolescence that feels all-too real.
This is 'Grease' as it was intended.
Since its first ever performance in 1971 inside an old trolley barn in Chicago, the musical about star-crossed lovers Sandy and Danny has become more diluted as public appeal has become more concentrated. Its evolution into the mainstream has seen its dialogue 'cleaned up', its songs made more 'pop' and its characters achieve their 'happily ever afters'. But indie theatre company Squabbalogic's rendition is nothing of the sort. Instead, it aims to return the musical to its roots, paring it away from the teenage love story it's become and bringing it closer to the tale of adolescent rebellion, sexual exploration and class conflict in the 1950s it once was.
The costumes are stunning, the choreography is compelling and the new score is intriguingly fun. But what's most refreshing about 'The Original Grease' is how well the child-to-teen psyche has been injected into the character's personalities. Rizzo, sung, danced and played immaculately by Coral Mercer-Jones, takes the cake in this department. In one hand, she sings and laughs like a giddy little school girl during a slumber party, while in the other she gives lip to everyone from Keneckie (Temujin Tera) over his shit-box greased lightning car to Sandy (Emily Hart) over her right to judge her and her promiscuous lifestyle.
Sadly, this puberty blues injection reaches overkill with the most benign and unwarranted additions. As puppy love abounds, so does gyration, masturbation, nudity and the dropping of the f-bomb – all in an attempt to amplify a sexualisation and rebellion already cemented in the audience's mind. There are moments that would have perhaps been better allocated to refining the storyline, which jumps and jives more than Cha-Cha (the best dancer at St Bernadette's) and forces the audience to fill the gaps with pre-knowledge banked in childhood memories.
Watch with the movie's storyline in mind. The exceptionally charming cast will take care of the rest.
Three and a half out of five beauty school drop-outs.
'The Original Grease' performs The Seymour Centre until 7 May.
