Edinburgh University Footlights bring an exciting rendition of Jim Jacobs’ and Warren Casey’s Grease to this year’s Fringe Festival: charming, energetic, and up-beat, it’s a fun piece of 1950s nostalgia.
A summer romance between Sandy (Emma Bland) and Danny (Shaun Hamilton) is unexpectedly rekindled when Sandy transfers schools; the dramas of Rydale High, the pizzazz of the “Pink Ladies”, and a whole multitude of coming-of-age chaos ensues. Unlike the iconic 1978 film starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, the stage adaptation hails a more ensemble-based storyline; with this congruity, Footlight’s production shines, illuminating theatrical prowess throughout the cast.
The “Pink Ladies” are show-stealing: Ellie Jackson’s Marty is perky, sassy and characterful — her version of ‘Freddy, My Love’ was dazzling — whilst Minnie Cross’s portrayal of Jan was appropriately dorky, zany, and a perfect encapsulation of the Grease-style humour and charm. Amelia Brenan’s Frenchy is sweet, naive and intensely likeable; during ‘Beauty School Dropout’ — a brilliant and camp rendition performed by Mayokun Dosunmu — Brenan’s facial expressions were hilarious, and well-matched with the scene’s choreography, that involved all cast members as “Angelic Beauticians”. Darcey Chong’s Rizzo embodied everything “mean girl”, simultaneously underscored with a nuanced vulnerability, and Chong brought a refreshingly child-like pettiness to her interpretation. Chong’s vocal ability was also outstanding, making both ‘Look At Me I’m Sandra Dee’ and ‘There Are Worse Things I Could Do’ intensely watchable.
Bland and Hamilton’s pairing made for a particularly endearing version of Sandy and Danny; Childish arguments and spiteful attempts to make one another jealous are perfectly counteracted with their individual musical soliloquys. Bland’s ‘Hopelessly Devoted To You’, was poignant, heartfelt, and vocally delectable, whilst Hamilton’s ‘Sandy’ felt like a strong emotional outburst, backed up with impressive vocals.
Other standouts included the nerdy and over-enthusiastic Eugene (Andrew More) and Patty (Fiona Forster), who were equally energetic in performance, and the zealous characterisations of The Burger Palace Boys: Kenickie (Conor Farah), Roger (Harry Mossop), Doody (Juliet Gentle), and Sonny (Gemma Leach).
A aesthetically reliant musical, it felt that even more could have been done to capitalise on this — although invariably a tricky task amidst Fringe settings. Inventive and ingenious choreography by Hannah Shaw and Richeldis Brosnan was especially notable, emulating this aesthetic with flair, and even dynamically creating set pieces when necessary. ‘Summer Nights’, with its dual scenes, was a particularly fun watch, whilst ‘Grease Lightnin” cleverly showcased the ensemble transforming into the car itself.
Entertaining, lively, and engaging, directors Tilda Glynn and Sophie Gent have created a particularly loveable musical experience, wowing audiences at this year’s Fringe Festival.
Image by Edinburgh University Footlights, provided to The Student as press.