English

Trinity College’s Grease: It’s Electrifying!

REVIEW BY ELLA CALLOW-SUSSEX

EDITED BY RACHEL THORNBY

Grease is the word, and it comes with a lot of history. You would be hard pressed to find an audience member filing into the Union House Theatre without expectations of what Trinity College’s Grease will look like.  In their pre-show speech Trinity College was the first to acknowledge much of the show’s themes and messaging have dated since its premiere in the 70’s. If you put that aside and lean into the iconic characters and songs; the magic of musical theatre is alive and well in this production. It’s catchy, it’s fun and you’ll be singing the whole way home. Trinity’s College’s Grease is the cult classic at its most electrifying. 

Grease: The Musical is set in 1959 and follows the story of Danny Zuko and Sandy Dumbrowski’s summer romance as it stumbles its way into the real world. It explores teenage life in the 50’s and 60’s with a wild but loveable group of seniors at Rydell High as they navigate the complexities of peer pressure, politics and love. It draws heavily from music of that era with a lively rock and roll score.

The Pink Ladies and T-Birds of Trinity College’s Grease. PHOTO: Sophie Clarke @photosbysoph_1

Director Sean Hwang and Assistant Director Grace Koczkar remarked that nearly a third of the college was involved in this musical and that energy was clear in the theatre. When the show started a cheer erupted that had my friend and I joking about how someone must have friends in the audience. But across the night it became clear that every single performer had friends in the audience; not a step or note went without acknowledgement and it’s this kind of support that makes student theatre so infectious. 

When you think of Grease you likely remember the force of nature characters such as Rizzo, Danny and Frenchy but the ensemble is just as raucous and playful as the main cast. Huge congratulations to the choreographer Isabel Fanning who from the opening number had a cast of twenty-two moving in a physical language that everyone spoke fluently. The ensemble sang beautifully under Angus Dillon’s musical direction performing with power bringing levity and comedy to the show. “Summer Loving” is a clear example where there was clearly a lot of attention paid to vocal direction which paid off with breathtaking runs and star moments.

Tell me more! Sandy (Freya Cantwell) and the Pink Ladies. PHOTO: Sophie Clarke @photosbysoph_1

Freya Cantwell as Sandy is genuine and heartfelt with a voice that easily slides between beautiful ballads like “It’s Raining on Prom Night” and high energy numbers like “You’re The One That I Want.” Alex Mingay’s Danny is, as my friend put it, “just the right amount of sleazy” for a character like him to be believable. The two make an alluring pair blending perfectly and bouncing off each other with genuine chemistry and charm. Both are clearly incredible performers in their own right but together they really shine. I was particularly impressed with Cantwell’s acting capability to keep Sandy grounded and honest in what is quite a whiplash character arc right at the last moment. 

Perfectly encapsulating the era and adding to the charm of the show the supporting cast of T-Birds and Pink Ladies. The T-Birds playfully back up Danny and their comradery is endearing. Maximilian Owen-Wong as Sonny, Charlie Wetenhall as Roger, Harrison Underhill as Doody and Oliver Hamilton as Kenickie gave powerful comedic performances making the audience root for the T-Birds and want the best for them.

The T-Birds perform the iconic Greased Lightning choreography. PHOTO: Sophie Clarke @photosbysoph_1

The natural mirror to this was the Pink Ladies led by Alice Murray as the always show-stealing Rizzo. Murray lives up to the role flawlessly. I did not catch her drop a single moment. Her rendition of “There are Worse Things I Could Do” was genuinely heart-breaking and in a moment of directing and acting inspiration the split second where Murray locks eyes with Hamilton was impactful enough that it explained all the harshness of Rizzo up until this point. From their first entrance the Pink Ladies hold status on stage giving them back the power you won’t see in other versions. Each with their own starring moments Mimi Koczkar as Marty, Scout Tardent-Tong as Frenchy and Jo Edselius as Jan all lovingly craft flawed and excitable young seniors with big dreams and even more powerful voices. When looking for talent you won’t find a weak link in this cast. 

Trinity College’s Pink Ladies. PHOTO: Sophie Clarke @photosbysoph_1

The set, led by Sarah Rylands and Kate Li, was versatile and adaptable for different moments of the show. It left much of the forestage open for dance numbers but subtly allowed the location to shift scene to scene through a combination of platforms, stairs and a well-executed sliding door. The lighting design by Casper Tabain leant into colour which highlighted the vibrance of the costumes (Elodie Gordon) very well. I was particularly impressed with the steady consistency of the follow spots during key numbers. With such a strong cast I would have liked for a bit more emphasis to be put on the transitions between scenes rather than relying on blackouts to cover entrances and exits. I also found myself missing some important dialogue because the lead microphones weren’t always loud enough during notable moments as the, admittedly amazing, ensemble singing did at times overpower the solo performers. 

There were also some stand out scenes that truly shone. Cha Cha played by Stella Iacono was feisty and formidable. A dancer so dynamic that I couldn’t keep my eyes off of her. Some of the lifts and drops she and Mingay accomplished in “Born to Hand Jive” didn’t seem to obey the laws of physics. I guess that’s just the power of the hand jive. Equally show stealing was Liam Graham as Teen Angel, I felt he was hidden from us deep into Act 2, his stage presence and comedic timing was unmatched.

Trinity College has arrived at Rydell High. PHOTO: Sophie Clarke @photosbysoph_1

I’d never had the chance to watch a show put on by any of the colleges before and I have to say I left enchanted. There was joy and brightness in the cast and the performance that added passion to a well-known show that made it truly enjoyable and bolstered my belief in the heart of student theatre. 

Trinity College’s Grease played May 21st – 23rd at the Union Theatre.

ELLA CALLOW-SUSSEX is a theatre maker and reviewer for the Dialog. She is currently completing a Bachelor of Arts majoring in English/Theatre Studies and Creative Writing.

 RACHEL THORNBY is a media and communications and creative writing student currently studying in Melbourne.