Grease by Curtain Call Creative has been the first musical at Robin Hill amphitheatre and what a musical to choose. The vibes around the arena were buzzing. It seemed to lift the cast and draw the audience in. Even one of Robin Hill’s peacocks joined in, to the amusement of the audience. When leaving the arena after the show the audience summed up this production beautifully: “Amazing”.”Brilliant” “Superb”. The ladies in the audience in their pink tops and hair were still on a high.
Having seen their production of Grease at Shanklin Theatre early last year I did wonder how they would adapt to a totally different environment. It was outdoor on a smaller area, yet they handled it with ease. Minimal props and having the use of video graphics by Abigail Hennings and video animation by Ryan Selby added to the atmosphere.
Lottie Paine and Alfie Luke were superb last year as Sandy and Danny but tonight they were exceptional. Enid Rees as Betty Rizzo brought a lump to my throat with her powerful and emotional singing of ” There Are Worse Things I Can Do.” The other Pink ladies were excellent: Daisy Parker as the lovely Frenchy; Ava Cowan as Marty who loved Freddie; Ruby Clarke as Jan, who loved food. All were believable in their characters.
Tom Thorne as Kenickie once again gave a great performance. His fellow T- Birds: Jake Eastman as Doody, James Hammett as Sonny and George Sales as Roger were outstanding with both their comedy antics and great singing.
Raffety Moore made a brilliant Eugene with his awkward geeky manner, his hilarious interaction with Macie Edkins-Wherry as the over excitable cheer leader Pattie was wonderful. The main cast were well supported by the accomplished Olivia Pike as a formidable Miss Lynch and Rafe Hodge-Thomas as the radio heartthrob Vince Fontaine. Esme Barclay-Jay as the winner of the dance competition with partner Danny made me chuckle when she eagerly took all the prizes and trophy. Carys Morgan as a club singer filled the arena with her beautiful singing.
The ensemble were kept busy with plenty of singing and dancing, making the most of the area available. The programme designed like an American Diner menu was a nice touch, displaying “Today’s Special: Sean Smith as Teen Angel” Sean, an X Factor finalist, made an adorable Teen Angel in his white outfit with wings and silver hair. His rendition of “Beauty School Dropout” was fantastic. He clearly enjoyed this cameo role which showcased his fabulous singing voice.
Once again Curtain Call Creative have produced another excellent production under the direction of Tony Wright and Musical Director Andrew Woodford with his 9 piece orchestra. Huge congratulations to all involved. I sincerely hope Curtain Call Creative put on another excellent show here in the future.
