Grease is the word (From Stroud News and Journal)

Grease is the word

GREASE has got to be one of the all time best musicals. Great music, great stage settings and great characters.

And the youngsters from Wycliffe College who presented the show last week didn't let it down.

Performed by Beyond the BBC Players and directed by Mrs Rebecca Tranter this made for an excellent evening's entertainment.

It's a brilliant show for teenagers to perform because even though they may think they invented the wheel that period between adolescence and adulthood doesn't seem to have changed much since the 1950's

Fiesty relationships between the sexes, the need to fit in with their peers, its as relevant today as it was then.

Fantastic lighting and familiar music pounding through the speakers added to the frisson in the audience as we waited for the show to open.

Although Sandy and Danny are really the stars of this musical some of the strongest characters can be found in the rest of the cast.

Rizzo and Frenchy have always been my favourites. Played on Thursday night by Lizzie Nightingale and Jess Commons they were both terrific and totally believable.

Sandy's part on the night, played by Chloe Partridge had just the right amount of primness mixed with a vulnerability which couldn't help but strike a chord with the audience.

Danny, Julian Hough, was a typical young man who thinks its cool to act tough around his friends even if it hurts the girl he loves. He carried it off well and of course he sees the error of his ways before the show is out.

But its unfair to single them out because this was a polished performance from all the actors and the tremendous amount of work which went into it was evident.

I couldn't stop humming the tunes afterwards much to the embarrassment of my daughter - but then she is a teenager.