GREASE As performed by St. Brendan’s Choral & Dramatic Society

*NOTE - This show was adjudicated by Peter Kennedy on behalf of Therese Maher

GREASE

St. Brendan’s Choral & Dramatic Society, Loughrea,

Date of Adjudication: Thursday, 12th December 2024

Overview:

Grease is one of those show that seems to disappear every now and then but suddenly reappears and becomes a firm favourite with a new generation. Long may that trend continue, for it really is a fun show, and for St. Brendan’s, reviving their company after a lengthy time in hibernation, it was just the ticket to shine a light on much new and exciting talent. After a somewhat pedestrian start, a talented cast managed to pick up the tempo and treat the audience to an entertaining night of good old ‘50’s rock and roll, filled with familiar tunes, good comedy and some very good acting and singing. Perhaps a larger chorus might have beefed-up some of the musical numbers, but those who were there did their best to compensate with good energy and enthusiasm. 

Direction:

Director, Ronan Lardner, did a good job of keeping the pace of the show fairly sprightly throughout, and paid good attention to establishing the idiosyncratic character traits of each individual, but I did feel the cast themselves had to drag the show up to a good pace, after what was an awkward, almost concert like opening. Each of the first three numbers were performed like isolated songs, followed by an unnecessary scene change, and did little to draw the audience in. It was really at the start of the dialogue scenes that the show came to life. Having said that, the rest of the evening was peppered with good visual and verbal comedy, as I would have expected from a director who has a very good handle on comedy.

His direction of people was very good, but I felt perhaps a bit more time was needed on directing the technical aspects of the show. 

Choreography:

With limited numbers to work with, perhaps the bigger numbers in the show lost a bit of their punch, but Ronan did a very good job of filling the stage and keeping his routines tidy and appropriate to the era being portrayed. The cast had been well-drilled, and all looked very confident and secure in their movement. 

Musical Direction:

As with the choreography, the lack of a sizeable chorus meant that the big numbers from the show were vocally a little less impactful that one might have expected, but in support of Musical Director, Shane Farrell, he can only work with what he is given, and with a small cast, he certainly made sure that they were vocally secure. Principal singing was always accurate and well-delivered, and there was good attention to diction throughout. As one has come to expect from Shane, he had assembled a very competent band for the show, who played with spirit, control and good energy. Tempi throughout were spot on.

Principals:

In the role of Sandy, Izzy Tuohy, had a delightful, youthful innocence which was complemented by a beautifully rounded and mellow-toned vocal quality, all of which were entirely appropriate for the role. Her acting was sincere and there was believable romance between herself and Danny.

Nathan Canning was an equally impressive Danny Zuko, a natural cool dude with an impressive vocal range. He gelled well with Sandy and was a good natural leader of the greasers. 

Emma Flynn, as Rizzo, showed strong vocal control in a very well delivered “Worse Things I Could Do” and a cheeky rendition of “Look At Me, I’m Sandra Dee”, and while there was good stage presence and confidence in her acting, she had a tendency to play slightly too much to the audience. Nevertheless, a very accomplished performance.

Emilia Fallon made the most of the delightfully ditzy character of Frenchy, appreciating all her comedic opportunities, and functioning strongly amid the group of Pink Ladies. She was cute and loveable.

Noinín Feerick managed to eat her way through quite a bit of food during the course of her highly amusing performance as Jan. Her comedy was very good, and her relationship, both comedic and vocal, with Roger was very natural.

Petra Killeen, as the mischievous and flirty Marty, gave the performance of the night. Her poise, attitude, stage-awareness, her comedic timing and her excellent facial expressions all combined in a most impressive display, which was completed by good dancing and a confident vocal ability. Very good work.

Erin Doyle was comfortable and controlled in the role of Patty Simcox, and while she never put a foot wrong, I did feel that she could have exaggerated the irritating side of her natural to provide even more comedy.

Alicia Locteau, with the few opportunities that her character presents, did a good job of her acting and dancing, as Cha-Cha, while Heather Colohan gave fine vocals to Beauty School Drop-Out as Teen Angel, and as the Radio Voice for Raining on Prom Night.

Completing the female line-up, Yvonne Earls brought a very good sense of fun, and a smattering of the disciplinarian, to the role of Miss Lynch. Nicely played.

Tough guy of the T-Birds, Kenickie, was given a confident and cocky treatment by 

Callum O’Donnell, who was also able to show his more vulnerable side when shunned by Rizzo. His delivery of Greased Lightning was spot on.

Sammy Vieira, the most junior of the T-Birds, gave a good youthful interpretation of Sonny, as corny as he was cocky, and always enjoying his performance.

John Morley’s good rendition of Magic Changes was the high point of his nicely portrayed role as Doody, played with a fine sense of fun and comedy.

Paul Masse got a great amount of comedy from his role as Roger, with good sharp-witted delivery of his lines, and he was particularly enjoyable in his falsetto, making the most of a very well-sung Mooning. 

Cian O’Ceallaigh was an appropriately nerdy and insecure Eugene, getting good comedy from a fairly limited role. 

Paul Callanan, perhaps, could have been a tad cooler, as the one-time celebrity, Vince Fontaine, but he did play up the comedy of being the “past-his-best” sleazy star, and had a good look for the role.

Patrick Byrne gave strong support to the proceeds as Johnny Casino, strutting his stuff and belting out The Hand-Jive.

Chorus:

There were only four additional members of a chorus, each of whom made a worthy contribution to the proceedings.

Technical Presentation:

The set for the show was basically the letters of the word “Grease”, made as three-dimensional pieces of about 5ft high, several sets of steps/bleachers, and several inset pieces for other locations, with a raised platform along the back of the stage. I’m not sure that the letters were necessary, or did anything to enhance the production, but they did slow down the scene changes. I felt as though the backstage crew, who, to their credit, were very industrious throughout the night, were fighting an unnecessary up-hill battle. The lighting for the show was more adequate than enhancing, managing to keep the main action well-lit and to embellish with disco effects, without really producing anything particularly eye-catching or adventurous. The sound quality was more successful, with good timing and cueing, and a very decent balance between pit and stage.

Visual Presentation:

Costuming for the show was effective, with principals adorned in outfits befitting their personalities. Nice work was done on Beauty School Dropout, and the dance outfit for the High School Hop were appropriate to the era. There was good work done, too, on the hairstyles for girls and boys alike. You could almost smell the Brylcream. The ladies make-up was appropriate to era and character. 

Front of House:

It was nice to receive such a warm welcome to the Temperance Hall, from a polite and efficient staff, who looked after my every need. 

Adjudicator’s Suggestions:

St. Brendan’s Choral and Dramatic Society had been dormant for a number of years, and it was refreshing and exciting to see them take to the stage again with such energy and enthusiasm. I have no doubt that this production will have blown away the cobwebs and will hopefully see the company grow and prosper again in the coming years. Thank you to all concerned for a very enjoyable experience.

Adjudicated by Peter Kennedy on behalf of Therese Maher