MMK are excited to be bringing Grease to Belfast this summer in the year that celebrates 40 years since the release of the iconic film. Since its electric Broadway and West End debut in the early 1970s, Grease has remained one of the world’s most popular and enduring musicals. Featuring hit songs including “Greased Lightnin’”, “You’re The One That I Want” and “Summer Nights”, MMK’s production promises to be a fun-filled night out for the whole family.
It’s not hard to see that NI has a thing for musicals and so this week the classics keep coming, after thoroughly enjoying West Side Story on Tuesday, tonight we were ready for Danny and Sandy to keep us in 1950’s America but with a whole different set of problems. The themes in this musical – slut-shaming, the stigma of teenage pregnancies, fat shaming, high school bullying etc – are as relevant today as they were when it was first performed in the 1970’s and whilst we are perhaps more aware of these issues we’re still not much further along in solving them. Of course, these are all nestled in a whole bunch of classic songs – You’re the one that I want, Hopelessly devoted to you, Greased Lightning…- it feels like just as one classic song finishes another one starts and you suddenly remember that there’s not a dud amongst them.
The set in the MAC consists almost entirely of 2 rotating steps (bleachers) only joined briefly by “Greased Lightning” and at one point a bed. The reason for this soon becomes clear as there appears to be a few hundred in the cast! I kid of course, but the cast is plentiful and the group numbers still manage to sound great and dance routines stay uncluttered and well choreographed. The young cast performs together well and exhibits a sense of confidence and teamwork that have us believing in the T-Birds and Pink Ladies as real groups of friends.
A great night of musical theatre by a large, well-rehearsed group that got the standing ovation they were looking for from an equally impressed audience.
Grease runs at The MAC until 4th Aug. Tickets and info can be found here.
