The classic rock and rollin’, bunny hoppin’ musical Grease lands at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre this week after kicking off their run at the Blackpool Grand Theatre earlier this month.
Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Blackpool Grand Theatre have worked together to co-produce this rough and ready production, showcasing the enterprise opportunities that come with collaborating both financially and creatively. Not only allowing for more freedom with budget, but also (very importantly) allowing this show to provide accessible commercial theatre for those more rural theatre scenes.
With no typical-style ensemble and no typical-style band, the cast are tasked with acting, singing and dancing all while playing the score of Grease themselves. Jan (Leah Jamieson) rocks out on the saxophone, Kenickie (Tyler Collins) serenades with his guitar, and Teen Angel (Celeste Collier) gives us the coolest rendition of Beauty School Dropout on her bass. The musical talent of the cast is undeniable and especially impressive given the high-energy nature of the show. Typically, this sort of novelty in a production can come across as gimmicky but given the prominence of music in the teen culture of the ‘50s, I’ll let this one slide. I was however slightly horrified at the sight and sound of what I thought to be an electric drumkit – of course it might be easier to manage the sound levels and such with it, but it really just doesn’t compare to the real thing. I find it difficult to get that same groove with such a robotised version of the instrument – it doesn’t provide that same resonance and thus all the drum hits come across as very stagnated. Plus, the lack of an on-stage musical director comes with a challenge – without the clear conductorship I felt at times the band struggled to stay tightly with each other. Although I did notice Eden Barrie in particular (who plays Marty) leading on keys with strong command and feeling that gave for a clear unification within the band – carefully watching for cues from the actors and then relaying these cues to her bandmates – something which I think is all the more necessary in a setting such as this one.
I would say the cast took a moment to warm up into their characters – the iconic scene before Summer Nights didn’t quite land with the audience, perhaps lacking in energy a little with the cast not yet fully immersed in their characters. But as the show progressed everyone seemed to settle in, delivering a comedic and spirited performance. I particularly enjoyed Leah Jamieson’s performance, who nailed Jan’s comedic delivery with ease. Jamieson’s fellow saxophonist Stephanie Cremona played the instrument artfully, with a level of skill and character that firmly cemented the “muso” in her actor-muso title. As aforementioned, Eden Barrie’s skills on the keys were excellent, so too was her performance, with her giving us a very sweet rendition of Freddy My Love. Also on the keys was Caitlin Forbes who gave a sickly-sweet performance as Patty, and I mean that with the highest praise – Although not a titular character, Forbes gave a memorable and compelling performance – clearly a very strong performer.
While the Burger Palace Boys gave a slick performance, I have to say dancing certainly was not everyone’s strong suit – perhaps a harsh critique but at this level of professionalism, and with the ever unachievable standards performers are held to in today’s theatre world, it was rather surprising to see some of the men struggle with moments of the fairly simple choreography. But given the added difficulty of incorporating instruments into their performance, one can hardly condemn the performers for this minute detail, especially considering that this production is not a dance-heavy one.
Despite my scrutinisation, there is no doubt that this was a lively, fun-loving production. You can’t really go wrong with such a well-loved show, especially when showcasing a plethora of Scottish talent which is a rarity in commercial theatre. With stand-out numbers such as Beauty School Dropout (where April Nerissa Hudson stunned as Frenchy) and Born to Hand Jive (which managed to contest my allegations about the quality of dancing) this show is a sure hit that audiences love – even with my strong case of critic’s pessimism I managed to have fun. On at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre until the 27th of September there’s many a chance to catch this vibrant production.
Reviewer: Jessie Martin
Reviewed: 20th June 2025
North West End UK Rating: