Combining the best moments of Grease with the messiest moments of mythology, Ancient Grease manages to strike a balance between pure humour and forgetting the plot along the way.
Written as a love letter to both of the aforementioned by Lady Aria Grey, this musical parody is a fun and raunchy night out in the city — whether you're an expert in mythology or not. Featuring entertaining performances from the entire ensemble cast and some truly outstanding utilisation of the space provided by The Vaults, director Dan Wye's newest show is worth the runtime.
In true Grease fashion, There Are Worst Things You Could Be — performed by Lucy Penrose's Aphrodite — remains a highlight of any production. Similarly, the Fates (acting as both character and narrator a la The Muses in Hercules) consistently steal the show to the point it's hard not to focus on them.
However, this is not a perfect production. The plot can be messy on occasion, almost as though it's already tried doing too much. The climax, while incredibly fun, makes almost desperate attempts to tie each side plot into a neat bow, struggling to bring each character into their own as the show ends.
Authentic to the source material, Philippa Leadbetter's Hera is slightly naive, bordering on stupid, as Grease's Sandy once was. While Newton-John's Sandy had a twinge of an Australian accent, Leadbetter's Hera swings in the opposite direction and leans so heavily into hers that it's almost distracting from the plot. Is it a perfect accent? Far from it. But does it often push a line delivery from merely funny to genuinely hilarious? Absolutely.
Overall, Ancient Grease proves to be a worthwhile night out for anyone in love with the raunchiest parts of Greek mythology and think Sandy is the singular best song in Grease.
Be sure to catch it at The Vaults before May 31 for a night to remember.
Review: Abi Griffin Photos: Flavia Fraser-Cannon