Ancient Grease ★★★★★

If you’re looking for fun, you’ve come to the right place. Ancient Grease is an irreverently affectionate, adults-only parody of Grease the musical where the setting has moved further back from the 1950s to Greek mythology, where the gods (The Fates) of Mount Olympus play mischief with the lives of the demi-gods who attend The Olympus Academy High School.

“In Ancient Grease, you can get impregnated by anything.”

This high-octane, queer comedy musical exaggerates and twists much of the signature Grease elements; Hera’s (aka Sandie) utterly dubious Australian accent, the ‘Whacky Races’ chariots replacing the sleek motorbikes, the Academy’s ‘Twist of Fate’ radio station and Gold Lightning as opposed to Grease Lightning are a few of the many.

The energy from this 8-person cast is totally high-octane, loud, raucous and hilarious. Though they are small in number, they give a great impression of being a huge cast: the voices were strong, tuneful (mainly), and bold. The star-crossed deity lovers Hera (Phillipa Leadbetter), Zeus (Peter Camilleri), Aphrodite (Lucy Penrose) and Ares (Christopher Patten-Walker) are instantly recognisable as Sandie, Danny, Rizzo and Kenickie, respectively. Also, Athena (Safia Bartley) is totally Frenchy. Hephaestus (Ollie Thomas Smith), although not a replicated character, is the standout comedy role. The guys are the Alphas, and the girls belong to the Omegas (note the pink hoods with the Grecian logos).

Written by Callum Tilbury (aka drag queen Lady Aria Grey), the dialogue is quick, snappy, smutty and loud. This is a fully audience-immersed panto-cabaret; be careful in the front row because it might be you, but only in the most respectfully amusing way; there is nothing to fear except your name coming up many times throughout the show.

The songs are cleverly rewritten yet instantly recognisable: sing-along, clap-along, hand-jive Grecian style.

Thematically, Ancient Grease offers everything that Greek drama and Grease the musical gives: unrequited love, spoofy mix-ups and confrontations with the bad guys (Hades from the Underworld) and triumphs. However, in Tilbury’s script, the exploration of sexuality and having the courage to be oneself allows the plot to take convoluted turns, which is wonderful. The inclusivity of the casting, writing and directing is a joy. The women in the show have real women’s curves and are boldly body positive and comfortable in their skin.

Lucinda Lawrence’s choreography is fast, entertaining and makes use of the set space really well. The dance moves accommodate the cast not being of the same skill and experience yet allow everyone to acquit themselves well. It is a musical packed with physicality: if one person is pausing, someone else is moving.

Isabella Van Braekel is very inventive with the set design: a superb use of the space. The Grecian-style chiffon wall drapes surround the room, and the golden lightning symbol in lights beneath the drapes simultaneously gives you Greece.

On entering the space, one could almost be fooled into thinking a fashion show is going to take place due to the long, sloped gold-lined runway and the seating surrounding it. Mount Olympus is set at one end of the space where the Fates look down on the demigods.

Caitlin Mawhinney must be commended for blending styles in a comical way: the fringed leather tunics are gold-studded with capes sporting the Alpha’s logos and gold thunder icon. Put together with gold and black Converse, the effect is absolutely adorable. However, there seemed to be more thought given to the Alphas’ costumes than the Omegas’.

The level of the backing music at the beginning of the show drowns the voices of the three actors playing the Fates (Lara Sas, Grace Kelly Miller and Christopher Patten-Walker), so the celestial beauty of their harmonies is lost. In addition, some of the gags in the dialogue are missed or hard to hear when the cast are at floor level below Mount Olympus, which can be frustrating. Having said that, the challenge of navigating the acoustics in this large and cavernous space is no mean feat (it used to house trains, after all).