Harborough youngsters raise the roof with stunning performance of Grease - theatre review

Grease is the word in Market Harborough at the moment. Vivien Window went along to watch the Spotlight Theatre Company's performance of the famous musical. Here is her review.
The Spotlight Theatre Company's performance of Grease will be running until May 14The Spotlight Theatre Company's performance of Grease will be running until May 14
The Spotlight Theatre Company's performance of Grease will be running until May 14

Theatre review by Vivien WindowGrease, performed by the Spotlight Theatre Company

This week Harborough was taken back to the 1950s, in a High School in the USA, to meet the teenagers of that era and share some of their vitality and energy – and great songs. Spotlight Theatre presented the hugely popular musical Grease.

We know what to expect from these young performers and they didn’t let us down. The stage was packed with dozens of young people belting out the ever popular songs and dancing up a storm. The audience loved it all, clapped along, and cheered and screamed throughout the finale (Perhaps they should check the Octagon Hall’s roof. I think we raised it a few feet!)

The Spotlight Theatre Company's performance of Grease will be running until May 14The Spotlight Theatre Company's performance of Grease will be running until May 14
The Spotlight Theatre Company's performance of Grease will be running until May 14

Move over John Travolta and Olivia Newton John! Linden Iliffe and Lucy Grewcock, as Danny and Sandy, actually captured teenage vulnerability far better. Trying to fit into their peer group and be tough - when they were not. I felt that the acting of Spotlight’s main actors was more genuine than in the well loved film. (Probably because our performers are closer to the correct age of the characters.)

Their American accents were so consistent I didn’t notice them. The songs were sung beautifully and the dancing was as good. Congratulations to choreographer Alice Benstead. To train dozens of enthusiastic amateurs on a small stage into a team of dancers must have taken some doing!

I wish I could expand my review to tell you all the marvellous moments of this fun show. Just go and see it! Fan of the film or not, you will come out laughing, (and possibly exhausted from seeing all that enthusiasm and energy. Or was that just me?).

Congratulations Gareth Bradwick, director and Teen Angel and to all the Spotlight Crowd.

The Spotlight Theatre Company's performance of Grease runs until May 14 at the Welland Park Theatre.

To get tickets for the show, visit https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/spotlighttheatre