Grease is the musical that everyone knows about, but this production by Curve Artistic Director, Nikolai Foster, re-establishes Grease as the gritty, delinquent-filled musical set in the streets of Chicago. Following a summer romance and Chicago high school life in 1950s, Danny and Sandy, among the other teens, navigate social life as working-class kids on the South Side of Chicago. With high production value, seamless transitions and well-rounded dance and musical performances, this visceral show taps into the original material for Grease, portraying characters who are rooted in their social realities.

With choreography from Arlene Philips, it is no surprise that this was a musical of sophisticated, punk-hitting moves. Taking it back to original grit and grind of Chicago, Philips created perfect sequences and moves for this group of hormonal teenagers. Making use of all of their abilities too, I liked the gymnastic elements of Kenickie’s character, played by Louis Gaunt. Demonstrating multiple times his roundoff and layout! Another moment where Kenickie was suspended in the air was during ‘Grease Lightnin’ where his car is poised in the air during the number. This contributed to the high production value of the show. The staging and design team are clearly talented, as they synthesised Foster’s vision with efficiency and faultless transitions.

Something that struck out to me about the set was the fact that the gym facilities of the school remained on stage throughout most of the scenes, even during scenes featuring bedrooms and the burger palace. For me this embodies the type of Grease Foster set out to foreground. One where we are reminded of the characters social lives and situations. The bars of the gym facilities begin to resemble those of prison bars in dark lighting situations. For example, when Danny and the Burger Palace Boys run into the police at various moments. This serves as a reminder that institutions, whether it is school or prison, permeate the lives of these working-class boys. They become the only options for them.

Foster knows exactly how to balance the gritty undercurrent of social commentary with light-hearted, comedic moments. These moments often came from Jan and subsequently, Roger. With heart-filled moments from the two, who would often joke about their own weight, which would end up filling the room with laughter. These moments contrasted with more serious and emotionally poignant scenes. I thoroughly enjoyed,‘There Are Worst Things I Could Do’, performed by Rizzo to Sandy. With exceptional vocal ability from Rhianne-Louise McCaulsky who played Betty Rizzo, and an impassioned manner, the audience remained in awe during this scene. This, then, makes Sandy’s, ‘Hopelessly Devoted To You’, even more poignant, as the heartfelt ballads increase.

A stand-out, magical moment was, of course, Peter Andre starring as the Teen Angel. With white smoke surrounding him, Andre delivers an exceptional performance. The audience was definitely thrilled, roaring with excitement throughout ‘Beauty School Dropout’. Again, another light-hearted and softer moment to contrast with the serious implications of Frenchy’s decision. Andre’s vocals were dreamy and smooth. Perfect as the number in-between both Sandy and Danny’s love ballads.

The end of the show saw all the characters join on stage, with Peter Andre too, for one last spectacular performance of ‘We Go Together (Reprise)’. All the characters joined together for this, making for a feel-good last impression of a community in unison. Foster re-situated Grease as the gritty musical about working-class teens in Chicago, returning to its original material and leaving us with a feel-good production.

Following the Birmingham Hippodrome, Grease will tour to a variety of places until October including Glasgow, Leicester, Dublin, Oxford, Bromley and Cardiff.