Grease Review (Kilworth House Theatre, Leicestershire)

13 August 2025 I 19:30 I Kilworth House Theatre, Leicestershire

⭐⭐

After vising Leicestershire's open-air Kilworth House Theatre last year to see their five-star production of Singin' In The Rain, the golden age of Hollywood is abandoned for the teen rock'n'roll icon Grease. With direction from Ryan-Lee Seagar, this highly anticipated revival takes its audiences into a nostalgic time machine, showcasing Grease in its conventional style. However ultimately, this polite and uninspired adaptation of the Jacobs-Casey stage musical exposes dated and flawed material.

Paying homage to decades-old classics can prove damaging in a show with little relatability and archaic morals. A girl that must sexually reinvent herself to impress a man, the remainder of the script riddled with misogyny as a non-excusable product of its time. An extreme lack of diversity from Sarah Goggin's casting is disappointing, preventing the musical from finding cultural relevance in the 21st century.

On a positive reflection, Michael Nelson has every precise mannerism of Danny. Visually reminiscent of Travolta's movie success, with a handsome swagger and adoring dorkiness, his leading man energy is inherently likeable.

Equally with Lillia Squires' Sandy, her vocals are really able to shine in this unique venue. Her rendition of Hopelessly Devoted To You under the disco ball is a rare opportunity to hold an enthusiastic audience silent in amazement, presenting a beautiful internal conflict through her performance. Seagar's direction of this leading pair can occasionally be restrictive in shallow and gesture-led characters, requiring a personal infusion to make Danny and Sandy more human.

The same can be echoed for the T-Birds in title song Grease Is The Word, where a through-the-roof energy is desired to set the trajectory of the evening. Although with the tough guy persona of the T-Birds, there must be caution between appearing either confidently cool or with an unbothered attitude, needing clearer distinction to prevent a lacklustre stage presence.

Richard Atkinson's musical direction of an eight-person orchestra can be highly applauded, immediately from opening notes with an entirely unique sound for such an often played soundtrack. Gifting Kilworth a punky and electric edge, a softer new take on these familiar tracks is most certainly welcome.

The open-air vision for Grease doesn't overly benefit the musical in any sense. Naturally, the drive-in cinema scene is visually beautiful as Act Two's sky begins to darken. Born To Hand Jive also benefits from this setting in perhaps the production's highlight, showing off Seagar's powerful choreo while remaining faithful to Patricia Birch's hypnotising original. Georgia Aspinall's Cha Cha may only feature during this sequence, but rightfully dominates the stage with a magnetism you cannot stop watching.

My two-star review of Kilworth House Theatre's Grease isn't a statement towards a dreadful production, with several moments including the transformation of Grease Lighting rendering impressive. Though despite crowd-pleasing moments, these are often tainted by an outdated vision that is desperate for a modern edge. Trapped in the aesthetics of the 1950s, this Grease revival may not be the one that you want.