Summer dreams ripped at the seams. Tell me more ... clearly.
I went to Grease at the Congress Theatre in Eastbourne last night (17th August 2024). It is a stupendous musical. Between 1972 and 1980 it became Broadway’s longest ever running musical (it is now 17th). This version contains the numbers Look at me I’m Sandra Dee, Hopelessly Devoted to You, You’re the One that I Want and the incomparable Summer Nights.
The cast were all wonderful singers and the dancing was acrobatic, energetic and perfectly executed. But the sound system seemed to accentuate the sibilants with the result that I couldn’t hear half the words. When they were singing, this wasn’t too much of a problem, because I could enjoy the music and pretend it was opera when I don’t know the words anyway. But when they were talking, I had to guess at most of what they were saying (it didn't help that they spoke quickly). This reduced my appreciation from a potential five star to no more than three.
It didn’t help that in the brilliant final number, a woman at the front of my section of the audience decided to stand up and dance along, obscuring my view of the stage. This sort of selfish behaviour is becoming increasingly common in English theatre.
It didn’t help that in the brilliant final number, a woman at the front of my section of the audience decided to stand up and dance along, obscuring my view of the stage. This sort of selfish behaviour is becoming increasingly common in English theatre.
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