Grooving with ‘Grease’

The ’50s musical brings high-school love, quiffs and bobby soxers to Cork Opera House, says Jo Kerrigan

BRYAN FLYNN is all nervous energy as he prepares for a run-through of Grease. “It’s not the traditional, old-fashioned musical at all,” he says. But the scene has to be set. Lighting-men are in discussion at the back of the auditorium. Framed in the proscenium arch, crew, cast, and even Mary Hickson, director of the Opera House, are disentangling a Gordian Knot of bead-chain curtaining that will hang across the stage. It’s all hands on deck in these final days before opening night. Behind them, a glittering, sparkling veil rises to the flies. It’s reminiscent of an Elvis spectacular. “That’s called a Vegas curtain,” says backstage man, Joe Stockdale. “We brought it in specially. As we did the bead curtaining. Would you believe that had to come from China?”

“We’re looking towards establishing a huge summer season every year here,” says Flynn. “It’s the way forward for theatres, since this, and the Christmas panto, buoy up the whole 12 months and increase ticket sales to establish the popularity of the Opera House.” Last year, The Sound of Music broke records, and was so popular it was staged again, in February. “It went crazy at the box office. People want a happy show that they can bring their kids to, and enjoy themselves as well, and Grease will certainly give them that.”

Grease is one of the most successful of musicals, a tale of young love in a 1950s summer, complete with bobby sox, swirling skirts, leather jackets, and slicked-back-hair. The privations of the war years were over, and a new generation was creating its own culture. Grease is likely to outsell The Sound of Music. (choreographer for Grease is David O’Connor, assisted by Carol-Ann O’Connor, who played Maria in The Sound of Music).

“The city council is really happy when we put on a big summer show that’s going to be popular,” says Hickson, dusting her hands off and looking round to see what else needs doing. “They don’t demand it, but it’s better for everybody if something’s going on here. It brings in visitors, it increases energy and business within the city, it’s good for Cork overall.”

Traditionally, theatres closed during the summer, leaving unhealthy cities during the hottest season. There’s no need for those precautions now, but the habit persisted, and the Opera House is breaking it. “We want to keep employment going, keep business up, have something to offer summer visitors, as well as residents,” says Flynn. “What does it say about a city, when visitors turn up at its main theatre and are told, ‘sorry, we’re closed for the summer’? Cork is a vibrant place, with lots going on, and we’re playing our part with what’s going to be a spectacular show. We’re telling the world ‘Cork is open for business’.”

Obsessive on detail, Flynn is constantly checking one point or another as he talks, leaping up on to the stage to ensure something is in the right position, rushing to the back of the theatre to talk with the lighting team, then returning to take up the discussion. “We decided on Grease, Mary Hickson and I, because it is such a hugely popular musical and so well-known. Everybody knows at least one of the hit songs. I began with a clean sheet and worked out what I wanted it to be like, and then I discussed my overall aim with the designer, Paul O’Mahony. He is pretty amazing. He’s done several shows at the Abbey and he cottoned on to what I wanted immediately,” Flynn says. Flynn wanted the entire action to take place within a gigantic juke box. The arch over the stage is recognisable as that iconic image of the 1950s, and even the floor is painted in Wurlitzer.style. The cast will be dressed in keeping with the period — big, circle skirts and lots of petticoats have the wardrobe department busy. Bet he hasn’t thought of lingerie?

“Lingerie? Been there, sorted that. Yes, underwear was very different in the 1950s, and our girls will be wearing the right stuff,” Flynn says.

He has the facts and figures at his never-still fingertips. A cast of 25. “We have six from Dublin, two from Galway, five from the UK and 12 from Cork. Two of the lads have come straight from a year on a UK tour of Grease.”

A backstage crew of 12. An eight-piece band. Six in the wardrobe department, four on wigs and make-up (everybody has an individual hairstyle in this show, and wig and hair designer, Jennie Readman, is working flat-out). Lighting designer, Michael Hurley, has 120 fixtures to check, and the props department is jealously guarding its period cigarette boxes, accurate Coca Cola bottles, and all the pieces which help to set the scene.

“We needed two cars, an old, ’50s banger and a real dream car. We got the banger in Galway and built the dream car here, in-house,” Flynn says.

This is not a version of the John Travolta/Olivia Newton-John film. “You’re going to be seeing a show based on the original stage musical, of 1971, which became one of the greatest musicals of all time. Grease will be the best party in town this summer.”

*Grease previews Thursday and opens Friday, at Cork Opera House. www.corkoperahouse.ie