Grease lightning strikes twice at Cork Opera House

The choice of summer blockbuster musical at Cork Opera House would seem to have been an inspired one.

Thu, 08 Aug, 2013 - 01:00

Jo Kerrigan

Everybody knows you can’t fill houses during the holiday months, but on this occasion everybody was wrong. With virtually every performance a sell-out, and the queues still there as the final curtain fell, the management had to do some quick thinking — and now Grease returns for one more run, from Aug 13 to 17.

It’s not surprising, really, that it’s been such a success. Grease is a fun-filled, colourful flashback to the 1950s era, when style meant oiled-back hair and a leather jacket, bouffant hairdos and full skirts. Throw in the bittersweet taste of summer love and high school memories, tie it all together with a golden chain of period pop hits, and you’re on to a winner.

“Cork Opera House is one of the few theatres in Ireland producing its own shows,” says Grease director, Bryan Flynn. “By doing so, we’re not only creating employment for theatre practitioners at a time when the industry is usually very quiet, but we’re giving audiences the opportunity to see both international and home-grown talent perform in top productions right here in Cork.”

Would one call Velvin Lamont, who takes the iconic cameo role of Teen Angel in the show, international or home-grown? Well, he was the former, but is now certainly the latter. Born in Los Angeles, he’s been singing since childhood and was developing a successful entertainment career Stateside when he met and fell in love with an Irish girl.

“When she knew she was pregnant, my wife wanted to come home to Ireland for the birth, to share that wonderful event with her family, so we did.”

Little Velvin Jr. is now just one year old, and Lamont has grown to love Cork so much he figures they will never leave.

“When we first got back, one of Ann’s family here asked why I didn’t enter for The Voice of Ireland. I thought they were kidding me, but then decided to give it a go.”

Lamont did so well in that high-profile show that he was invited to sing at the American ambassador’s Fourth of July celebrations in Phoenix Park last month. “That has got to have been the proudest moment of my life — singing the American national anthem to such an audience.”

Unsurprisingly, when Flynn and his team were getting ready to audition for Grease at Cork Opera House, Lamont’s name came up immediately for the role of Teen Angel. And he’s loved every moment of the run.

One would imagine he must also have been of great assistance to Irish members of the cast, in getting into their American roles. “I guess so. I just know that being part of such a great crowd has been wonderful.”