Writer: Lady Aria Grey
Director: Dan Wye
Reviewer: Christine Stanton
“Funny & Fizzing with Energy“
4.5 / 5
Swap Rydell High with the Parthenon, leather jackets with togas, ‘Greased Lightning’ for Greek lightning and you’ve got the puntastic parody show that is Ancient Grease, bringing mythology and movie together in this fantastically entertaining production.
Lady Aria Grey’s story throws out Danny and Sandy’s tale of Summer Lovin’, and instead focuses on the sex-crazed students at Olympus Academy. Zeus (Peter Camilleri) is lusting after new girl Hera (Philippa Leadbetter), but as the Goddess of marriage, she’s not looking for a quick bunk up in the back of a chariot. Aphrodite (Lucy Penrose) and Ares (Christopher Patten-Walker can’t wait to hook up at the annual school orgy, but his best friend Hephaestus (Ollie Thomas Smith) is hoping he’ll be able to turn his affections over to him instead. Athena (Safia Bartley) has taken a vow of Chastity but though she’s written off sex, love is still very much on the menu. The messy flirtations, friendships and fall-outs of the students are overseen and meddled in by the Fates (Christopher Patten-Walker, Grace Kelly Miller & Lara Sas), who are not trying to give anyone any form of happy ending!
The cast are absolutely phenomenal – every single one of them hitting their comedic cues, and fizzing with energy from beginning to end. Bartley, Smith and Patten-Walker all play dual characters, excelling in both roles, and humorously quipping at points about where they disappeared to in prior scenes and the like. Leadbetter’s purposefully OTT Australian accent is ridiculously good and Penrose’s sass is spot on as a Rizzo-esque character. The cast are the heart of the show being as successful as it is, because it’s impossible not to get sucked into the silliness. It’s packed with puns, and pulls of parody with perfection, recognisable for both Grease and Greek mythology fans, but for those with not much knowledge of either one, it’s still easy and fun, which makes for a wonderfully well-rounded show. Despite the show running around 40 minutes longer than advertised, their infectiously fun energy never wanes, which massively helps when the audience on press night started subtly clockwatching the later the evening got. The length does feel a bit overkill, keeping it to a tighter 2 hours would definitely help maintain interest, though I’m assuming this is more down to settling into the show during it’s earlier weeks, rather than the running time actually remaining as long as 3 hours.
The stage is performed on a catwalk of sorts, with majority of the show taking place in the middle, which does help the parallel seating to ensure that most seats have a good enough view. When there is action at either end of the room, the cast project brilliantly so moments are never missed, and it’s such a busy, fast-moving production that focuses on various characters all at once that there are very rarely ’empty’ moments for the seats at the ends of the room. Caitlin Mawhinney’s costumes and Isabella Van Braeckel’s set fit the theme to a tee, channelling Zuko and Zeus even down to the smallest of details. Camp, chaotic and comedic, Ancient Grease is a deity delight.
Runs until 30th May 2026
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