Review: Ancient Grease, The Vaults

(Photo credit: Flavia Fraser-Cannon)

‘Summer loving, happened so fast’ but now things are getting serious. The Olympus Academy orgy is coming up and every Demi-God is getting excited. Whilst lube and condoms are being passed around like the clap, The Alphas and The Omegas are cumming to terms with the destinies bound to them by The Fates. Rough times are climaxing from in front and behind as Hera is forced to choose between predestined star crossed love and her inner electrifying desire. 

The current run at The Vaults marks the official debut of this olive-oil soaked immersive musical parody.

The idea of combining ‘Grease The Musical’ with Ancient Greek mythology might seem a bit too much of a stretch- how could the two possibly come together? But if you see this show, you’ll quickly discover it’s actually ingenious and makes complete sense.  

(Photo credit: Flavia Fraser-Cannon)

Lady Aria Grey’s writing breathes like a musical and slays like a drag queen. It is so fresh, bold and unapologetic. Not to mention that beneath this sexy and glamourous veneer, the show is incredibly nerdy in the best way and carefully constructed.

Her lyrics are catchy whilst playing heavily into the parody element of the show, making the show solid as a musical in its own right. 

Grey has also definitely done her research and her script is so easy to follow that we can spot the blending of the source materials. 

Rizzo is transformed into Aphrodite (Lucy Penrose) and sweet Sandy becomes Hera (Philippa Leadbetter). Two completely badass leading ladies played by two powerhouse actresses. 

Grey has also considered why this needs to be an adaptation. This musical promotes sexual identity exploration and sexual exploration without slut shaming. It advocates strongly for body positivity, consent and acceptance regardless of sexual orientation- It’s about time we had an openly asexual protagonist in a musical.

(Photo credit: Flavia Fraser-Cannon)

Seeing this was also my first time experiencing a musical with fully integrated audience participation. It worked so well and definitely made the atmosphere feel more comfortable due to the actors encouraging everyone to laugh with each other in a stigma free environment. 

Speaking of which, this show is utterly hilarious, not just because of the sheer abundance of innuendo. Watching actors try to make each other laugh whilst they try to keep a straight face and continue the scene never fails to crack me up.  

Dan Wye does an exceptional job of directing to use the space to the show’s full advantage, keeping us engaged throughout. Lucinda Lawrence’s choreography is a perfect stylistic match with the music and aesthetic of the show.  You really couldn’t ask for a better creative team to pull this ambitious idea off.  

‘Grease is the dirtiest word’ in this slick parody. Hot and spunky, worth the chariot ride to The Vaults. 

***** Five Stars

Age rating: Eighteen plus

Content notes: A lot of sexual content/adult humor.  Loud music, loud noises, haze, flashing lights, coloured lights, coloured flashing lights, alcohol, violence, audience participation, forced marriage, adultery.

For more information and tickets: https://www.thevaults.london/ancient-grease