Grease - Immersive Movie Musical

Secret Cinema - Evolution Battersea

The iconic, classic film Grease is given a new life! This experience makes you a Rydell High student. Bring the family together for this summer dream that won’t be ripped at the seams!

Secret Cinema has created an experience that fuses theatre, the film and engages each audience member's senses. This theatre experience is something else, it is the ONE THAT YOU WANT! The venue is huge, Rydell High has been brought to Battersea. It’s remarkable how you genuinely feel like you’ve been transported into the film, in the middle of the action and you can get as involved as you want! If you want to get on the stage and be a part of the school dance, you can! If you’re wondering how they show the film; the cast will play iconic scenes on stage, sing the songs and it all happens in the different areas they’ve created. With a venue that is so big it’s hard to catch all of the action and you don’t want to miss a moment.

Casting of this piece is brilliant, each member fits the features of the original characters, but brings something new! If anything, you want to see a little more of them and with so much going on around you and the big audience it’s easy to miss a moment or have difficulty seeing significant moments of scenes. The direction is lost in the setting and it deserves justice! There are moments that are on camera and are played alongside the film. This is great and makes you feel like you're in the movie, but also gives the audience who aren't close to the stage or performance area a way to see the actors perform. More of this would help move all the attention from the classic film and to the actors, giving you a chance to fully connect with their characters. Then, also putting it on a screen outside, so when you want to venture to the fairground, you don't miss anything! It's refreshing to feel like what you're watching is so good that you don't want to miss a moment. This would also make moments between scenes feel less empty and awkward, the huge stage isn't always used and to have more on screen would fill the gaps, as you can clearly see what the actors are doing. Whilst also not missing their non-verbal mannerisms and showcasing their screen acting skills.

When the actors are on stage, they showcase not only their stage skills, but also their screen acting skills. Lucy Penrose, as Rizzo sings one of the most emotive songs in the show ‘There are worse things I can do’ and her singing is played on screen alongside the film. The comparison of her and the original actress shows off the fantastic casting in terms of both their features, but Penrose brings something different to the song and a connection is built between her and the audience. It’s an excellent, emotive scene and changes the pace of the show for a moment. It feels like you go a little deeper into the mind of Rizzo. The lovely Sandy is played by Stephanie Costi and Danny is played by Liam Morris; their on stage chemistry is just as strong as the film. The attention to detail with playing their characters mimicking moments from on scene is impressive. The closing number out in the fairground area is something of beauty, they have the charm, charisma and confidence on FIRE in this number and being able to see it live is something else. The whole cast work hard to get the audience involved, interacting with them in character and just bringing a bucket full of energy. Everyone should be able to see what they’re doing up close, from any area of the venue, even if it’s the back of the drive in.

The set and venue itself is magical. The attention to detail and being able to immerse yourself that much is incredible. You can go to the diner and have a sundae, get on stage and be a part of the sleepover scene… THEY EVEN GAVE OUT TWINKIES! Even the tiniest details are just as good! I mean come on, you can be on the ferris wheel during ‘We Go Together’. You can be as immersed as you want to be, it’s YOUR experience. It’s not from when the show starts you’re immersed, it’s from when you enter the gates and it ends when you want it to…well, until they close. Fusing theatre, experience and the film opens Grease up to new audiences. Reignites your love for the story and somehow makes you feel like you’re watching it again for the first time. Which is so rare.

Trust me, writing all of this does not ruin the magic at all; it’s something like no other. I was able to take my mum along with me, which made a core memory for me and she was the one who made me watch Grease when I was younger. It was her first ever cassette, it’s memories like these that it reignites and brings you closer to your loved ones. The experience is something for the whole family and how it gives you the ability to go into the movie and out into the fair makes the atmosphere relaxed. It’s a great Friday night treat, so you can stay right to closing and party on after the show. Don’t be a beauty school drop out and miss this! Get yourself down to the experience faster than Grease lightning, because you don’t want to miss this.