GREEK GODS, GREASED LIGHTNING, AND GLORIOUSLY FILTHY FUN

By Tanya Howard | Founder, The Live Review London · @glamglitzlondon ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Press Invite

The world feels a little chaotic right now. News cycles are relentless, everyone seems stressed, and sometimes what you really need is two hours of pure, ridiculous escapism. That’s exactly what Ancient Grease delivers. It’s loud, naughty, completely unhinged in places, and had me howling with laughter from start to finish. Life is short, after all… you may as well spend some of it laughing.

Set inside The Vaults, the show takes the familiar world of Grease and crashes it headfirst into Greek mythology. Danny and Sandy become Zeus and Hera, Olympus becomes a very questionable high school, and the whole thing spirals into a gloriously camp, filthy, nostalgia-soaked parody. It is loud, ridiculous, unapologetically naughty and very much not a show for the easily offended. There is swearing, dirty jokes, sex talk and dark humour throughout. Personally? All very much a bit of me.

THE DEMI-GODS DELIVER THE COMEDY, CHAOS AND CAMP VIBES

The cast lean fully into the absurdity of the production. Philippa Leadbetter as Hera is brilliant, bringing full Kath and Kim style Australian energy that had me giggling from the moment she opened her mouth. If you know the “look at moi” reference, you’ll understand the vibe instantly. It’s big, over the top, and exactly what this show needs.

Ollie Thomas Smith as Hephaestus brings wonderfully camp, silly energy that adds a real spark to his scenes. And Lucy Penrose, who I previously saw playing Rizzo in Secret Cinema’s immersive Grease, feels perfectly cast as Aphrodite. The character fills a similar space in the story, and she absolutely nails the attitude and presence needed to make it work. It almost felt like the role was tailor made with her in mind.

Beyond the standout performances, the cast as a whole bring a brilliant sense of energy to the production. Everyone feels fully committed to the ridiculousness of it all, and it genuinely feels like they’re having as much fun on stage as the audience is. That kind of energy is infectious, and it keeps the show bouncing along at a great pace. The cast’s passion is obvious, and it radiates into every scene.

OLYMPUS ACADEMY COMES TO LIFE INSIDE THE VAULTS

The staging at The Vaults really works in the show’s favour. Two banks of three tier seating run along a central runway stage. It’s giving sitting on the school bleachers vibes, kinda apt for this show. It gives the whole thing a slightly immersive feel, especially with moments of audience interaction woven in.

Most of the action takes place on the central strip, with an Olympus podium and stand at one end and an open space at the other where additional scenes unfold. Credit here to Set Designer Isabella Van Braeckel. She makes smart use of the venue’s layout and keeps the stage feeling dynamic despite the relatively intimate setting.

When booking tickets, I’d recommend going for the central seats. They give the best overall view simply because so much of the action happens along the runway. That said, there isn’t really a bad spot in the house. Sitting further down the run just means you might find yourself slightly side-on during moments that play further down the stage. But the intimacy of The Vaults means you’ll still feel fully part of the action.

TOGAS, THROWBACKS, AND TWISTED LYRICS

Costume-wise, the production fully commits to the theme. There are togas everywhere, but not the typical white-and-gold versions you might expect. Instead, the costumes lean into colour and personality, which helps each character stand out visually. The quick costume changes are also impressively slick, something that always deserves a bit of appreciation in fast-paced productions like this. Costume designer Caitlin Mawhinney clearly had fun with the brief, and it shows.

One of the cleverest elements of the show is how it plays with the original music. The songs are reworked just enough that you instantly recognise the melody or beat, but the lyrics twist into something far more ridiculous. You get that nostalgic hit from the classics, followed by the laugh when the new line lands. And yes, there is a moment where the demi-gods perform the hand jive. Something I didn’t know I needed to see until it happened.

Ancient Grease does a great job of balancing its references. There are plenty of nods to Grease that fans will instantly recognise. But they’re blended with Greek mythology in a way that still feels like its own new creation rather than just a straight parody. The Alphas and Omegas instead of the T-Birds and the Pink Ladies. Chariots instead of cars. Demi-god dropout over beauty school dropout. Just to name a few… no spoilers here.

A JOYFULLY UNHINGED NIGHT WORTH ENROLLING FOR

Two tiny complaints, which by no means take away from the experience or my five-star rating. For a production that is proudly camp, cheeky and very, very naughty, they missed a golden opportunity. How could you not add an extra “S” to Olympus? OlymPUSS feels like a joke that was sitting right there waiting to happen. The other issue was during the pregnancy storyline; the padded bump wasn’t always covered by the skirt. Very minor and probably something most wouldn’t clock, but it did catch my eye a few times.

That aside, Ancient Grease is exactly the kind of joyful theatre night that reminds you why live performance can be such a great escape. Is it a groundbreaking story full of deep philosophical meaning? Absolutely not. But it never pretends to be, and sometimes that’s exactly what you need. It’s outrageous, energetic and delightfully inappropriate in all the best ways. If you’re in the mood for something bold, silly and unapologetically dirty, this is one Olympus academy worth enrolling in.

Ancient Grease is running at The Vaults until Sunday 31 May.

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Photo Credit: Flavia Fraser-Cannon