Redlands Grease (2021)

Perfection. Callum McLean provided a Masterclass in acting and singing. Also he danced. Ashley Manovel’s performance was especially notable, he brought an amazing energy to the role which really made him stand out. Omar Rihani somehow managed to slip so many improvised lines in and it had me dying every single time. The sound crew were phenomenal! So professional and supportive. Redlands is a hotbed of talent. But hands down, the best performance was Alex Gibbs as Eugene’s Shoulder. He brought a fresh new take full of tenderness and a vulnerability to the now almost stereotypical cold shoulder so often depicted in popular media. It was subtle but deeply emotional and had an almost erotic subtext. There was a dark past to the performance, you could tell they had a few chips on their shoulder (likely due to hanging out at the burger palace too often, as seen in the show, it is a dark and dangerous hotspot for gang wars, girl on girl punch ups and spontaneous Angel appearances), a shame and guilt that was really brought to the surface through Alex Gibbs’ amazing physicalisation. Ultimately, I was moved to tears by the hesitant, afraid and uncertain but still deeply passionate shoulder to shoulder action depicted on film. I didn’t just see a shoulder on the silver screen I saw a piece of my shoulder, and I’m sure you will find a piece of your shoulder too. > I’m so proud to be a part of this and I’ll never forget the experience.