Grease The Musical is currently playing at Her Majesty’s Theatre, and Adelaide audiences are simply loving it.
Starring as the smooth DJ and radio announcer Vince Fontaine is the incredibly talented Jay Laga’aia. Laga’aia is a much-loved actor and performer. His film credits include Tim’s Island and Star Wars and television credits include Home and Away, Water Rats, and Xena Warrior Princess. A lot of Australians fell in love with Laga’aia from his time on Play School.
Laga’aia spoke to Glam Adelaide about Grease The Musical, working across film, television and stage as well as sharing with us what drew him to pursue performing as a career path.
“I always had the idea that I was going to be a winger for the All Blacks and that was right up until I realized I wasn’t good enough to be a winger for the All Blacks. That’s when I had the great life lesson of realizing I didn’t have anything to fall back on. Coming from a Polynesian background we were always singing, but performing is often looked down upon. If you want to sing, you go to church or a 21st. When my father saw me choosing a job I truly enjoyed he would tell me that was a hobby. However, I really broke the mold and discovered the world of performing when I couldn’t pursue sport.
“I found myself answering an ad in the Auckland newspaper for the local theatre company. At the time, it was probably the equivalent to the Sydney Theatre Company. This was back in around 1982 or ’83. They were just looking for bodies for their production of Sweet Charity. I went along and had a bit of a sing and bit of a dance and was very surprised to be called back. I remember the first day of rehearsals as just an ensemble member watching the principals go through the scene and feeling transported to another world. I knew at that moment that this is what I wanted to do for a career and I have chased it ever since.”
Having worked across film, television and stage, we asked Laga’aia if he has a preferred platform, or if he sees value in working across them all.
“The different mediums allow you to apply different techniques. I love live theatre because no one can tamper with it. Every night you are able to input how it ends. I learnt a long time ago that you should never equate the audience’s applause to the quality of the work that you’ve done. So every night is just a discovery on stage and I love that. I also love the technicality of being able to work in film and television.You get the opportunity to do a scene over and over again until it’s perfect. You get to fine tune your craft to get the best result possible.”
Laga’aia shared with us what it is about Grease The Musical that he loves.
“Grease for me, it’s comfort food. We have such a cross section of audiences at each performance. There are those who have loved the show since infinity and those who have discovered the show for the first time – it’s such an iconic show and seeing people react to it either for the first time, or for nostalgia – it’s heartwarming.”
This current production has been given a fresh, new look to it.
“Our director has approached it from a cinematography point of view. It’s a bit like how the opening of The Lion King musical is staged. The opening of The Lion King is the wide shot and then they come in close, you know – it’s like that with our production. We open with the sounds of the ’50s and ’60s with the music blaring. You walk in and there’s pre-movie footage projected onto our curtains just like you would see at the drive-ins. All the cast are introduced like you get at the start of a film and then all of a sudden it transitions into the actual show. It’s such a brilliant opening. The costuming is also a wonderful, colourful palette.”
Grease The Musical is playing at Her Majesty’s theatre until October 26.
“I love Adelaide audiences because they are not afraid to have a good time. Grease is the original Heathers, the original Mean Girls, the original Pitch Perfect. Its story carries across the generations, which is why audiences, young and not so young, are loving this show. You can’t help but to get up and dance with us at the end.”
GREASE – The Musical
Until 26 October, 2024
Her Majesty’s Theatre
https://greasemusical.com.au/
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