Indigenous twist on musical Grease comes to North Vancouver one night only

Bear Grease, an Indigenous take on the 1978 musical classic Grease, will hit the stage at North Vancouver's Centennial Theatre Nov. 8. (Courtesy of North Vancouver Recreation and Culture)

“Summer snagging, happened so fast, summer snagging, had me a blast.”

Just over three years ago, Crystle Lightning and her husband MC RedCloud sang this to each other on the couch as they watched the hit musical Grease on TV. In that moment, an idea sparked – to create an Indigenous version of Grease to celebrate their identity and culture.

“Growing up, I didn’t see people like me in popular culture,” Lightning said. “We created this show as a way to celebrate our identity and have some fun with one of our favourite musicals.”

Bear Grease is an all-Indigenous production that blends the 1978 original hit with adding cultural elements through fashion, music and humour. The musical blends 1950s sound with traditional drumming, flute and hip-hop elements.

This includes skirts with bears and ribbons on them, beadwork fashion and adding Indigenous artwork on leather jackets, Lightning said.

But this version of Grease is a bit different, showing a “parallel universe” if colonization never happened and creating opportunities for Indigenous actors.

“Our reality for Indigenous people in the '50s and '60s was a lot different than John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John,” Lightning said. “We didn’t have those types of opportunities.”

But Lightning also wanted to create a musical that isn’t trauma based, showing the positive and fun side of Indigenous identity.

The production originally was meant to be a one-time show at the Edmonton Fringe Festival in 2021, but now has toured across Canada and the United States after its popularity.

Lightning began acting at only nine years old, when she and her mother moved to Los Angeles from Enoch Cree Nation, near Edmonton, Alta.

She began acting in film and television and landed her first lead role in 3 Ninjas: Knuckle Up. Lightning has also appeared in The Good Doctor, Ghosts and Fancy Dance.

“It’s important for people to see Indigenous people are funny, we have talent,” she said. “We can recreate and have a corrective experience for our elders.”

Bear Grease will hit the stage at North Vancouver’s Centennial Theatre at 7 p.m. on Nov. 8. People can buy tickets at the theatre’s website.

Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.