By Abby Luciano, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter NORTH SHORE NEWS
âSummer snagging, happened so fast, summer snagging, had me a blast.â
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 â to create an Indigenous version of Grease to celebrate their identity and culture.
âGrowing up, I didnât see people like me in popular culture,â Lightning said. âWe created this show as a way to celebrate our identity and have some fun with one of our favourite musicals.â
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 âparallel universeâ if colonization never happened and creating opportunities for Indigenous actors.
âOur reality for Indigenous people in the â50s and â60s was a lot different than John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John,â Lightning said. âWe didnât have those types of opportunities.â
But Lightning also wanted to create a musical that isnât 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.
âItâs important for people to see Indigenous people are funny, we have talent,â she said. âWe can recreate and have a corrective experience for our elders.â
Bear Grease B.C. dates include North Vancouverâs Centennial Theatre on Nov. 8, Trailâs Bailey Theatre on Nov. 15, and Cranbrookâs Key City Theatre on Nov. 16.
