With the no. 1 greatest musical Grease on stage this week, Birmingham, Heritage Volunteer Ivan Heard takes us on a ride through the Hippodrome archives. In his latest guest blog, Ivan rediscovers some of the magnificent motors – including the legendary Greased Lightnin’ – that have driven theatre audiences to distraction across the years!

Once more, “Grease Is the Word” and arriving on our stage is ” Greased Lightning”, the all-American automobile, perfect for impressing the Pink Ladies at the drive-in movie. It is the name of the “new” used car which is proudly shown off by Kenickie, one of the Rydell High School gang of cool students.

But cars have featured several times in Hippodrome shows, appropriately in “Motor City”, the image that Birmingham had in the 1960s and 1970s, with its car factories, underpasses and Spaghetti Junction,

Back in July, 1903, a car flew around the stage, driven by Miss Moto, who looped the loop on a “suspended, bottomless track”. Just imagine the novelty of the act- motor cars were still a rare sight in our streets. Unfortunately, as reported in the Birmingham journal ” The Owl”, there was an accident on the second night ” as Miss Payne (Miss Moto) was hooping the hoop.

She was only slightly injured. The feat calls for much nerve and steadiness”. Inevitably, news of the accident boosted the audiences for the rest of the week!

In the programme for the week of 21 May, 1906, there was an announcement of a ” Grand Cycle and Motor Car Parade through the City on Whit Tuesday, 5 June, in connection with the Theatrical Charity Sports…handsome prizes will be awarded for the best dressed motor cars, ladies’ cycles and gents’ cycles”.

Entry forms were given out by the Hippodrome Manager of the time, Mr. P.D. Elbourne. In the late 1930s, there was an annual Sunday night ” Concert in support of the Motor and Cycle Trades Benevolent Fund”. The price of the programme was ” according to your Bump of Benevolence, but not less that 2d” . A quaintly expressed way of Fund raising!

A stage and screen comedian named George Clarke appeared at the Hippodrome several times during the 1930s. Billed as ” the Silly Ass”, complete with monocle, George featured in his act a remarkable Austin Seven car- the highly popular ” Baby Austin” built at Longbridge. The car, a standard production- line model, danced the polka, swayed on its springs and jumped on its rear tyres, all expertly manoeuvred by George through his skilful use of the gears and brakes.

In April, 1965, ” The Solid Gold Cadillac” motored into the Hippodrome. This was a satirical play, based on a 1956 film, which poked fun at big business and early globalisation; it starred the much-loved stage and screen actress Margaret Rutherford, then in her 70s, and “Carry On” comedy actor Sidney James- an unlikely but very funny pairing. Also in the play was actress Sheree Winton, mother of Dale Winton. Margaret had to utter the classic line-“I’ve never worked in my life, I’m an actress”!  BHIPP;2015.46.

“Grease” first rocked onto our stage in May, 1979 and again in September, 1990. This latter production included a then-unknown Joanne Malin, strutting her stuff as Frenchie, one of the Pink Ladies at Rydell High. She is now a member of the Birmingham Hippodrome Development Trust.

“Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” first flew into the Hippodrome for the summer season in 2006. The role of Caractacus Potts was shared between Brian Conley and Gary Wilmott. It made a return flight in September, 2016, this time under the control of Lee Mead. Sometimes the technology was a little temperamental and Lee told me that his heart would be in his mouth before the car rose and flew.

Over nearly 120 years, the motor car has featured in Hippodrome shows and still ” Greased Lightning” comes roaring back as fresh and bright as ever.