Bear Grease is the word: All-Indigenous musical a hit at Moraviantown celebration

MORAVIANTOWN – If the musical Grease doesn’t immediately come to mind when it comes to celebrating First Nations people, this all-Indigenous cast aims to change all that.

An Edmonton ensemble helped members of Delaware Nation at Moraviantown mark 2023 National Indigenous Peoples Day Wednesday with an entertaining performance of their musical hit Bear Grease.

Crystle Lightning and MC RedCloud not only play the lead roles of Sandy and Danny, but also wrote and direct Bear Grease, which they have adapted into a lighthearted look at Indigenous culture and life.

While entertaining for non-Indigenous people, frequent bursts of laughter from the local audience to references in lyrics and dialogue showed much of the humor comes from lived experience of being Indigenous.

RedCloud told the audience after the show that Bear Grease is dedicated to elders who have paved the way for this generation.

The “blunt reality” of such things as residential schools and the Sixties Scoop mean the 1950s and ’60s weren’t the same for Indigenous people as they were for Grease’s characters immortalized on film by Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta.

Lightning told the audience the cast could hear their laughter while performing.

“There’s so much medicine through laughter, isn’t there?” she said.

“We are such a beautiful, rich people,” she added. “We have so much culture. . . I just love us.”

Her hope is that people are entertained, excited and happy after seeing Bear Grease, she said in an interview.

“A lot of our stories are very sad and traumatic and we wanted to bring some joy,” she said. “We’re a funny people.”

There is a commonality of being Indigenous that Bear Grease taps into, no matter where it is performed.

Lightning said they just got back from New Mexico where the audience there laughed at many of the same jokes.

Carol Hopkins enjoyed the show for both its entertainment value and the message it brings.

“It was fantastic, it was a great celebration of Indigenous culture; lots of laughter, lots of dancing, lots of singing, lots of humour,” she said.

“That’s the great thing about Indigenous people is that we’ve suffered so much trauma, racism, oppression, but it’s always our humor that gets us through.”

Many references in the musical were puns on different things that have been harmful to Indigenous people, she added. “We can turn it around and laugh at ourselves, that’s how we survive, so it’s a great story of resiliency.”

The performance, and a meal, were free celebration for the community, thanks to the Delaware Health Centre’s well-being program.

Community health representatives Norma Logan and Desiree Logan organized the event after reaching out to Bear Grease organizers via social media.

“I thought it was excellent, our community really enjoyed it,” Norma Logan said.

Lightning said the Moraviantown show was their first in Southwestern Ontario.

“We were very excited, we always want to go to places we haven’t been and share the laughter with everyone,” she said.

Cast members remained afterwards to meet audience members and pose for photos.

This could be one reason for the show’s remarkable popularity.

“This was just supposed to be a weekend show for the Edmonton Fringe Festival and we sold it out in 20 minutes,” Lightning said.

They quickly realized “we have something here,” she said, and laughably 18 months and 100 shows later, they’re touring around North America.

Their next goal? Taking Bear Grease to the Great White Way.

“That’s our dream, that’s our goal. . . Natives on Broadway,” Lightning said.

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