‘Grease’ is the (rewritten) word

Sigh. The woke brigade strikes again. Political correctness gone mad. They will be burning books next.

Or, perhaps your reaction to the news an Otago secondary school was sanitising beloved (to some) romantic musical Grease for its performance was more a shrug of the shoulders or even an approving nod to modern sensibilities. No tears on the pillow for you.

Just like most things, it is fine that opinions are mixed. We don’t all need to think the same way - for that way, trouble lies.

We certainly applaud Wakatipu High School for what appears - and, yes, our tongue is in our cheek - to be a masterful exercise in marketing. This will surely have done wonders for ticket sales to what will no doubt be a fine show featuring some talented young performers.

The school caused a minor stir last week when it emerged it had tinkered with the 1971 musical, later turned into a hit film starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, to highlight or eradicate "outdated" themes.

These included, apparently, slut-shaming, a lack of diversity and other generally unpleasant elements that might have played in the 1950s (when Grease is set) but rightly appal in the 21st century.

Wakatipu teachers aimed to "educate our students", and were tweaking parts of the show "if actors felt uncomfortable or unable to disconnect with the content." Trigger warnings would be organised for theatre-goers to help them cope with any difficult material.

There are worse things you can do than rejig an ageing musical. Even fans who are hopelessly devoted to the tale of Danny, Sandy, Rizzo, Frenchie and the gang would agree with that.

Theatre, famously, is all about interpretation. No two performances of any show are exactly the same, so it’s really not a huge deal that a modern New Zealand school is looking at a "more PC" version of a classic show and declaring (apologies in advance): you’re the one that I want.

It’s also quite heartening that schools, rather than just throwing shows with old-fashioned themes at their pupils and demanding they learn and perform like robots, are "having the conversation" about problematic content.

However, we also hear, and accept, some of the arguments coming from those who wonder what all the fuss is about.

"Outdated" is at risk of becoming a cop-out label, a catch-all for cancel culture that is too often not backed up by real offence.

A show like Grease, containing unpleasant stereotypes and behaviour, does not celebrate those stereotypes or behaviour; it merely portrays them. The boofhead behaviour of the boys bragging about their summer lovin’ speaks for itself.

Don’t we want our young drama types to face discomfort? To analyse and cope with difficult material? To recognise inappropriate content and deal with it, not by pretending it doesn’t exist but by exploring what makes it inappropriate?

And trigger warnings? For the windy nonsense at Rydell High School? Chang chang changitty chang sha-bop - is that really the way it should be?

An alarmingly high percentage of women have suffered some form of sexual assault or harassment. But isn’t it patronising to assume they won’t be able to cope with a song that contains the line "Did she put up a fight?"?

Grease certainly isn’t completely misogynous - the Pink Ladies rule the school, remember.

This will doubtless be a storm in a teacup. The pupils will have a great time on stage (are we allowed to say ‘Break a leg’?), the crowd will be entertained, and no-one will be offended. But it is good to have the conversation.