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MT7 bringing Bear Grease back for another Calgary run

Chrystle Lightning and MC RedCloud are bringing back Bear Grease for another Calgary run Dec. 1-4 at the Grand Chrystle Lightning and MC RedCloud are bringing back Bear Grease for another Calgary run Dec. 1-4 at the Grand
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Bear Grease is returning to Calgary for a holiday production.

Making Treaty 7 is bringing back a return engagement of the popular musical, which offers a Treaty 6 Indigenous twist on the iconic musical that became a blockbuster movie starring Olivia Newton John and John Travolta.

Canadian Screen Award winner (for Trickster) Crystle Lightning co-stars with MC RedCloud, a former Guiness world record holder for longest freestyle rap.

They originally presented Bear Grease, which incorporates hip-hop, parody, improv comedy and freestyle to create an Indigenous take on the tale of teens gone rogue in the 1950's, at Festival Hall in Inglewood in late March.

"Representation matters," said RedCloud. "Grease is a classic, but during the ‘50s and ‘60s, we weren’t able to run around the streets like Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta. We were getting shuffled into some nonsense and boarding school."

"It's (Bear Grease) a decolonized version of Grease, you know, the classic we all grew up watching on TV."

Bear Grease will be presented at the Flanagan Theatre at the Grand, Dec.1 to 4 at 8 p.m. nightly.

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