FOR those of us of a certain age, Grease is so much more than 'the word', it is a part of our growing up.

For those with a theatrical bent, it also one of those shows you either were in, wanted to be in or wish you were still young enough to play anything other than Miss Lynch in!

Thankfully that is not a problem for the youthful members of the junior section of AAODS which got its week long production of the rock'n'roll classic off to a rousing start at the Borough Theatre on Tuesday under the watchful eyes of Jaci Brickley Clark and Sarah Fowler.

With its lively dance numbers, rocking chorus work and pastiche packed solos, Grease could not be a sharper contrast to last year's Whistle Down the Wind and the young performers appeared to relish the opportunity to let their hair down and get into the groove.

If there were times when they didn't quite understand what they were saying, or quite get the context of the piece it certainly didn't make for a drop in pace, for this show is high octane from its opening chords to the final bows.

As Sandy and Danny, Molly Brickley Clark and Alex Williams work well with Molly's Hopelessly Devoted to You and Alex's Alone at the Drive-in Movie drawing shrieks of approval from the audience, but it is in the ensemble playing that the show really stands, and as always with this talented company, this excels.

The show is never stronger than when the entire cast is belting out musical classics like Summer Nights, You're the One That I Want, Greased Lightnin' and of course We Go Together with the chorus work almost literally raising the rafters and doubtless transporting some in the audience back to the glory days of Abergavenny's Town Hall dances.

Equally strong was the pared down ensemble with the central core holding the show together with a maturity which belied the ages of the performers.

As Kenickie Joe Pugh was lively, although he does have a slight tendency to overact which needs to be kept in check at times.

Playing opposite him as Rizzo Alys Le Moignan was, as always, mature and controlled. Her version of There Are Worse Things I Could Do was powerful and lived up to its reputation as one of the best songs in the show.

As Doody Miles Harding was spot on with his slightly sardonic approach pitched perfectly for the character. His straightfaced Beauty School Dropout, in which he was aided and abetted by not only the female chorus but some very unlikely looking angels, was one of the highspots of the show.

Equally Jake Griffin as Sonny and Luke Williams as Roger played well and kept the action going even when the spotlight was not on them.

On the distaff side, Louise Morgan was a suitably ditzy Frenchie with the pairing of Rachel Cozens and Nia Gandhi as Marty and Jan working perfectly.

The 1950s harmonies of Freddy My Love make it, for me, one of the best songs in the show and it was one which this team made look easy.

As always some of the best off the ball moments of any Junior AAODS show are provided by those in cameo roles and I loved Celyn Davies, who captured the archetypal 1950s American geek perfectly as the slightly out of kilter Eugene, while the stage experience of Meg Trinder allowed her to bring Patty to life beautifully.

The principal ensemble was completed by Emma Mitchell as Miss Lynch, Falesha Lewis is Cha Cha DiGregorio and Zach Clee as the sleazy DJ?Vince Fontaine.

If I have to criticise - which after all is why they pay me the big bucks- then I would say that there were times when things got a bit confused - the Prom scene was a little messy, although I know only to well, it is a nightmare of a scene to set as there is just so much going on.

I also was not that keen on the lighting, which for me was a little gloomy and atmospheric for such a bright and breezy show. I also couldn't quite fathom the use of the star-cloth which shone out while the cast was enjoying its school dinner and indeed for the entire show..but there we are.

As I touched on earlier there were also times when the cast itself didn't quite get the light and shade of the characters as they entered that twilight zone between childhood and adulthood and struggle with the effort of being 'cool' when they still really want to tune into the Mickey Mouse Club.

However this is really being picky...and being picky not for the sake of it but because this is a company which is so good that it deserves nit-pickery, if there is such a word.

By the time this review hits the streets there probably won't be any tickets left for this show, but what the hell, take a punt on it and call the Borough Theatre box office on the off-chance.

If you're lucky enough to pick one up I can almost guarantee that you won't be disappointed.