Crystle Lightning says she’s never seen people like her reflected in the arts and media.
So, along with her husband, MC Redcloud, Lightning thought there was no better way to celebrate their identity, in spaces where they felt Indigenous representation was excluded, than by revamping one of their favorite musicals – Fat.
Their traveling theatrical production is called bear grease — a native twist on the traditional high school romance story.
The cast has familiar characters – such as Sandy (played by Olivia Newton-John), Rizzo (Stockard Channing) and Danny (John Travolta). But bear fat was written to give each character has an Indigenous influence, with elements of fashion, humor and music to really make it their own, Lightning explained.
“We don’t want to be just for an Indigenous audience,” Lightning said. “We want it to be for everyone. We want to share it with everyone. We want people to understand our humor.”
The music has been kept in the style of the 50s, but drums and flutes are introduced to demonstrate more traditional aspects of the culture. There’s also a touch of hip hop, to help bear fat attract a younger audience.
“There is a little something for everyone in bear fat“, Lightning said.
Lightning and Henry RedCloud met in California, where they formed their hip-hop duo, Lightning Cloud. Together they have worked with notable names such as Timbaland, Kendrick Lamar and Nicki Minaj.
RedCloud is a rapper who set a Guinness World Record for the longest freestyle rap – for 18 hours straight – in 2014. He took the opportunity to raise awareness for murdered Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit people and disappeared.
Crystle is originally from the Enoch Cree First Nation in central Alberta, but moved to Hollywood as a young child to pursue her acting career. She landed roles in American Pie presents: Bandcamp, Yellowstone and Outlander. In 2021, she won the award for best actress in a drama series for her role as Maggie in Trickster.
Lightning and RedCloud originally wrote bear fat for students at an Enoch Cree First Nation school, but the pandemic forced them to scrap the idea. They were asked to perform at the Edmonton Fringe, a theater festival based in Alberta’s capital, when they decided to dust off the script for bear fat to prepare it in the month following the performance.
The group likes to adapt each show to the communities and territories they visit. They will change the surnames and language used on the show, to personalize the message and stories that bear fat say wherever they are.
“We changed the show a bit,” Lightning said. “We’re adding to the show. We’re adding different songs, like we’re adapting to the community we’re going to. So, for example, if we’re in Treaty 6 territory, Cree territory, we’ll add Cree words there -inside. .”
bear fat isn’t just for Indigenous people, however, and Lightning and her husband received many positive reviews from non-Indigenous audience members who laughed and enjoyed the story throughout.
Yet for some older audience members, the show has a deeper meaning.
Lightning described an interaction with an older Navajo woman who went to see the show in Las Vegas and noted that in the 1950s and 1960s, Indigenous people faced discrimination and racism, which meant they didn’t couldn’t dance and sing in public like the characters do in the show.
Dakota McGuire, a Thunder Bay actor who plays Patty Simcox, also sees a bigger purpose in the show.
When McGuire was a baby, his mother, Jamie, was killed near Winnipeg. Dakota wears a red jingle dress onstage to remember her and other missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit people.
“Having that Indigenous representation, I think, is very important to show our young people and our young people that it’s great to be proud of who you are, who you are and where you come from,” McGuire said.
As the show travels across North America, audiences come out to watch, and Lightning hopes that one day they will make it to Broadway.
bear fat will perform a private show for students at Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School in Thunder Bay, then take to Lakehead University’s Outpost Stage for one night on November 5 at 5:30 and 9 p.m.
There are also Christmas specials planned for Calgary and Edmonton, with dates to be announced, but you can check their website for updates on when and where Bear Grease will be performing.
Tickets can be picked up online at Event Brite.
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