Greaseball Character Background and Role

Grease ball character background and role

Personality;

Grease ball is the diesel engine from Starlight Express. He is the alpha male of the train yard, the reigning champion of the races, he is confident, suave, and a heart-breaker.

Being the alpha male of the train yard, all the coaches love him, but Dinah is his girlfriend. His character is quite deceptive, at first he appears cool and tough, but at the end he is quite thick as he spells "Sorry" wrong with three Rs. He leads an anonymous and faceless gang who double up as race marshals before, during and after each race. Together, they menace and intimidate Rusty and the Freight.

He is Control's favourite engine, with all his rule-breaking and foul play being ignored.

The original London production portrayed him as a darker character than he is today. He is portrayed as a champion who cheats, bullies, and defaces his way to the finishing line. He beats up his girlfriend Dinah, ditches her when she complains about his behaviour, and humiliates her by saying over her head to the red caboose that she is no longer his coach.

However, with the musical now tuned to that of a family show, much of his behaviour is understandably toned down to his being an arrogant and thoughtless champion who learns his lesson.

"I'm just the fastest thing you'll ever see"

Role;

Grease ball is the first major character we are introduced to. Clearly Control's favourite, Grease ball leads his gang in an anthem to how awesome they are ("Rolling Stock"). The pathetic little steam train, Rusty, interrupts their celebration of Diesel, and Grease ball and gang taunt Rusty about his ridiculous dreams of racing ("Taunting Rusty") Control tells the racing engines to go rest, leaving Rusty to work shifting coaches and freight.

Grease ball returns to find an intruder bedazzling his train yard with flashy Electrics. He responds by making a point, he's "Pumping Iron" and all the girls adore him, even the new-comer Electric components can't resist him. The race comes down to a direct challenge, Grease ball the reigning champion against Electra with his cutting-edge technology. The rest of the competitors are simply making up the numbers.

Grease ball wins the first heat with his carriage, Dinah, but when she complains about his cheating with Caboose, he leaves her behind, he doesn't need emotional baggage. After The Rap, Grease ball decides on her replacement - the pretty Pearl would make a great partner ("Pearl Twirl"). Caboose calls him, wanting to explain his plan - Caboose will partner with Rusty, and throw the race in Grease ball’s favour. The Uphill Final only goes partially to plan, Rusty is wrecked by Caboose, but the race is called off when it devolves into a punch-up. Now Pearl knows about the scheme, and she has to be threatened to behave.

For the re-run, the Downhill Final, Grease ball is racing with the now unwilling Pearl, but his treacherous mate Caboose is now racing with Electra, and last minute, Rusty turns up with Dustin, but he is hardly a threat. But Pearl is distracted by Rusty, and Electra hits her with a lightning bolt, leaving her injured and a dead weight in the race, so Grease ball uncouples her, leaving her to fly off uncontrolled while he continues to race solo. However Grease ball’s fighting with Electra, and Caboose's meddling, finally cause a crash before any of them cross the finish line, leaving Rusty and Dustin to win the race.

Thoroughly humiliated ("One Rock'n'Roll Too Many"), Grease ball has lost his championship, his respect from his gang, and his girlfriend. But tender-hearted Dinah accepts his somewhat stilted apology "Dinah, I'm S.O.R.R.R.Y". And Poppa suggests he could be converted to Steam - to join the winning side in the end.