Bristol Hippodrome – until 25 September 2021
Reviewed by Lucy Hitchcock
3***
It’s electrifyin’!
Grease comes to Bristol Hippodrome to tantalise the audience with well known and loved songs intertwined with some unknown ones also. Dan Partridge and understudy Ellie Kingdon, as Danny and Sandy, along with Peter Andre as Vince Fontaine/Teen Angel made for an exciting show.
For me, the stand out performance of the night was Maeve Byrne as Jan. She bought such exuberance and character to the stage, that I could not take my eyes off her throughout the scenes. Her comic timing, coupled with the upbeat dances from Arlene Phillips choreography made her performance extra special and she revelled in her time on stage and within the character.
Tendai Rinomhota as Rizzo captured the stage through her rendition of ‘There are Worse Things I Could Do’. Peter Andre had such presence on stage, that I can hardly believe he has not performed in Musical Theatre before! Whenever he was on stage, regardless of being the forefront or not, he was so animated and funny that he truly embodied the essence of Grease. The ensemble were superb; the dancing was so clean and rehearsed. Dan Glover kept the show rooted in the 1950’s style with his excellent band-a treat for the ears!
There were, however, some points where the singing was slightly drowned out by the band but when the balance was right it was a real feast.
Overall, this feel good show is a must see if you are a fan of the film-it has been given boost with the addition of new songs and you will leave the theatre humming and dancing!!