THE ALEXANDRA THEATRE, BIRMINGHAM – UNTIL SATURDAY 6 NOVEMBER
REVIEWED BY NADIA DODD
4****
Having been a fan of the film, I was more than delighted to accept the invitation to go along to the press night of the theatre production. I first saw Grease on the stage back in the 90’s in the West End and tonight’s excitement and anticipation started to build once entering the theatre seeing some audience members dressed as the ‘Pink Ladies’, I had my fingers crossed for a great few hours ahead.
The performance started with the stars main characters Danny Zuko (played by DanPartridge) and Sandy Dumbrowski (played by alternate Sandy, Ellie Kingdon) setting the scene of their summer romance coming to an end before heading to back to school for the start of the new term. Ellie (Sandy) is making her professional debut in this performance of Grease and she does not disappoint, she has such a powerful voice, perfect for the iconic song ‘Summer Nights’.
Cast perfectly for the comical role of Jan, Maeve Byrne was such a delight to watch as one of the Pink Ladies, not as popular with the boys as some of the others. Yes, Danny was the president of the Burger Palace Boys but for me it was Kenickie (played by Paul French) who stood out as such a strong character and fantastic performer. The scenes with the boys dancing as group were astounding!
I have to admit it was Vince Fontaine /Teen Angel (played by Peter Andre) who stole the show and the audience’s hearts, showing that even though his music career hit a peak in the 1990’s he could still hold a note and a few cheeky hip thrusts that certainly entertained majority of the crowd…..
Costumes, props and scenery were on point set back to the 50’s, the iconic car ‘Grease Lightening’ obviously also featured heavily. There are some additional songs in this production compared to previous shows and the original film, and don’t expect the show to mirror the exact flow of the film, it has to be adapted for the stage remember.
The Pink Ladies and Burger Palace Boys, as they were originally known (T-Birds in the film) put on such a colourful, vibrant and energetic performance for the whole show, it really was difficult not to join in, although the whole theatre were encouraged to take to their feet and join in along the whole cast in such a joyful ensemble of all the favourite songs at the end of the show.