Grease the Musical Archives - North West End UK

14Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Grease the Musical – Sheffield Lyceum

Grease is traditionally a powerhouse show, and there is not much difference in this touring 2024 production. Nikolai Foster’s direction is astute, Arlene Phillip’s choreography expertly executed, and Jim Jacob’s and Warren Casey’s script is given just treatment by this large ensemble cast. However, it is not without its blemishes, and this interpretation of the classic 1950’s love story has lost some of its charm along the way owed to some slightly muddy performances and lackadaisical approach. Fortunately, it still just about holds up. This show is a spectacle, it has to be said. The set design is big and bold, the lighting design adventurous and loud. It is a treat for the eyes, complimented further by some stellar choreography perfectly executed by those on stage. There are true ...

29May

By Manda ElizabethNo Comments

North West

Grease The Musical – Liverpool Empire

Grease The Musical has lightening bolted onto the stage of Liverpool’s Empire Theatre this week for some summer loving… much different to its movie counterpart it still promises a night choreographed to perfection and vocals worthy of mesmeric status. If you’re an avid fan of Grease the movie, you will notice the flow of the musical misses out some of the story but gives you alternative which supports the added musical numbers and characters which are highlighted more during the stage adaption.  We are introduced into Rydell High by Vince Fontaine, who we quickly warm to as our host and almost like the page turner from scene to scene, flowing the set changes with comedic charm and presence. In act one it seemed to be a warmup for the main debut in act two where we as the audience are...

17Nov

By Ezzy LaBelleNo Comments

North West

Grease the Musical – Liverpool Empire

Fantastically feel good and naughtily nostalgic, Grease the Musical arrived in Liverpool this week with all the right moves and an abundance of exuberant energy. You cannot help but leave this show with a smile. Starring Peter Andre, and debuting several newcomers, it offers a slightly different flavour to what has been done before. Expect to have a good time. This production took a couple of scenes to find their flow but once they were in it there was no stopping them. Directed by Curve’s Nikolai Foster and choreographed by Arlene Phillips, Grease demands strong dancing from the cast in order to carry out creative sequences and transports the audience back to Rydell High School with ease. Led by Dan Partridge (Danny Zuko) and Ellie Kingdon (Sandy) the dialogue is fast paced with ...

Grease the Musical – Manchester Opera House

13Oct

By Hannah WildeNo Comments

North West

Grease the Musical – Manchester Opera House

If, like me, you’re a lifelong fan of the 1978 titular film Grease, then the touring production of Grease the Musical is not to be missed. Like its namesake, this production is as slick as you like. It has got everything a good show should have: a toe-tapping soundtrack, mesmerising choreography, and - quite literally - an all-singing, all-dancing cast. The performance I had the pleasure of attending starred Dan Partridge as the leading man Danny Zuko, and understudy Ellie Kingdon as his leading lady, Sandy. I was a bit apprehensive to see an understudy in such a prominent role - especially one who is making their professional debut in this show - but I needn’t have worried: Kingdon was incredible. Far from being “oh so scared and unsure” like her wallflower character Sandy, Kingd...

Grease the Musical – Festival Theatre Edinburgh

29Sep

By Roger JacobsNo Comments

Scotland

Grease the Musical – Festival Theatre Edinburgh

This production can be viewed two ways; a successful adaptation combining the best of the original, visceral, 1971 Chicago show and the candyfloss of the 1978 film… or something that falls between the two stools of these contrasting affairs. Undeniably it was lively, but frenetic rather than kinetic. The constant movement made for a spectacle but parts of the script, including many of the caustic, witty, one-liners, were lost in the hustle and bustle, denying the audience a glimpse of the themes so vital when Grease first made its impact. The screen greeting the audience prior to the start promised much, decorated with small black & white TV’s, transistor radios, the most modern of things back in the 50’s, both devices carrying – amidst Elvis and Westerns - the advertising that propell...