On Tuesday 14th September I went to the Press Night of the Dartford leg of Grease The Musical Tour at The Orchard Theatre. The theatre was bussling with what looked like a full house of excited theatre goers. I was particularly excited to see this show, as someone who has watched the film hundreds of times, I was ready for a bit of nostaligia.
The set was great, as soon as you walked in and it was used very cleverly throughout the show to transition from scene to scene. As soon as the house lights went down and that familiar music started playing you could feel the collective joy in the auditorium. The cast burst onto the stage, sounding incredible and vibrant, and this pretty much set the scene for the rest of the show. What energy there was on stage, it was a delight to be there to share it!
Grease (the film) has been a long time hit for decades now, the songs have become iconic and so many of us know the script word for word. It follows the age old tale of boy (Danny) meets girl (Sandy), they fall in love only to be separated when the summer comes to an end. They must both head off to different schools with only the memory of their amazing summer together (Summer Nights). In a turn of events, they both end up at the same high school, as Sandy gets transferred to a new school and despite the gentleman Danny had been all summer, he behaves very differently in front of his friends and breaks Sandy's heart. I won't give away the ending, in case there is anyone out there who has never seen the film or the show, but, I think we can all agree that even though it's a fantastically upbeat end, the moral message is somewhat conspicuous!
So, that was the film, but how was the show? In a word... fantastic! The characters are hilarious, believable and fun, Danny and Sandy are playing out their famous storyline with the help of their friends,Kenickie, Rizzo, Frenchy, Marty, Jan, Sonny, Doody... to name but a few. The music sounds incredible live and the whole cast were exceptional singers. Danny was played by Dan Partridge who kept the John Travolta nuances in his singing, much to the delight of the audience who joined in hungrily during "Sandy",
and Sandy herself was played by Alternate Sandy, Ellie Kingdon, who blew the roof off the theatre with "Hopelessly Devoted", which was worth the price of the ticket alone.
I found the characters of Marty (Inez Budd) and Frenchy (Marianna Neofitou) so much fun, they really embodied the roles and gave so much energy on stage. Tendai Rinomhota was cool and sassy as Rizzo, and her rendition of "There Are Worse Things I Could Do" was stunning. Paul French also shone as Kenickie with the iconic "Greased Lightning."
Of course, I've got to mention the show's star turn, Peter Andre. Peter played Vince Fontaine and Teen Angel, but...was he any good, I bet you're thinking? I was wondering the same before the show, and the answer? Yes. He was AMAZING. The epitome of someone who loves what they do. Not only were his vocals brilliant, making each song his own, but he was hilarious. He had the audience in the palm of his hand and his energy and commitment was off the charts. I'm not always a fan of star casting, but in this case it was definitely a case of the right man for the job.
The Choreography by Arlene Phillips was exciting, energetic and authentic and the group numbers really shone because of it.
Grease The Musical was a fantastic night out at the hands of a talented, energetic and fun cast. The performances were great, the singing was amazing and the show had the ultimate feel-good factor. If there are any tickets left, I urge you to book! So much fun, I wish I could go again!
Grease The Musical is on at the Orchard Theatre from Monday 13th September - Saturday 18th September 2021.
Tickets can be booked here: https://orchardtheatre.co.uk/Online/tickets-grease-dartford-2020
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