[smith]

I cannot describe how much I enjoyed reading all those bad reviews for Grease. Does this make me a bad person?!

[wds]

I cannot describe how much I enjoyed reading all those bad reviews for Grease. Does this make me a bad person?!

The production is the pits. Badly cast allroud, awfully staged, horrid set, no chemistry. Its lost all it infectious charm and youthfulness - the only thing that keeps it going are the wondeful hit records - otherwise this show would be worse than Fame, which I have to say if better staged and produced than this revival.

With all the money it must have taken, you would have thought more time would have gone into this production, the sets are so cheap its asif handy andy has just spent a day chopping down the dominion set fit the piccadilly and touch it up again with paint - the costumes look awful and badly sized and just bland. No energy or emotion is displayed between Danny and Sandy, The T Bird and Pink Ladies or indeed the group as a whole. We are supposed to idolise and want to be part of this wonderful group - frankly Id rather be in Euguenes gang!

The show just striked me as a tour show i was going to see right at the end of its umpteenth year run - the production looked already that worn down...i dread to think what state it can go into becuase its already hit a new low for the West End.

Save your money people...even Dirty Dancing is better worth a view (at least thats had money thrown at it and is looks better produced) - I really hope this show proves to be a flop (doubtful as gullable public will probabluy flock...) to teach David Ian that you cannot just put a show on TV to find your leads and sell lots of tickets and don't care about how you actually treat the show and stage it. At least Webber put money and thought into the show as whole - the whole Grease thing from its TV show to now stage just seems very cheap, bland, rushed and just a poor excuse to milk it for its worth and just make more money. We all now the business is about making money - but c'mon at least put some heart into it. A disgrace.

[Ian]

Seems that Bill Kenwright may have lost his leadership in the cheapness stakes in favour of David Ian

[josh]

I cannot describe how much I enjoyed reading all those bad reviews for Grease. Does this make me a bad person?!

No. I think many of us felt the same

[bananafrit]

One of the funniest was in the Metro which gave it 4 stars then slagged it off..... and compared it to 'Andrew Lloyd Webber's tale of singing nuns...' ...... the last time I check ALW didn't write Sound of Music!

[richmansfrug]

My first live experience of Grease was the 1993 production that opened at the Dominion with Craigh Maclachlan and Debbie Gibson. For anyone then who may have slated the show I have to say that I thought it was an excellent production with some fantatsic people. However I don't feel that this latest offering comes close to what was presented 14 years ago.

The show then had chemistry, sex appeal, comedy and just a spark that made it a fantastic night out even though it was far from Shakespeare. Grease is Grease and they got it so right back then.

Now the show is small, unimaginative (since they've made no changes) and isn't cast as well.

Having said all this I did still enjoy the show very much but not on the same level. Had I nothing to compare it to either I'm sure it would have been even better and the show still entertained me a lot but not as much as it had done in the past.

I was very surprised with Danny Bayne and Susan MacFadden. I thought they sang very well and there voices blended well and had a nice tone. I found the T-birds a little bit characatured but they had lots of energy and commited to their performances. Where as in 93, and several casts onwards, the characters were much more clearly defined by the actors these guys didn't really identify themsevles as strongly. The one who stood out for me was Rizzo who sang "there are worse things I can do" with real gusto. Sally Anne Triplett was a perfect Rizzo but the current girl came a very close second for me.
I also thought Patty Simcox was very good and very nice to watch on stage. She really deserves a bigger part but hopefully she'll get to go on as Sandy.

I thought some of the choreography was very camp especially the shower bit in "Magic Changes" and I don't remember it being like that. It was a bit embarassing to be honest! The one part where the show can be totally camp is in "Teen Angel" and this just didn't deliver for me. The "angels" who were once graceful really hit the choreography and there was a bit too much energy for the number IMO.

Anyway all things aside the production for me didn't live up to the "original" but I still really enjoyed the show and it was a fun night out if you're not expecting too much. I wouldn't say it was a pile of rubbish though like some people and it is what it is at the end of the day.

[June]

The one and only time I saw Grease was at the Mayflower in Southampton with Ian Kelsey as Danny. If you can't remember who he is, he played Dave Glover in Emmerdale, was in Casualty as a grumpy doctor, and is currently (if it is still current) in Blue Murder. He was surprisingly good as I didn't know he could sing and dance.