Quantcast

Danny Bayne
Danny Bayne

Grease Is the Word Winner Bayne Returns as Zuko

Date: 6 July 2011

The smash hit musical Grease, which ended its West End run recently, is currently touring the UK. Grease returned to London on 25 July 2007 (with a press night on 8th August) and since its premiere the feel-good audience favourite has played over 1,300 performances and has been seen by over 1¼million theatregoers at the Piccadilly Theatre, where it is the longest running show in the venue’s history. Grease closed on 30 April 2011 after nearly four electrifyin’ years in the West End and immediately began a national tour opening at the Edinburgh Playhouse on 6 May 2011. The tour arrives in Manchester in September.

The show stars Danny Bayne - (the overall winner of the hit show Grease Is The Word) as leader of the T Birds gang - the iconic role of Danny. He stars opposite Carina Gillespie who recently starred in Buddy on tour. The couple follow in the footsteps of screen idols John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John who famously played the roles of ‘Danny’ and ‘Sandy’ in the hit 1978 movie.

The class of Rydell High 2010 also includes Kate Sumerset How (Rizzo), Derek Andrews (Roger), Laura Wilson (Jan),  Lauren Stroud (Frenchy), Josh Dever (Sonny), Lois Urwin (Marty), and Darren John (Eugene).

Since breaking out on Broadway in 1972, Grease’s place has been firmly established in the cultural Hall of Fame, having seduced the hearts of millions with its back-to-back sizzling tunes. The show features all the unforgettable songs from the hit film including "You’re The One That I Want", "Grease Is The Word", "Summer Nights", "Hopelessly Devoted to You", "Sandy", "Greased Lightnin’" and many more.

Voted the “No1 Greatest Musical”*, Grease has proved that a musical love story, bursting with denim, cheerleaders, slick hairstyles, rock’n’roll, teenage angst and young romance is timeless and universal.

This production originally opened in the West End in 1993 (co-produced with Robert Stigwood) where it enjoyed a fantastic run of 6 years.  The last international tour of Grease was a phenomenal success, playing to sell-out audiences and smashing records at many venues. Since 1993 the show has been seen by audiences totalling over 10 million people in the UK alone. A second production has just played in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Auckland, and opens in Hong Kong in October.

Written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, directed by David Gilmore (Daisy Pulls It Off, Happy Days, Song & DanceFootloose) and choreographed by Arlene Phillips (Starlight Express, Saturday Night Fever, Flashdance The Musical & BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing), Grease is currently produced by Paul Nicholas and David Ian, by arrangement with Robert Stigwood.

Grease is at the Palace Theatre, Manchester from 16 September - 8 October, 2011. In Liverpool the part of Danny will be played by former X Factor contestant and star of Dirty Dancing - Ray Quinn from 8 - 19 November at the Empire.

- by Glenn Meads

Related Content

Internal Links
Legally Blonde Starts Tour in Liverpool, Grease - 15th Mar 2011 News
Grease Tours to Palace, Sept - 30th Dec 2010 News


Back to Northwest Homepage



Write a Comment
Give us your opinion on this entry
Comment:
Name:
Required, will appear on website
Email:
Required, will not appear on website
Confirm: Please type in
Please enter this number > SEVENTY-EIGHT < Just the two digits only, without any spaces.

Free Newsletter

Subscribe to our free newsletter


Featured Video

Twitter

Featured Editor's Picks

Jonathan Coy, Felicity Kendal, Kara Tointon & Max Bennett. Photo: Dan Wooller1st Night Photos: Kimberley Walsh & Denise Van Outen toast Tointon in Relatively Speaking
Strictly Come Dancing stars Kimberley Walsh, Denise Van Outen and Artem Chigvintsev toasted former S...

Tom Hiddleston. Photo: Dan WoollerDonmar stages Nick Payne premiere, Wesker's Roots & Tom Hiddleston in Coriolanus
The Donmar Warehouse has announced its new season, which features the premiere of Nick Payne's new p...

Michael Coveney: Big Apple bites and Manhattan memories
You should always do new things in familiar cities. Over the past few days in New York, I walked a...

Kara Tointon. Photo: Nobby ClarkLive Tweeting: #WOSOuting to Kendal & Tointon in Relatively Speaking with Q&A
Tonight (21 May 2013) we're taking almost 140 Whatsonstage.com theatregoers to see Relatively Speaki...

Sealed with a kiss: <em>Spiderman<em>ATG acquires Broadway's largest theatre The Foxwoods, home of Spider-Man
In another significant step for transatlantic theatre relations, the UK’s biggest theatre ...

Video: Sheila Hancock shows wild side in Barking in Essex trailer
As this new trailer reveals, Sheila Hancock has had a dramatic TOWIE-style makeover for her forthcom...

Kara Tointon in Relatively Speaking Review Round-up: Critics convinced by Relatively Speaking?
Lindsay Posner's revival of Alan Ayckbourn's Relatively Speaking opened at the Wyndham's Theatre las...

Felicity Kendal. Photo: Nobby ClarkRelatively Speaking
starstarstarstar
Goodness knows why Alan Ayckbourn's debut success has had to wait 46 years for its first West End ...

Matilda on BroadwayMatilda on Broadway wins five Drama Desk Awards
The Broadway transfer of Matilda The Musical has won five gongs at the 58th Annual Drama Desk Awards...

Ripe for revival? The Pirate QueenTen of the Best: Theatre 'flops' ripe for reinvention
Defining a theatre 'flop' is no straightforward task. A general rule of thumb could be that it mak...
>> More Editor's Picks
>> Most Recent Stories
>> Most Popular Stories

Follow Us

Facebook Twitter Google Plus YouTube