Grease was always supposed to be about an age of innocence tinged with sexual awakening, a paean to first love and first cigarettes, Cadillac cars and dance night in the school gym. Once upon a time in the West End, this seemed like a good idea; Richard Gere was the first, very good, UK Danny at the New London in 1973 (Elaine Paige had a small role).
Somehow, with the passing years and the iconic elevation of the very bad 1978 movie starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton- John, the fun has been squeezed out of it, and any residual charm in Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey’s ersatz rock and roll musical flattened in a rush to the finale of selected highlights.
As at the opening of this production by David Gilmore in 1993, I feel defeated by decibel levels and churlish with disappointment. The amplification has a tinny, invasive quality that’s the enemy of musical enjoyment, and when things quieten down a bit in the second act – you can actually hear some good rhythm guitar in “Sandy” at the drive-in movie – the songs are less good than the frantic ones.
For those who could bear to watch the entertainment abomination that was Grease Is the Word on ITV earlier this year, a verdict is required on the performances of 19 year-old Danny Bayne as Danny Zuko and 24 year-old Susan McFadden (sister of Brian McFadden, the Westlife pop singer) as Sandy Dumbrowski. That verdict is mixed. It’s impossible to isolate acting talent, or even personality impact, in the first half because the entire cast is encouraged to squeal, squawk, face-pull and cackle like a cage full of angry baboons in the zoo. No one bears even a passing resemblance to a human being.
But as Arlene Phillips’ whiplash musical staging (re-created by Stori James) kicks in, you can see that Bayne does indeed have a powerful stage presence and his command of the moves is total (it turns out he’s been British champion in hip-hop, freestyle and Latin American dance for years). McFadden’s Sandy, however, remains a dumb cluck even when she dons the black leotard and says goodbye to the wholesome image of Sandra Dee that has hampered her pulling progress. She’s sweet enough, but nothing special, and her singing lacks depth or resonance.
Terry Parsons’ design remains as colourful as it was, though the floating Cadillacs have gone and the sun shines with far less golden intensity on the bleachers. Thin strips of red neon light make a good design link between the local DJ’s recording studio and the high school, where everyone seems to be about 35 years old.
Jayde Westaby makes a mark as the suddenly pregnant Rizzo and Charlie Cameron is a prettily pneumatic Marti. Siobhan Dillon, one of the best of the runners-up in the BBC search for Maria programme, whom Grease co-producer David Ian slobbered over in the adjudications, is rather hidden away as Patty but will surely have a second chance in the near future.
- Michael Coveney
Reader Reviews
Score
Comment
Date
This is the 2nd time i have seen Grease, i think its brilliant and Danny and Susan are the best Danny & Sandy! I sa in stalls row cc 15& 16 and had a great view. - Davina
16 Jun 08
I loved this show!! had a great view from the stalls in d row. danny bayne and susan mcfadden were brilliant as the leads and loved the part of patty by siobhan dillon. The dancing was electrifing and wanted 2 make u get up and join the cast. hopefully gonna go see it again. cast were friendly when went backstage and got some photos which added to the whole expereince. My favourite had 2 be siobhan was very friendly and so pretty. a must see. ull go home singing no doubt. - jennie
04 May 08
Sat in Stalls on row L on 20th Feb 08. Good seat. Really enjoyed the show as went with mixed expectations. Was so irritated as one of the cast members I recognised but for the life of me couldn't think where - as I occasionally catch a glimpse of such things as The Bill, Corronation Street, Eastenders - was he from there?? I checked the website on my return home and it was him off Price Drop TV!!! I bought an "orginal" peice of jewellery from there when he was on reduced from £369.99 to £2.59 plus £15.99 postage - awesome. Seriously he was very good but voice rather unusual when singing. The leads were excellent apart from Sandy looking like she had been pressed and squeezed to get into those lycras at the end hardly Olivia Newton John type viewing- bring back the figure of Denise Van Outen!! The dancing and all voices were spot. The only thing that really irritade me and always does was the clapping and yapping of women mainly with young kids with them. They really should stick to pantomimes. Thought the woman in front of me was about to throw all her popcorn and huge bag of minstrells into the air and do a jive dance, but she managed to restarin herself throughout. PS. Don't mean to offend any of you larger ladies with the lycra remark!! - Dave Woolrich.
23 Feb 08
Reality TV brought us Connie Fisher and Lee Mead but also this shoddy revival featuring two of the weakest leading performances I have had the misfortune to see. Danny Bayne can dance but has no charisma and cannot sing to save his life. Susan McFadden has almost no acting ability but at least sang reasonably well until going disastrously out of tune on her main ballad. The show reminds me of its' perma-tanned producers: all flash and no substance and utterly cynical - many songs sounded suspiciously enhanced by pre-recorded tapes. Two stars just because Vince / Teen Angel rose above the mediocrity and the cast, who otherwise appeared to be going through the motions, managed to rouse themselves for a genuinely entertaining 'We Go Together' to close the first half. Also the band was loud enough to drown out the incessant noise from the audience. Perhaps those who throw their money at this will also go to see Hairspray and see just how good a musical of this type can be. - David Baxter
17 Feb 08
The actual show was better than I expected, although not great. What really made the show for me was Siobhan Dillon as Sandy! She was absolutely amazing, with incredible singing and acting that was so believable and had so much depth. She certainly deserves to be more than an understudy! - theatrefan
13 Feb 08
fun, fun, FUN ! Thought this was fab (although a bit loud in parts - my 7 year old nearly levitated at the start of Greased Lightning !). Danny and Susan are great as are the supporting cast, especially the boys, and the sets very clever. A great fun night out but take your earplugs!!! - Mila
23 Sep 07
Well, 3.5 really! The words you couldn't possibly use for this production of Grease include subtle and restrained. It's brash, loud, cheesy, coarse and a bit tacky. BUT it's hard to resist the energy and colourfulness and both the TV-cast leads are worthy of their selection, especially Danny whose is a superb dancer but also a good singer and an OK actor. Harmless fun. - Gareth James
20 Sep 07
I've seen the show twice now and think it's brilliant. Susan didn't play Sandy last night due to a croaky voice and Siobhan (usually plays Patti) took the lead (told 10 minutes before the show opened). Danny B is absolutely fantastic and what a super dancer. I met him after the show and got his autograph - what a nice young man! Susan was better as the part of Sandy -came across more innocent. The shower scene was funny and the cast overall were great. I would go again. - Sue Morley
11 Sep 07
Brilliant! Everybody I went with enjoyed it very much. Of course it's just pure enterteinment, nothing intellectual,simply great fun. Of course some morons will object to people having a good time, but that's their problem, they are obviously deluded as they think they are superior to anybody else. Anyway, some of the reviews for the movie were terrible when it was released, but still became a great hit and today it's a classic. So the public is always right. - Serena
31 Aug 07
Dire. Anyone who enjoyed it is either a moron, deluded, or connected to the show. - sarah
30 Aug 07
Overall the show was really great and kept us very entertained. However some of these tenagers looked a bit elderly to me, like Kenickie or Rizzo. Danny and sandy couldn't be better. Their vocals were absolutely brilliant. And the songs are, of course, fantastic. And thank you Mr Ian for the day seats policy, £20 front row, It can't get any better. - Lana
23 Aug 07
Whatsonstagers did you see the same show as I did, lacking a hint of subtlety, acting ability or originality from the earlier London production. Bring back Shane Ritchie, words I never thought I'd use! - Martin B
21 Aug 07
I thought the show was excellent, danny and susan were brilliant. it was good entertainment and i'd love to watch it again.
Danny and susan should be proud of their hard work. - Davina
21 Aug 07
I don't know why people are slating this show. It is the best musical i have evr seen (and trust me I've seen a few!) Danny and Susan are wicked as Danny and Sandy and all the other characters are brilliant too. The Shower scene has to be the best though!!! Seen it twice already and am gunna book for my 3rd time soon!!!! Fair play to Danny and Susan and the rest of the cast, you should be proud of yourselves, don't listen to dumb critics giving you bad reviews ! - Trixi
17 Aug 07
Went on opening night 8th August and what a night! Great show full of life all the cast seemed to gel really well, but my favorite was Eugene (Tim Newman)he put everything into his performance. Will be going again! Well done to everyone - sue
14 Aug 07
Enjoyed the show, impossible not to if only for the old favourite 'Grease' songs. Danny B is a great dancer and in time I'm sure will acquire that stage presence which is needed. Susan M does ok as Sandy, a little lacking in personality. Not sure that either of them are the greatest leading actors/dancers I have seen and doubt they would have made it without the reality show, but they did ok. Some cast appeared a little to senior for the roles they were playing. - Toni
12 Aug 07
Enjoyed the show, impossible not to if only for the old favourite 'Grease' songs. Danny B is a great dancer and in time I'm sure will acquire that stage presence which is needed. Susan M does ok as Sandy, a little lacking in personality. Not sure that either of them are the greatest leading actors/dancers I have seen and doubt they would have made it without the reality show, but they did ok. Some cast appeared a little to senior for the roles they were playing. - Toni
12 Aug 07
Overall the show was really fantastic and kept us all very entertained. The Pink Ladys were all spot on and couldn't be better or funnier. Danny B makes a brilliant Danny, Susan M does also great as Sandy and their vocals were both superb. Great entertainment if you want to hear quality singing and watch brilliant dancing. - Lee
09 Aug 07
Oh...dear. Dire - mizz
09 Aug 07
Enjoyed it but Grease sign at start was too bright!I liked Rizzo and thought a couple of lads had better voices than Danny.But entertaining and they all seemed to enjoy what they were doing. - Carolyn
06 Aug 07
This production is exactly the same as the one in the West End 10 years ago (and on tour up until last year - even has the same Musical Director) so am not sure the point of reopening. The best part of the show is Danny - he is sure to be a star and is an exceptional dancer. Siobhan Dillon also shines as Patty, but the rest of the characters lack that special something, especially Kenickie (too old) and Rizzo (not enough attitude). Probably worth a night out if you were a fan of the film but if you've seen the stage show before, don't expect any surprises. - Moira MIllar
03 Aug 07
Overall the show was really good and kept us entertained. However the start was strange as it began with the band playing a mix of all of the songs and the ending was unclear as it went straight into the encore. The actresses for Frenchie and Rizzo were spot on and couldn't be better. Danny B makes a better Danny than Susan does as Sandy but their vocals were both brilliant. Good if you want to go to hear quality singing and if you care little for the actual plot. - Lucy
02 Aug 07
It looks great considering they are in previews. The 2 leads are brilliant but I would recast Kenickie and Rizzo as they both look quite old compared to the others. Very energetic cast, great fun. Hats off to the producers for donating £1 per ticket sold to MacMillan Cancer Research. More producers should follow their example. - Patricia
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