© ATG
The smash hit musical Grease is at the Liverpool Empire Theatre as The Pink Ladies and the T-Birds return to Rydell High School.
Danny and Sandy are reunited but not all is smooth sailing for the love struck pair. Danny is determined to prove to Sandy what she means to him after he embarrassed her in front of his ‘cool’ friends before the big prom and graduation.
The young cast have a lot of energy and choreographer Lauren Taylor takes full advantage of their enthusiasm. Grace Galloway presents the moody Rizzo well, giving a strong presence through beautifully sung songs including hits, “Look at me, I’m Sandra Dee” and “There are worse things I could do”.
The strongest performance comes from Daniel Greenwood for geeky Eugene. Continuously gaining laughs, the loveable outcast provides the best performance of the show including his comical version of “Beauty School Dropout”.
There were a few moments on the night I attended, where the lighting and smoky stage effects meant that the actors were hard to see and the microphones faced issues as on a few occasions the actors could not be heard.
Bridie Flanagan plays Sandy but sadly, the actress cannot be seen for the majority of scenes including the prom, leaving Rizzo to take the lead.
Callum Cavanagh is good as the cheeky Danny Zuko but does not deliver as vocally strong as some other characters such as Daniel Greenwood as Eugene. Sarah Dickson’s representation of the strict Miss Lynch demands attention with an impressive powerful voice and presence.
The audience loved the character of Eugene who definitely gained the highest laughs and the traditional songs gained a good reaction from Grease enthusiasts and technical problems aside, it’s very entertaining.
– Emma Rhodes
