List the last 10 things you saw at the theatre in order:

1. Betwixt
2. Grease
3. Take That Progress Tour Live
4. Legally Blonde
5. Michael Bruce Acoustic Sessions
6. Girlfriends
7. West End Live
8. Belongings
9. She Loves Me
10. Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert

Who was the best performer in number one (Betwixt!)?

That has to be the awesome Steven Webb. He was funny and completely owned the stage every time he was on it. Vocally, it would have to be Ashleigh Gray.

Why did you go to see number two (Grease)?
I went to see Grease because I was impressed with some of the casting. It surely isn’t my favourite musical but I thought I’d give it another go. Ricky Rojas was superb!

Can you remember a line/lyric from number three (Take That Progress Live 2011) that you liked?
Having a concert is a bit of a cheat, but Take That’s concerts are very theatrical. I love the lyric “You light up the skies up above me, a star so bright you blind me.”

What would you give number four (Legally Blonde) out of ten?
I would give it 9 out of 10. I was very impressed with Susan McFadden as Elle. It’s a shame she is now no longer in the role.

Was there someone hot in number five (Michael Bruce Acoustic Sessions)?
Not my type really but Michael Bruce is cute!

What was number six (Girlfriends) about?
Girlfriends is about two friends that fall for the same man.

Who was your favourite actor in number seven (West End Live 2011)?
Another bit of a cheat adding West End Live here, but it is a theatrical event! I particularly enjoyed Rachel Tucker singing Defying Gravity.

What was your favourite bit in number eight (Belongings)?
It’s hard to pick a favourite bit in Belongings as it was actually quite disturbing and it would feel wrong to say I had a favourite bit of that!

Would you see number nine (She Loves Me) again?
Definitely. It was a fun piece of theatre well acted/directed.

What was the worst thing about number ten (Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert)?
Although it’s not my favourite show, I didn’t think there was anything bad about the performance I saw.

Which was best?
Hard to pinpoint as they all had their highlights. I think  it would have to be Betwixt though. Weird and wonderful.

Which was worst?
Hard because I haven’t seen any shockers really, but my least favourite was probably Grease.

Did any make you cry?
No.

Did any make you laugh?
Betwixt and Legally Blonde.

Which roles would you like to play in any of them?
Elle Woods!

Which one did you have best seats for?
Girlfriends. Was nice to be in the front row and not feel too close.

Grease The Musical is touring the UK this year having recently finished its West End run. It is the original High School musical featuring all of the hits from the film including ‘Summer Nights’ , ‘Grease Is The Word’, ‘Greased Lightnin” ‘You’re The One That I Want’ and many more. I admit, in the past I haven’t been a huge fan of Grease, but decided to give it another go based on some of the very talented cast involved in this particular production.

The show begins with introducing the band as they play the overture. I quite liked this touch, it built the atmosphere nicely.

Danny Bayne (winner of ITV’s Grease Is The Word) returns as Danny. He plays the part like he is imitating John Travolta which is a shame, as it would’ve been nice to see a fresh take on Danny Zuko. Danny certainly played up the comedy side of the role. At times it felt like he was playing to the audience rather than the characters on stage. His vocals were okay, although they lacked some depth in some of the numbers.  Danny did have some good comic moments and can certainly move. This is what was the strongest part of his performance.

Carina Gillespie played Sandy. I enjoyed Carina’s interpretation, she was very sweet and had a powerful voice and her accent didn’t sound as forced as some other characters. Her chemistry with Danny was believable.

The talented Ricky Rojas is perfect as Kenickie. He can move, act and sing. His performance of ‘Greased Lightnin” was incredible. He over-powered those singing with him in the number. Derek Andrews as Roger was incredibly funny and had great chemistry with Laura Wilson’s Jan. Josh Dever as Sonny was also great to watch. One of the stars of the T- Birds was Richard Vincent. I really enjoyed watching him and was particularly impressed with his voice during ‘Those Magic Changes’ and ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Party Queen’.

The Pink Ladies- Kate Somerset How (Rizzo), Lauren Stroud (Frenchy), Laura Wilson (Jan), Lois Urwin (Marty) were also very strong. I particularly enjoyed Kate’s performance. She played Rizzo brilliantly. Her character was suitably bitchy. Her voice is beautiful especially during ‘There Are Worse Things I Could Do’.  Lauren Stroud really caught my attention as Frenchy. She is incredibly charismatic.

Robin Cousins played Teen Angel. I have to say I was very surprised by his voice. He could sing- not something that I was expecting.

Sammy Kelly nailed the role of Patty and Darren John was very endearing as Eugene. Sophie Zucchini danced well as Cha Cha and was wonderfully feisty.  Jason Capewell did well with such as limited role as Vince Fontaine.  Nancy Hill was decent enough as Miss Lynch, it is not really a role that can show off a performer.

Supporting these roles are some brilliant dancers including Alice Mogg, Olivia Fines, Holly Adams, Tarryn Gee, Llandyll Gove, Matt Crandon, Albey Brookes, Matthew Jeans and Natalie Marie Dignam  performing great choreography by Arlene Phillips.

I was surprised I enjoyed the show as much as I did, considering that I didn’t enjoy it last time I saw it. I think it was helped by the fact that the cast includes so many great talents. I also think if you take the show for what it is, good cheesy fun with some classic hits, you have a much better time!

When?

Last night at the majestic Bradford Alhambra, ‘Grease’ was the word. Another word, ‘cheese’, would also substitute nicely, summing up both my opening line and a couple of hours of pure musical theatre fluff at Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey’s classic Broadway hit, a show which remains as popular today as it has ever been.

This tour, fresh from the West End, is yet another minor re-working of David Gilmore’s West End production from way back in 1993. The production boasts a very sizeable cast and the show certainly looks the part; the aesthetics of this production are the solid ground on which its lasting success has been built. Terry Parsons’ tiered neon set and Gilmore’s zippy direction have a slick, polished and sugary feel to them – as if everything has been covered in icing. The cracking band are very impressive and their playing is tight and chipper throughout. This is very much a ‘nice’ Grease in the same child-friendly ilk as the ever-popular movie; the spiky edges of Grease have been a long time blunted.

Sadly, the high quality of the production wasn’t carried over to the casting which is, to put it very kindly, on the lax side. The cast is led by talent show winner Danny Bayne, who performs alongside Carina Gillespie as Danny and Sandy respectively.  Bayne plays the role to extremes, he is almost a hammier, more hyperactive and strange incarnation of John Travolta (if such a thing were possible), he almost never stops gurning, fidgeting and giving knowing winks and smiles to the audience, just in case we didn’t get the idea that he is in on the joke. His vocals are often flat and performed comically intentionally, at least part of the time this is to disguise occasions when he genuinely struggles vocally. Bayne does have some good comic timing on occasion and his dancing is where he truly excels; he would certainly make a good dancer in the context of a smaller cog in a bigger machine, but this was sadly a little too much for him. Similarly, as Sandy, Gillespie gives a ropey impersonation of Olivia Newton John, the soundalike attempt being taken to new levels with an ear-ringingly shrill “Hopelessly Devoted to You”.

Scenes ranged from the enjoyable “Those Magic Changes”, to the rocking “Greased Lightning”, to the to-the-millisecond tight and catchy “We Go Together”. The clearly very well rehearsed production numbers stood out, particularly the latter showing off Arlene Phillips’ sprightly choreography best of all. Some numbers felt decidedly less polished; “You’re the One That I Want” was frankly a mess both visually and aurally and remained the one occasion when the generous use of click tracks throughout the show had gone a bit too far.

The rest of the cast certainly look closer to their thirties than their teens*; none more so than stunt casted Robin Cousins MBE (Teen Angel) who actually seems to give the best performance of the night in his cameo number without even trying, summing up how disappointing the cast were generally. Elsewhere, Ricky Rojas does have an impressive set of chops as Kenickie, and Sophie Zucchini danced well as Cha Cha when given her chance, but this was certainly a show where the production was the star.

The partial standing ovation was inevitable; I don’t think there was a single person in the theatre who hadn’t already seen the show or the movie. I think it is fair to say that the ones who remained seated were average Joe Theatregoer. Did it earn such an ovation? Well, I think many would have risen to their feet if a monkey in an Elvis wig had taken a curtain call. Many of the best productions I have witnessed have not had standing ovations, yet every popular musical does, which speaks volumes.

Grease is one of those shows that is going to be with us for the rest of our lives on and off; this tour is far from perfect, but if you love the film you will be singing and clapping along from the off.

Grease is playing at the Alhambra until Saturday 25th June.

- Harry Zing
Chewingthescenery.com

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Notes

*This is even more strange than it may seem; long have touring productions had the reputation of casting fresh young drama school graduates for budgetary reasons, yet the cast of Grease are actually surprisingly experienced – to the detriment of the aesthetic believability. Derek Andrews, I noted, has just finished understudying the Phantom in the original cast of Love Never Dies, and here he is made to sing a song called ‘Mooning’ about a teenage boy who likes to display his bottom in public.. acting is a strange old game!

After finishing its West End run at the end of April, Grease is touring the UK once more and I went to see it on Saturday. I’m not the biggest fan of the musical, but it’s enjoyable enough and you know exactly what you’re getting. The last time I saw it at the Piccadilly Theatre I was less than impressed though, mainly because I found the cast rather weak, but I decided to give it a go again anyway.

The two leads are played by Danny Bayne and Carina Gillespie. Danny played the part before in London after winning a television competition, but I wasn’t really impressed by him. He did everything Danny Zuko is supposed to do, he’s got a nice enough voice, he looks the part, but I found him lacking stage presence and charisma.

Carina, however, made a very good Sandy. She’s got a nice voice and I liked her Hopelessly Devoted To You. I often get bored with that song, because I’ve simply heard it too often, but I enjoyed her singing it.

Lauren Stroud (Frenchy), Laura Wilson (Jan) , Lois Unwin (Marty) and Kate Somerset How (Rizzo) are the Pink Ladies. Kate has a very strong voice, but I found myself watching Lauren Stroud a lot. There was something about her performance that made her stand out from the others, in a good way!

The T-Birds, Ricky Rojas (Kenickie), Richard Vincent (Doody), Derek Andrews (Roger) and Josh Dever (Sonny) were good, too, though they all looked far too old for their parts (though still younger than some of the London cast I saw), apart from Richard Vincent. Nevertheless, Ricky has got a great voice, so has Derek, and I loved their Greased Lightning and Mooning. Standout for me, however, was Richard Vincent’s Doody. He’s got a very pleasant voice and his Those Magic Changes was great, as was Rock ‘n’ Roll Party Queen, which he sang with Derek. Great stage presence and definitely one to watch out for in the future!

Robin Cousins was good as Teen Angel, but it’s not really a part I pay much attention to, I’m afraid.

The rest of the cast are Jason Capewell (Vince Fountain – good, but again, I don’t really pay much attention to him, there’s just too much happening on stage then), Darren John (Eugene), Sammy Kelly (Patty), Nancy Hill (Miss Lynch) and Sophie Zucchine (Cha Cha).

The ensemble, Tyman Boatwright, Albey Brookes, Matt Crandon, Llandyll Gove, Matthew Jeans, Holly Adams, Natalie Marie Dignam, Olivia Fines, Tarryn Gee and Alice Mogg were very energetic and great dancers.

I’m glad I saw it and I definitely prefer this cast, but as I said, most of them looked too old, but I wouldn’t mind seeing it again when it comes back down south.

The next show into the Shaftesbury is Flashdance. Victoria Hamilton-Barritt and Matt Willis will be leading the cast, Victoria previously performed in the UK tour. Haven’t heard Matt Willis sing for a very long time, so who knows how he’ll be?  Other performers include Burn The Floor’s Ricky Rojas and the fab Twinnie Lee Moore and many many more!  I am quite excited about this cast, it wasn’t one I was racing to go and see but I may just have to check it out sooner than I thought.

I went to see Burn The Floor, at the Shaftesbury Theatre on Monday.

Burn The Floor is a show full of ballroom dance. Packed to the brim with the Cha Cha, Viennese Waltz, Foxtrot, Swing, Rumba, Samba, Waltz, Salsa, Tango, Paso Doble and the Jive.

I thought it was a fantastic show, with great dancing and superb vocals particularly from Ricky Rojas, although a noteable mention has to be given to Rebecca Tapia, who has a phenomenal powerhouse voice.

Ali Bastian and Brian Fortuna are the ‘stars’ of the show, but really, aren’t in the show long enough in my opinion, to constitute top billing. I do like Ali and Brian, but felt they should be in it much more. That said, when they were on stage they were very good.

The rest of the cast were fantastic, talented, energetic and charismatic dancers. Well worth checking out in its limited run before Flashdance.