If the film had glamour, the smash hit stage show had grit. This production, directed by the impressive Nikolai Foster, has a bit of both, but it is refreshing to hear all the original songs, some rarely heard now, played in their original order. Some of the dialogue seems stilted, not to say dated, and the pace has its slo-mo moments.
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Nikolai Foster’s production is brightly entertaining and blasts out room-filling energy. But there’s little draw in the central love story as Danny and Sandy barely have anything to do with each other. Individually, Olivia Moore as Sandy delivers a show-stopping Hopelessly Devoted to You, and Dan Partridge’s Danny nails that jumpy swagger that Travolta did so well.
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Andre is absolutely not an actor ... [and] his light, melodious pop tones have absolutely none of the bass needed to tackle the various ’50s-style ballads and rock ’n’ roll songs sent his way. [It] isn’t totally successful. But it’s not a dud either.
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The romantic “plot” ... is scoffably slight. Yet ... the show has secured its staying power. Compared with John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, alas, the tingle-factor of pure chemistry is lacking. The evening succeeds because it abounds with infectious, unfaked delight.
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Grim is the word. This version of the beloved 50s-set high school musical has a hard carapace of professionalism but underneath it’s colourless, charmless, and emptily energetic.
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Peter Andre, if vocally underpowered, is surprisingly good fun as the Elvis-aping DJ and fantasy Teen Angel. But then that’s the core issue with this production, which feels caught between sombre realism and full-throttle, sugar-rush escapism.
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Grease’s hopeless devotees will not be disappointed. The central girl-meets-boy high-school love story remains intact. But the truly affecting moments come with Foster’s considered directorial choices. Though the humour in this production ... could be cranked up a notch or two, this is a good night out.
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Foster's fast-moving production makes a convincing case for the grittier elements of Jacobs and Casey's script, and doesn't shy away from tackling the now-problematic sexual politics head on. This is a thunderously good evening out.
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