REVIEW: Grease at the Theatre Royal Brighton

According to the well known title song of the film, Grease is the word, but for me, the word is fabulous. A fabulous show performed by a fabulous cast.
Grease is on at the Theatre Royal Brighton until December 31. Picture Paul Coltas.Grease is on at the Theatre Royal Brighton until December 31. Picture Paul Coltas.
Grease is on at the Theatre Royal Brighton until December 31. Picture Paul Coltas.

The musical, which started its run as this year’s Christmas performance at the Theatre Royal in Brighton on Monday, was every bit as good as I was hoping it would be.

I’m a bit of a connoisseur, having seen the show on stage three times already and the film too many times to count, so I had high expectations.

But I wasn’t disappointed.

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This version of the stage show, which was made into an iconic 1978 movie starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, stays true enough to the original so as not to irritate true fans, but mixes things up just a little so as to offer something different.

The main change is that some of the songs come in a different order to how they appear in the film, but it actually worked perfectly, so as to tie in better with set changes.

The role of Danny is played by Tom Parker, who rose to fame in boyband The Wanted. I didn’t know much about him previously, but his first venture onto the stage was pretty successful.

But for me, the show was stolen by Danielle Hope, who played Sandy. No stranger to the stage, she won the BBC’s hit show Over the Rainbow resulting in her playing Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz in the West End. Her voice was strong and clear, and she was just the right amount of sweet to make a perfect Sandy.

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Also starring is Louise Lytton, who played Ruby in Eastenders. Her Rizzo was feisty and added a bit of sass to proceedings.

And, of course, the headliners were ably assisted by a strong cast of T Birds and Pink Ladies.

So, if you’re looking for a fun night of family-friendly entertainment this Christmas, then you know where to go.

To book tickets, see the website