Grease The Musical at The Hawth Crawley Review
Reviewed by Louise Watts
Many people (myself included) have always believed that Grease the Musical came from the 1978 iconic film “Grease” starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. What I didn’t realise was that the film was actually based on the stage show “Grease” which was first shown in Chicago in February 1971. That means that the wonder that we all know as Grease is now almost 50 years old!
In 1993, a new stage production opened at the Dominion theatre, London and Grease the Musical was launched! I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to see it several times during my care free student days in the late 1990’s and anxiously waited at the stage door after the performance to meet Craig McLachlan. Fast forward 20 years and here I was sitting in The Hawth theatre in Crawley, yesterday evening (6 November 2017) ready to experience this wonderful musical all over again.
The theatre was full, and you could feel the buzz and excitement as people waited for the show to start. The stage looked amazing with the Grease logo all lit up. The show opened with a compilation of music played by the band who were seated on stage on a raised platform. It was a lovely start to the show to meet the band first and I thought it was wonderful to see them on stage. Danny and Sandy then opened the singing with “Sandy” and then the whole company launched into “Grease is the word” … this wonderful show had started!!
Sandy was played by the beautiful Danielle Hope. Danielle has many theatre and TV credits to her name but is probably best known as the talented young lady who won the starring role of Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium by beating over 9000 other girls to be the winner of the BBC’s smash hit “Over the Rainbow”.
Danielle played the part of Sandy to perfection. Her voice was superb and her rendition of “Hopelessly Devoted to You” had me feeling weak at the knees. And when Sandy made her transition at the end of the show she looked absolutely beautiful!
The handsome Tom Parker, best known from his days in “The Wanted” played Danny. He had all the ladies swooning over him with his youthful good looks and amazing charisma. His voice was strong and impressive and his acting spot on, making both him and Danielle a delight to watch.
The story of Grease is based on the plain Sandy meeting the trendy Danny over the summer vacation and going their separate ways only to find that they are attending the same school when the next semester starts. Danny refuses to accept Sandy and plays their relationship down to his friends until eventually Sandy undergoes this incredible transition from plain Sandy to sexy Sandy! Four of Sandy’s friends and four of Danny’s friends are also in the story along with several other characters and the trials and tribulations of teenage years are experienced by all, especially Kenicke and Rizzo. Rizzo is the troublesome girl who has a bit of a reputation but really just wants to feel valued and loved. The lovely Louisa Lytton, aka Ruby Allen in EastEnders, had the pleasure of playing this part and has every reason to be proud of her performance. The role of Kenickie was played by the understudy in this performance. Michael Cortez usually plays the part of Sonny but on this occasion, was Kenickie. I would never have guessed that this was not his usual role as his performance was faultless, as was the performance of Sonny by Rory Phelan. I actually enjoy watching the understudies perform as it is lovely to see their passion for the role coming through.
The show was fast paced and upbeat from the minute it opened. The costumes and set were very impressive especially Kenickie’s car “Greased Lightning”. The lighting was an integral part of the delivery of the show and was bright and captivating.
The songs are brilliant, my favourite being “Those Magic Changes” delivered by the amazing Ryan Heenan as Doody and “Mooning” sung by the brilliant Oliver Jacobson as Roger and Rosanna Harris as Jan. These have always been my favourites ever since the first time I saw the musical in 1998 and that was confirmed yesterday evening.
The running time was a little over 2 hours including a 20-minute interval, which if I am honest went far too quickly. I could have watched it all over again as soon as it had finished. During the interval there was plenty of time to get a drink or a snack from one of the bars available at The Hawth. The staff are always approachable and happy to help. Car parking is easy and free which is always a bonus!
I would have no hesitation to recommend this show to everybody. It is light-hearted but fast paced. An absolute delight from the minute it started. A real feel good show from start to finish.
Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost from £39 to £44 (booking fees may apply).
Grease the musical is at The Hawth in Crawley from 6-11 November 2017, for more information or to book tickets visit hawth.co.uk or call the box office on 01293 553636.
The Hawth, Hawth Avenue, Crawley, Sussex, RH10 6YZ | 01293 553636
