Preview: Grease at Newcastle Theatre Royal

GREASE IS BACK AND IT’S SLICKER THAN EVER

Grease

Newcastle Theatre Royal

16-21 October 2017

Pull up your bobby socks and slick back your hair because the original high school musical Grease returns to Newcastle Theatre Royal this Autumn and it’s slicker, fresher and more star-studded than ever before! Play truant and make a date with the T-Birds and the Pink Ladies.

This new hit production of the timeless 70s musical stars Tom Parker (The Wanted) in his musical theatre debut as Danny Zuko, Danielle Hope (Over the Rainbow, winner) as Sandy and Louisa Lytton (Strictly Come Dancing, EastEnders) as Rizzo.

Since opening on Broadway in 1972 and going global in the smash hit movie starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in ‘78, Grease’s place has been firmly established in the musical Hall of Fame.  It has seduced millions with its iconic tunes and rebellious teenage characters - Sandy, Danny, the groovy T Birds, the sassy Pink Ladies and the gang at Rydell High. The new

production is once again bursting with all the songs from the hit movie including You’re The One That I Want, Grease Is The Word, Summer Nights, Hopelessly Devoted to You, Sandy, Greased Lightnin’ and many more.

The show that spawned a thousand spin-offs, Grease has proved that a musical love story, bursting with denim, cheerleaders, ponytails, rock’n’roll, 1950’s pop culture and an irresistible mix of teenage angst and young romance is timeless and universal.  Forty five years on it remainsthe ultimate feel-good, pick-me-up musical - an electrifying extravaganza, packed with fun, energy and vibrant physicality. The show is guaranteed to thrill and leave everyone hand-jiving the night away with “A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop, a wop-bam-boom!”

This award-winning production originally opened in the West End in 1993 where it enjoyed a hugely successful run of six years at the Dominion and Cambridge Theatres.  The show has since toured throughout the world playing to sell-out audiences and breaking box office records everywhere.  It has been seen by over 12 million people in the UK alone.

Photo: Paul Coltas

Completing the cast are Washington-born ensemble member Anna Murray, Tom Senior as Kenickie, Michael Cortez as Sonny, Oliver Jacobson as Roger, Ryan Heenan as Doody, Callum Evans as Eugene, Lauren Atkins as Marty, Rosanna Harris as Jan, Rhiannon Chesterman as Frenchy, Gabriella Williams as Patty and Ailsa Davidson as Lynch. The ensemble also includes Charlotte Coggin, Anthony Hughes, Alessia McDermott, Natasha Mould, George Olney, Rory Phelan and Grant Thresh.

Tom Parker has amassed worldwide success with his band The Wanted, achieving two UK number 1s and 9 top 10 singles as well as 4 Billboard 100 singles, with Glad You Came placing in the top 5 and selling over 900,000 records. The band have had three platinum albums, two sold out arena tours, and 3 million singles sold in America. Tom is also a winner of BBC Radio 1’s Teen Choice Award and US People’s Choice Award with The Wanted.

Danielle Hope made her professional debut as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium, after competing against over 9,000 girls to win the BBC's smash hit Over The Rainbow. She went on to star as Eponine in the West End production of Les Miserables (Queen's Theatre) - a role to which she most recently returned, Cathy in The Last Five Years (Greenwich Theatre & Warren Theatre, Brighton), Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (National Tour) and Maria Rainer in The Sound of Music which visited the Theatre Royal in 2015.

Photo: Paul Coltas

Louisa Lytton trained at the Sylvia Young Theatre School and secured her first professional role as the innocent schoolgirl Ruby Allen in EastEnders. Following this Louisa joined The Bill, playing the inexperienced and shy police officer Beth Green. She has since enjoyed a host of varied roles, from parts in the internationally successful American Pie franchise, to the British Shakespeare Company's productions of both A Midsummer Night's Dream and Much Ado About Nothing. Most recently she has appeared in the new prime-time ITV comedy drama The Edge of Heaven, filmed a thriller due to be released this month called Fractured, appeared in the Canadian period drama Murdoch Mysteries and starred in the touring production of Swap!. Aside from acting, Louisa reached the quarter-finals in the fourth series of Strictly Come Dancing, and subsequently toured the country as part of the sold-out Strictly Come Dancing arena tour. She also represented the UK in the 2008 Eurovision Dance Contest. Louisa recently took park in Channel 4's The Jump.

The production is written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, directed by David Gilmore (DaisyPulls It Off, Happy Days, Song & Dance, Footloose) and choreographed by Arlene Phillips (Starlight Express, Saturday Night Fever, Flashdance The Musical & BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing).  It is designed by Terry Parsons, with costumes by Andreane Neofitou. Grease is presented by Paul Nicholas and David Ian.

NETG Review from earlier in tour LINK

Tickets:

Grease is at Newcastle Theatre Royal from Mon 16 until Sat 21 October 2017, playing evenings Mon – Thu at 7.30pm, Fri & Sat 8.30pm, matinees on Friday at 5.30pm and Sat 5pm.  Tickets from £16.50.  Tickets can be purchased from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 08448 11 21 21 (Calls cost 7ppm plus your phone company’s access charge)or book online at www.theatreroyal.co.uk