Review of Grease at Milton Keynes Theatre

Grease is one of the most recognised and well-remembered musicals and has some of the catchiest and most familiar songs within any musical out there. However, that memory will, for many, simply come from the classic 1978 film that made stars of many, including John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.

The stage show is a different beast though, missing a few parts key to the film including the very familiar car race and some of the songs. Also with this new touring version director Nikolai Foster has gone even more back to the original 1971 stage version by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, making for a grittier show in context, less of the sexist nature and fluff of the film and the T-Birds are also back to their original name of The Burger Palace Boys.

What remains though is the tale of a group of kids at Rydell High School going through their teens, their early relationships and any conquests they may or may not have had. It is all very wafer-thin, even more than the film, but sure, it has those songs, surely they can save it?

The short answer sadly is a no, Grease simply is for much of the time just about the songs, and especially during the first act, you have to plough through long, dare I say boring, scenes of the kids sparring with one another. You sit there desperately waiting for that next, admittedly brilliant, song. I admit that I am not a fan of the stage show of Grease as you may already have gathered, it pails so much in comparison with the film and the spark is also missing in these scenes as well with the cast. I do wonder, with the show getting many rave reviews elsewhere, whether this particular performance was the victim of too many understudies, four on for this performance, and the rhythm and spark being lost a little in so much change.

Neither of the leads is an understudy though, with both Marley Fenton as Danny Zuko and Hope Dawe as Sandy Dumbroski (the character's original surname, compared with the latter film version Olsson) solid in their roles. However, even their characters are very much diminished in the stage show allowing expansion for the other characters. Both Fenton and Dawe do have great stage presence though, and their vocal talents are excellent, and at their best in their solo numbers such as with Sandy for Fenton and Hopelessly Devoted To You for Dawe.

Elsewhere the big numbers are brought to dramatic life by the full ensemble and the excellent band led by Charlie Ingles, with superb dance numbers created by choreographer Arlene Phillips which have plenty of nods to the 1950s setting and filling the stage with movement from the highly talented ensemble.

Technically it is a good show with a clever set from Colin Richmond and excellent sound design from Tom Marshall and Richard Brooker. Even the lighting from Ben Cracknell feels spot-on, with some lovely light touches during the solo numbers and the bold brightness required for the big routines.

However, sadly it all amounts to a rather disappointing show storywise which also simply arrives at its conclusion with the number You're The One That I Want wrapping the whole story and fixing everyone's differences with a three-minute number. It leaves probably the best bit of the show then, the famous Grease Megamix which only proves in many ways that the show is "the music" and it took a long time to get to it.

Yes, this touring version of Grease represents an excellent way to hear those classics on stage, but as a stage musical, there are many better shows out there to grab your attention.

Classic tunes wrapped around a very average stage show.
⭐⭐⭐

Performance reviewed: Tuesday 6th August July 2024 at the Milton Keynes Theatre.

Grease runs at Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday 10th August 2024.

For further details about Milton Keynes see their website at http://www.atgtickets.com/venues/milton-keynes-theatre/

Production photos: Marc Brenner

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