Get ready to Rock 'n' Roll as Grease takes to the stage at Milton Keynes Theatre

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When "Grease" hit the cinemas, it seemed like an entire generation was instantly captivated. Girls everywhere fell head over heels for John Travolta's portrayal of the charming bad boy Danny Zuko, while boys were equally smitten with Olivia Newton-John's transformation from the sweet, innocent Sandy, to a confident, leather-clad heartbreaker.

The infectious music from the film echoed everywhere, becoming the soundtrack of countless lives.

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This movie has always been, and will always be, one of my favourite musicals of all time. Its charm lies in its simplicity and brilliance. I've watched it hundreds of times, yet I never grow tired of it. It's one of those go-to films that feels like a comforting embrace, no matter how many times you revisit it.

Reinventing a classic like "Grease" is tremendously difficult, as it has so much to live up to. The original stage show set a high bar with its vibrant energy, memorable performances, and timeless songs, and then the film took it to another level, making any attempt at a remake a daunting task.

Summer Nights.Summer Nights.
Summer Nights.

Starring Marley Fenton as Danny, Hope Dawe, as Sandy. "Grease" tells the story of summer lovers who reunite at Rydell High. As they navigate high school life, they grapple with personal struggles and confront tensions between their friend groups. Set in the 1950s, the story captures the essence of young love, the pain of growing up, and the electrifying energy of youth.

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As the notes sounded from the first company number, my hair stood up, I got goosebumps, and tears welled up in my eyes. You have to understand that I am from the generation that first saw the film and it left a deep impression on us. The emotions stirred up are incredibly powerful.

I was immediately struck by the electrifying energy and dynamic power of the ensemble, who dazzled us with their stunning costumes, excellent dance moves and superb harmonies. The performance was further elevated by the sheer might of the band, making for an unforgettable, high-octane experience.

The highlights were undoubtedly the large ensemble numbers Grease is the Word, Summer Night’s, We go together, Hand Jive, You’re the One That I Want, and the best ‘Greased Lighting’ with the clever use of the car, its excellent lighting effects and the pyrotechnics, I wanted that one all over again.

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I'd never seen the stage show before, so it was fascinating to experience scenes and hear songs that weren't in the film. However, I didn't feel these enhanced the story in any significant way. I prefer the film's storyline, which I find more engaging, romantic, heart-wrenching, and celebratory. Only two of those songs truly stood out to me: "Mooning," performed by Roger (Ben Middleton) and Jan (Imogen Malone), with Roger's superb voice, and "Those Magic Changes," sung by Doody (Kieran Lynch).

The character of Danny is hugely charismatic and I didn’t quite get this from Marley Fenton, I’d like to have seen him give the character more gumption and sex appeal whilst Hope Dawe (Sandy) gave a strong, flawless performance, enhanced by a beautiful voice.

Other performances that stood out include Adam Davidson (Kenichie), Sario Soloman (Sonny), Alicia Belgrade (Frenchy), Jayd’n Tyrone (Eugene) and Rebecca Stenhouse’s (Rizzo) fantastic rendition of There are worse things I could do. Sadly, Joe Gash’s portrayal of Vince Fontaine/Teen Angel felt somewhat overacted and self-indulgent to me, which detracted from the performance, particularly during Beauty School Dropout.

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I wasn’t completely convinced by some of the Direction, which included narrative jumping in a couple of places and additionally some of the musical direction didn't quite work for me either, and while the choreography was excellent, I felt it missed a trick or two. I was really hoping to see some of the iconic moves from the film incorporated, such as the guys timed decent down the steps in "Summer Nights" and the pointy arm movements in "Greased Lightning," to name a few, after all, it’s these things that make us happy.

I know how hard it is not to sing along to a musical and I wanted to so badly, however, I did restrain myself and just mimed. What was disappointing were those members of the audience who did, particularly the person behind me who decided she was Sandy and let everyone else know too. It’s disrespectful to the actors and quite frankly we go to the theatre to hear the actors, not the audience. These days there is time at the end to join in, so wanna-be performers please be considerate.

I did enjoy the show and there were some great moments. However, I wanted to leave the theatre buzzing which I didn’t. It just didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I’ve seen so many thoroughly brilliant theatrical performances in my lifetime that maybe I have been spoiled. That said, the audience seemed to have a ball and no doubt you will too, especially if you have a ticket as I think they have pretty much all gone now. However, just in case you don’t, you might be able to grab one at the MK Box Office.

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