Rock ‘n’ Roll will never die – and neither will the popularity of Grease. The 1978 hit film about the Fifties, starring John Travolta as bad boy Danny Zuko and Olivia Newton John as goody-two-shoes Sandy, broke all box office records with queues forming to see it in cinemas worldwide.

Since then it’s remained popular transferring from VHS to DVD to online and the stage, touring across the globe with everyone from Richard Gere and Patrick Swayze to Stacey Gregg and Louise Redknapp playing the leading man and lady.

Now – 51 years after its debut in the West End in June 1973, Grease The Musical is playing at the Congress Theatre in Eastbourne. Choregraphed by Arlene Phillips, and with the original book, music and lyrics written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, the show is a riot of dancing and songs that everyone loves.

From Summer Nights, Greased Lightnin’, Hopelessly Devoted to You and You’re the One That I want, this vibrant version with a young cast brings energy and enthusiasm to the best-loved 1950s musical classic.

The story hardly needs telling: after a whirlwind summer romance at the beach, leather-clad greaser Danny Zuko and girl-next-door Sandy are unexpectedly reunited when she transfers to Rydell High for senior year.

But with a reputation to uphold, Danny plays it too cool and leaves Sandy regretting her summer of loving. Cue plenty of hit songs, plot twists and dance moves as the Pink Ladies and Burger Palace Boys (rather than the T Birds of film fame) navigate their final school year, friendships and relationships.

With a packed theatre - with some in Pink Ladies jackets and some men sporting a few quiffs  – expectations were high and from curtain up the musical didn’t disappoint.

But the chemistry and casting of Danny and Sandy wasn’t Electrifyin’ and that’s a problem.  

Marley Fenton has a good voice but, for me, he’s no Danny Zuko. To play this leading man you need swagger and a ‘bad boy’ appeal that makes girls want to rip off your leather jacket. Marley is, frankly, too nice – he’s the kind of guy you take home to meet your parents instead of making out with at the drive in.

The sex appeal badge goes instead to George Michaelides  who plays Kinickie and looked good even when he was driving the ‘hunk of junk’ Greased Lightnin’. All eyes were on him and the other star of the show: Rebecca Stenhouse who plays Rizzo. A perfect blend of tough-but-hiding-a-tender-heart, Rebecca gave an edge to the production with her acting while her voice during There Are Worse Things I Could Do was goose bump inducing.

It meant that Kinickie and Rizzo were mesmerising, overshadowing too-good-to-be-true Danny, and India Chadwick, standing in for Hope Dawe, as Sandy.

Understudy Lauren Kate Hampton showed off her acting chops and skilled vocals as Marty, and the songs – which we all know off by heart –kept the entire show running along nicely.

But if fans were going along to watch a live version of the film they’d be confused. This is the stage version from the 1970s cut, and not the Hollywood movie, so chunks of the story are different: Grease Lightnin’ doesn’t get a makeover; there’s no race with a rival, and Sandy doesn’t seem to even make an appearance at the High School dance.

But the classic scenes from the film made the cut. We all did the Hand Jive, gasped at Sandy’s makeover and Joe Gash, who plays both radio DJ Vince Fontaine and Teen Angel, was brilliant as he sang to beauty school dropout Frenchy that she better go back to High School. He looked more like one of the Beckham clan that Frankie Valli, but did a good job camping up the role and hitting the high notes.

Grease is a classic and even Gen Z are still fascinated by the story of bad-boy-meets-good-girl to a backdrop of killer songs. So grab your Pink Ladies or leather jacket and head to the Congress Theatre for a musical night of fun that’s guaranteed to be The One That You Want.

Tickets:

Grease is at the Congress Theatre from now until Saturday 17 August, 2024, 7.30pm with a 2.30pm matinee on Saturday. Tickets £26 - £47, Thursday and £28 - £49, Friday and Saturday. Various concessions. Eastbournetheatres.co.uk