The producers of the first new production in 25 years of Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey’s iconic musical Grease have announced that Dan Partridge will be reprising the role of Danny, having played the role on the UK and Ireland tour in 2019. Georgia Louise will play Sandy, with Paul French as Kenickie and Tendai Rinomhota as Rizzo. They are joined by Alex Christian as Doody, Josh Barnett as Roger, Inez Budd as Marty, Maeve Byrne as Jan, Marianna Neofitou as Frenchy, Corinna Powlesland as Miss Lynch and Cristian Zaccarini as Sonny.
Also in the cast are Alishia-Marie Blake, Thea Bunting, Kevin O’Dwyer, Laura-Jane Fenney, Jacob Fisher, Elliot Gooch, Dom Hutcheson, Haroun al Jeddal, Kalisha Johnson, Hannah-Faith Marram, Matt Trevorrow and Jacob Young.
They join the previously announced Peter Andre as Teen Angel and Vince Fontaine at certain venues.
The musical was due to tour in 2020 but had to be postponed due to COVID-19. Directed by Nikolai Foster and choreographed by Arlene Phillips, the 2021 tour will now begin at Curve, Leicester from 30 – 31 July.
Peter Andre is currently scheduled to perform at certain performances in Leicester, Plymouth, Canterbury, Nottingham, Milton Keynes, Woking, Dartford, Bristol, Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham, Southampton, Liverpool and Cardiff. Customers are advised to check their local websites for specific dates.
Grease originally opened in Chicago in 1971, followed by a move to Broadway in 1972, where it received seven Tony Award nominations, including one for Best Musical. During the show’s eight-year run, at the time, little known actors including Peter Gallagher, Patrick Swayze and John Travolta all appeared in the production, with Richard Gere understudying many roles before going on to star as Danny Zuko in the 1973 London premiere.
The 1978 film adaptation starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John is the fourth highest-grossing live action musical of all time and celebrated its 40th anniversary this year. The musical features beloved songs, including Summer Nights, Greased Lightnin’, Hopelessly Devoted To You and You’re The One That I Want.
