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ACT I
The show opens with a prelude to the story as we are introduced to Danny and Sandy, who have begun a relationship during the summer break from School (Sandy), after which we meet the rest of the gang from Rydell High School (Grease Is The Word).
The story begins in the High School cafeteria at the start of a new school year, the kids complaining about the dreaded teachers. The girls congregate on one side of the room, welcoming new arrival Sandy to the school. The boys, led by Danny Zuko and his gang, the 'T-Birds', congregate on the other. Sandy tells the girls about the caring, considerate boy she met during the summer, whilst Danny brags to the boys about his romantic conquest over the long hot Summer Nights. Then Sandy and Danny bump in to each other, Sandy is excited to find her summer romance at the same school but Danny, maintaining his cool image, feigns indifference before his friends. Then we move out into the hall, one of the T-Birds, Doody, has been learning to play the guitar. He pretends to play badly at first then, when the rest of the boys are about to leave, shows off his real skill (Those Magic Changes). That evening some of the girls are having a pajama party at Marty's house. When Sandy is in the bathroom Rizzo makes fun of her, suggesting she is too prim and proper, and perhaps a little stuck-up (Look At Me I'm Sandra Dee). The next day Kenickie is showing off his 'new' car to the rest of the T-Birds. It looks something of a wreck, but he has big plans to restore and soup it up (Greased Lightning). When Danny meets Sandy at school he tries to explain and apologise for his apparent brush-off, but they are interrupted by Patty and the cheerleader squad with whom Sandy is rehearsing (Rydell Fight Song). Later, on the bleachers at the sports field the kids are pairing of for the High School Prom. Roger pairs of with Jan and tells her about his extra-curricular activities (Mooning). Sandy passes through but seems to have given up on Danny, upset by his bragging lies about her. Danny instead pairs of with Rizzo as they all complete their plans for the Prom (We Go Together).
ACT II
Act two opens with everyone Shakin At The High School Hop, everyone that is except Sandy who doesn't have a date. As Jan gets up on stage to sing we cut to Sandy alone at home (It's Raining on Prom Night). Kenickie has arrived at the prom with a brash loud-mouthed blind-date from across town, Cha-Cha, but when event MC Vince Fontaine announces the start of the dance contest he dumps her on Danny to pair up with Rizzo. Fontaine gets the dance contest underway (Born to Hand Jive) which is won by Danny and Cha-cha. Sandy arrives late, but is upset further to see Danny having a good time with Cha-cha (Hopelessly Devoted to You). The next day, one of the girls, Frenchy, is pondering her future having dropped out of beauty school for which she left high school. How will she tell her friends? She needs advice and receives it from a heavenly apparition (Beauty School Dropout). Later, Danny has persuaded Sandy to go to the drive-in movie with him. He seems to have patched things up with her but takes his passion a bit too far and she storms out, leaving him alone (Sandy). Later the gang are having a party. Between records played on Sandy's record player, Doody and Roger sing to entertain the others (Rock and Roll Party Queen). Rizzo reveals that she has missed her period and is afraid she may be pregnant. The others try to console her, but she doesn't want sympathy, and especially not from Sandy (There Are Worse Things I Could Do). Sandy realises that her prim-and-proper image is getting in the way of her fitting-in and what she wants. She resolves to say goodbye to the old Sandy and revamp herself (Look At Me I'm Sandra Dee [reprise]). At the Burger Palace the next day a new sexy Sandy stakes her claim on Danny (You're The One That I Want). Rizzo, meanwhile, has found out she isn't pregnant and they all celebrate together (Finale).
Although all the key elements of the story are there this stage version differs significantly from the film, not least in that it brings some of the lesser characters more to the fore and allows them to vent their own musical talent. The sets are at times basic, dominated by flashing neon, and wheel-on set-pieces. One such is Kenickie's car, which looks quite effective facing left in its 'before' state, rather less so when it is turned around to expose the 'after' transformation (which looks like it has justy been covered in silver foil). The band are housed on a raised platform at the back of the stage, which is at times visible, at others screened off. In fact the show opens with the band in full view and the band leader exhorting the audience to get into the spirit of the evening and clap along to the music.
Musically, the show was for the most part excellent. Unfortunately, the only number in the entire show which did not gel as is should have was the most important one of all, the big climactic number where the transformed Sandy stakes her claim on Danny (You're The One That I Want). Neither of the two leads, whose performances until then had been par excellence, seemed to approach this particular number with any real conviction, and the smouldering sexual chemistry so vital to its success was conspicuous only by the totality of its absence. The result was a rather bland and unconvincing rendition. This was further exacerbated by the fact that the post-transformation Sandy's appearance looked more cheap and trashy than it did sexy. Hayley Evetts is, without question or reserve, an extremely handsome young woman, and with such material to work with all that should have been necessary to achieve the required effect was a little subtlety. A poorly tailored and seemingly ill-fitting black bodysuit was not the answer, and indeed looked more like it belonged on a street corner hooker than on an object of your heart's desire. I have probably laboured all this more than it is worth, but for me it was the one area that marred an otherwise excellent show - it wasn't that it was bad, it was just way below the standard of what had gone before.
Hayley Evetts as Sandy is a graduate of Popstars and Pop Idol (fifth in the first series). She has a strong singing voice and belted out most of her numbers with some gusto. As the pre-transformation Sandra Dee she looked every inch the part in her fifties style bell skirt and cheerleader outfit. Paul Manuel as Danny also has an excellent singing voice as well as a considerable acting talent. His is the best accent and his mannerisms are spot-on, a sort of watered down Fonz from 'Happy Days'. The number on which these two came up short, as already mentioned, was their big duet. Deborah Hayward was a standout as the deep voiced Rizzo, as was Michelle Francis as the somewhat dizzy Frenchy. Gavin Lee Rees as the girl-shy Doody gave us a wonderful rendition of (Those Magic Changes), whilst Jamie Tyler supplied the comic relief as the hapless geek Eugene.
An otherwise excellent piece of musical theatre which unfortunately falls flat at the crucial moment.