Grease

Sam Marlowe at the Piccadilly Theatre, W1

Here we go again. Reality TV in this case the ITV talent show Grease is The Word, by and large the loser in the Saturday night ratings war with BBC1s search for Joseph, Any Dream Will Do plucks fledgeling performers from obscurity and deposits them on the West End stage.

The lucky pair, Susan McFadden (sister of Westlifes Brian) and Danny Bayne, were selected to play Sandy and Danny from thousands of hopefuls by an audience vote and a panel made up of the seasoned producer behind this stage show, David Ian, the choreographer Brian Friedman, Liza Minnellis ex-husband, the professional weirdo David Gest and, er, Sinitta, probably best known for her execrable 1980s Stock Aitken and Waterman singles output, of which the dire So Macho was a lowlight.

Like Connie Fisher, the Sound of Music star, McFadden and Bayne are unknowns, but they are drama-school trained. It is to be hoped that they turn out to have the stamina for a West End run; squeals and whoops of delight at first glimpse of the duo on the opening night suggest that audiences are clamouring to catch them in action.

Bayne and McFadden make their initial entrance on plinths either side of Terry Parsonss neon-lit set, looking rather like two shop-window mannequins. Its an accurate indication of whats to come; though they sing nicely enough, they go on to give rather stiff performances. McFadden small, pretty and somewhat simpering seems unsure what to do with her hands; Bayne beefy but bland manages a certain cheeky charm once he warms up a bit, but theres no real chemistry between them. Whats worse, they both signally lack sincerity and sex appeal.

To be fair, what surrounds them is not a great deal better: they are supported by a cast, in David Gilmores efficient but lacklustre production, of garishly coloured and totally flat cartoon characters.

Here they come, the Pink Ladies and the T-Birds, stalking out of a cloud of dry ice, some of them looking conspicuously too old, rather than too cool, for school. Theres Jayde Westabys belting, bitchy Rizzo, Alana Phillips as the bubble-head Frenchy, and torpedo-breasted bottle-blonde Marty (Charlie Cameron). Dannys boys, meanwhile, include Sean Mulligans eye-catching but vocally limited Kenickie, Bennett Andrews as a rather too creepily lascivious Sonny and Richard Hardwick as the chubby joker Roger who has a penchant for baring his buttocks.

They all flounce and pose their way through Arlene Phillipss uninspired and, on the whole, undemanding choreography. Despite a burst of camp athleticism to Greased Lightnin, when a souped-up Caddy turns up amid some half-hearted pyroctechnics, and some vigorous hand-jiving at the hop, it is disappointingly short on dazzle. At no point do we care one iota what becomes of any of them or their teen romances.

The perennial popularity of Randal Kleisers 1978 film, the familiarity of Jim Jacobs and Warren Caseys catchy score and the hoopla surrounding the ITV series have already proved enough to guarantee healthy advance ticket sales. And those who come expecting nothing more than a routine trot through well-loved material and a chance to see the two young competition winners in the flesh probably wont be disappointed. Its depressing that anyone should expect so little, but if reality TV is chewing gum for the eyes, for some this Grease will be bubble-gum fun even if it is overstretched and losing its flavour.

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Susan McFadden and Danny Bayne were crowned the winners of Grease Is The Word by a public vote in June.

But critics said their performances at the Piccadilly Theatre in London "lacked sincerity and sex appeal".

Former pop star Sinitta, who was a judge on the show, defended the duo, saying: "Eight or ten weeks ago they were amateurs. I was so proud tonight."

McFadden and Bayne play the lead roles of Sandy and Danny in the rock and roll show, stepping into the shoes of John Travolta and Olivia Newton John, who made the characters famous in the 1978 film

'Painfully limited'

Sarah Crompton, writing in the Daily Telegraph, said Bayne "made Travolta look like Olivier".

"Whatever qualities made people vote for them shrivel and fade in the spotlight's harsh glare," she added.

Susan McFadden is the sister of ex-Westlife star Brian McFadden

The Guardian's critic, Michael Billington, said McFadden "sings prettily, but has a painfully limited range of physical expression".

The supporting cast received a more favourable response, however, with Jayde Westaby receiving particular praise for her "bitchy" and "tart-tongued" portrayal of Rizzo.

But the show was branded "disappointingly short on dazzle" by Sam Marlowe in The Times.

"At no point do we care one iota what becomes of any of them or their teen romances," he said.

The audience were generally impressed with the show, with opinions ranging from "absolutely brilliant" to "big thumbs up".

Audience reaction

"When they sing, you just get shivers down your spine," one fan told the BBC.

Speaking after the performance, Bayne admitted he would be reading his reviews.

"I think it's only natural," he said. "I'd like to know everyone's opinion."

The performer added he would take the critics' views with a pinch of salt.

"When people come to see the show they always enjoy it - so it's just one person's opinion."

DogsandBirds wrote:

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Let's hope (prayers allowed) our reviews are better!!!!

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