The 2024 stage production of Grease the Musical is less than a month away from its 31 December 2023 opening at Melbourne’s Her Majesty’s Theatre, and the producers at John Frost for Crossroads Live has confirmed that rehearsals are now underway. The show is scheduled to make its debut in Melbourne on 31 December 2023, before moving to Sydney on 24 March 2024, and finally opening in Perth on 30 June 2024 – with more legs of the national tour to potentially be announced at a later date. Tickets for the Perth season are now available, with additional seats for the Melbourne and Sydney shows also on sale.
This new rendition of GREASE will feature a blend of esteemed Australian performers. Patti Newton is set to portray Miss Lynch in the Melbourne season, while Marcia Hines will step into the role of Teen Angel, and Jay Laga’aia will play Vince Fontaine. Annelise Hall, recently seen in The Marvellous Elephant Man and Aspects of Love, will take on the role of Sandy, originally portrayed by Olivia Newton-John. Joseph Spanti, known for his roles in Friends! The Musical Parody and Cruel Intentions: The 90’s Musical, will bring Danny Zuko to life, a character famously played by John Travolta in the film adaptation.
The cast also includes Mackenzie Dunn as Rizzo, Brianna Bishop as Marty, Keanu Gonzalez as Kenickie, Lucy Fraser as Patty Simcox, and Gareth Isaac as Eugene. Additionally, the Pink Ladies will be portrayed by Catty Hamilton as Frenchy and Caitlin Spears as Jan. The T-Birds will feature Andy Seymour as Roger, Harry Targett as Sonny, and Tom Davis as Doody.
The ensemble cast is equally impressive, featuring talents such as Fabian Andrés, Lachlan Beck, Oscar Bridges, Laura Joy Bunting, Cristina D’Agostino, Axel Duffy, Madeleine Mackenzie, Anna Mellows, Conor Putland, Rose Shannon-Duhigg, and Emma Whitefield.
GREASE is renowned for its timeless costumes and particularly memorable soundtrack, with the musical bringing all the hits to the stage, including Summer Nights, Sandy, Hopelessly Devoted to You, You’re the One That I Want, Greased Lightnin and the somewhat nonsensical but catchy We Go Together as the closing number.
Since its Broadway premiere and subsequent hit movie adaptation starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, GREASE has remained a global phenomenon. The show’s original Broadway run concluded in 1980 as the longest-running musical at the time, with 3,388 performances.
The production will grace Her Majesty’s Theatre in Melbourne from 31 December 2023, Capitol Theatre in Sydney from 24 March 2024, and Crown Theatre Perth from June 2024. For ticketing information at each venue, visit the show’s official website.
