Danny Bayne, Carina Gillespie Join GREASE Tour

Grease is the word! Following its electrifyin' 4 year West End run (the longest in the history of the Piccadilly Theatre), the smash hit musical will begin a new tour from this spring with Danny Bayne as 'Danny' and Carina Gillespie as his sweetheart 'Sandy'. The couple follow in the footsteps of John Travolta and Olivia Newton John who famously played the roles in the hit 1978 movie.

Back by popular demand, Grease will premiere at the Edinburgh Playhouse on 6 May 2011 and will continue to rock 'n' roll around the country. For the first time in over 5 years Grease will visit Milton Keynes, Bradford, Southampton, Oxford, Cardiff, Dublin, Torquay, Manchester and Birmingham with new and confirmed dates for 2011 in Woking, Aylesbury, Blackpool, Sunderland, Liverpool and Norwich. Due to huge public demand, the tour will continue in 2012 with confirmed dates in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Belfast, Derry, Canterbury and many more. Further tour dates will be announced.

Danny Bayne won ITV's Grease is the Word (2007) and went on to make his West End debut as 'Danny' in Grease playing the role for over 2 years at the Piccadilly Theatre to sell-out audiences. His other theatre credits include: Top Cat the Musical, Snow White, On Show at the Royal Albert Hall and Popcorn. More recently he co-starred with Julian Clary in Cinderella at the Hawth Theatre Crawley and is currently appearing as 'Corny Collins' in the tour of the hit musical Hairspray. Danny also has a passion for both dance and choreography. Formerly a major world competitor, his dance credits include: British Champion in Freestyle, Hip Hop and 'Rock 'n' Roll' and 3rd place in Latin American at the Italian World Championships. His choreographic credits include: Genie in the House (for Nickelodeon), West End Eurovision (Piccadilly Theatre) and several Hip Hop shows, carnivals and events. Danny will once again leave Grease audiences hopelessly devoted to his charms when he reprises the iconic role of 'Danny Zuko' for the 2011 tour.

Carina Gillespie trained at the Liverpool Theatre School and made her professional stage debut as 'Maria Elena' in the hugely successful musical Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story. Her further theatre credits include the role of 'Linda' in Bloodbath - The Musical, and 'Princess Tamara' in Jack in the Beanstalk in Ipswich. Carina's other credits include performing as a regular session singer for 'Love to Infinity Records', releasing a debut single (with the new pop/dance band Ezcapade, 2010), appearing as a support act for 'Basshunter' (UK tour 2010) and as a dancer in numerous music videos. Carina is currently making her West End debut as 'Sandy' in Grease at the Piccadilly Theatre.

The cast will also include: Ricky Rojas ('Kenickie'), Kate Somerset How ('Rizzo'), Derek Andrews ('Roger'), Laura Wilson ('Jan'), Richard Vincent ('Doody'), Lauren Stroud ('Frenchy'), Josh Dever ('Sonny'), Lois Urwin ('Marty'), Darren John ('Eugene'), Sammy Kelly ('Patty'), Jason Capewell ('Teen Angel / Vince Fontaine'), Nancy Hill '(Miss Lynch') and Sophie Zucchini ('Cha Cha'), with other parts played by the ensemble.

Since breaking out on Broadway in 1972, Grease's place has been firmly established in the cultural Hall of Fame, having seduced the hearts of millions with its back-to-back sizzling tunes. It's the original high-school musical featuring everyone's favourite characters - 'Sandy', 'Danny', the groovy 'T Birds', the sassy 'Pink Ladies' and the whole gang at Rydell High - with all the unforgettable songs from the hit movie including 'You're The One That I Want', 'Grease Is The Word', 'Summer Nights', 'Hopelessly Devoted to You', 'Sandy', 'Greased Lightnin' and many more.

Voted the "No 1 Greatest Musical"* Grease has proved that a musical love story, bursting with denim, cheerleaders, slick hairstyles, rock 'n 'roll, 1950's pop culture and an irresistible mix of teenage angst and young romance is timeless and universal. Grease is the ultimate feel-good, pick-me up musical - an electrifyin' extravaganza, packed with fun, energy and vibrant physicality. The show is guaranteed to thrill audiences and leave everyone hand-jiving the night away with "a-wop-bop-a-loo-bop, a wop-bam-boom!"

Grease returned to the West End in July 2007 and since its premiere the audience favourite has played over 1,400 performances and has been seen by over 1½ million theatregoers at the Piccadilly Theatre where it is now the longest running show in the venue's history.

Producer David Ian says: "This has been the 4th London run in seventeen years for this amazing production and the longest ever running show at The Piccadilly Theatre. Now we're taking everyone's favourite show right across the UK on its greatest tour ever - Grease is indeed the word!!"
This production originally opened in the West End in 1993 (co-produced with Robert Stigwood) where it enjoyed a fantastic run of 6 years. The last international tour of Grease was a phenomenal success, playing to sell-out audiences and smashing records at many venues. Since 1993 the show has been seen by audiences totalling over 12 million people in the UK alone. Last year, a second production played internationally in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Auckland and Hong Kong. Grease continues to maintain its everlasting popularity, proving its enduring appeal with audiences of every generation worldwide.

Written by Jim Jacobs and WarRen Casey, directed by David Gilmore (Daisy Pulls It Off, Happy Days, Song & Dance, Footloose) and choreographed by Arlene Phillips (Starlight Express, Saturday Night Fever, Flashdance The Musical & BBC's Strictly Come Dancing), Grease is produced in the West End and on tour by Paul Nicholas and David Ian and is presented by arrangement with Robert Stigwood.

GREASE TOUR DATES 2011

Edinburgh, Playhouse 6 May- 21 May Box office: 0844 847 1660

Milton Keynes Theatre 24 May- 4 June Box office: 0844 871 7652

Bradford, Alhambra Theatre 21 June- 2 July Box office: 01274 432 000

Southampton, Mayflower Theatre 5 July- 16 July Box office: 02380 711 811

Oxford, New Theatre 18 July- 23 July Box office: 0844 847 1585

Cardiff, Wales Millennium Centre 25 July- 7 August Box office: 029 2063 6464

Dublin, Grand Canal Theatre 9 August- 27 August Box office: 0818 719 377

Torquay, Princess Theatre 30 August- 10 September Box office: 0844 847 2315

Woking, New Victoria Theatre 19 September- 24 September Box office: 0844 871 7645

Manchester, Palace Theatre 26 September- 8 October Box office: 0844 847 2295

Aylesbury, Waterside 10 October- 15 October Box office: 0844 871 7607

Blackpool, Opera House 17 October- 22 October Box office: 0844 856 1111

Sunderland, Empire 24 October- 5 November Box office: 0844 847 2499

Liverpool, Empire 8 November- 19 November Box office: 0844 847 2525

Norwich, Theatre Royal 21 November- 3 December Box office: 01603 63 00 00

Birmingham, Alexandra Theatre 6 December- 31 December Box office: 0844 847 2302

www.greasethemusical.co.uk

 

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