I was late for the November performance so I’m not 100% sure on the understudy situation. I did ask an usher but she says they weren’t any understudies which surprised me as I was sure Holly Fletcher was on as Patty, maybe there just wasn’t an announcement. I suppose it’s possible they don’t always announce the understudies of the smaller roles. I’ve got the impression that Charlotte Bull plays Miss Lynch a lot but I’ve definitely only heard her announced twice. Also when Kristina Macmillan was on as Rizzo they didn’t announce who was playing Cha-Cha so I had to guess.
The November performance was actually only the second performance I’ve seen where I didn’t get to see any new understudies (or people taking their regular role for the first time with me watching). I probably won’t see new people that often from now on but the next time I go I should get to see Noel Sullivan as Danny for the first time. He’s Welsh but I don’t suppose I’ll get to find out if he’s got a Welsh accent or not. I hope he does well. Most of the people who were in Hear’Say have been doing really well lately and as far as I’ve seen they all seem to be talented people. Which is nice to see as talent shows aren’t always about talent, Ray is another of the exceptions that proves the rule.
Ray Quinn has left the cast of Grease now so I was happy to see him once more before he left. Stuart Ramsay (who was at the first performance) is still my favourite Danny because I love all the humour he brings to the role but I really am liking Ray more every time I see him (so it’s a shame he’s left really) and there is a lot Ray brings to the role that is uniquely his. I love it when he unzips his fly when he’s talking about Roger’s favourite hobby and even though I know he won’t actually pull his trousers down, I can’t help hoping a little bit. His dancing is also amazing (even though he nearly dropped Kristina Macmillan as Cha Cha – maybe Ray has less time for his workouts since he’s been performing in Grease and preparing for his pantomime).
Emma Stephens was Sandy at both performances. She is a fantastic performer and a real professional but there is something extra when she performs the role with Ray. No matter how dedicated and talented you are (and Emma is both) it must be a little bit awkward snogging one of your mates in front of a whole crowd of your other mates, whilst knowing that your real boyfriend is at home, probably ill. She was excellent when I saw her in October. It’s weird I thought she was so bad the first time I saw her – maybe I was jealous of Ray? I’m not sure though because I fancy Emma more than Ray now so maybe I was just annoyed that Emma fancied Ray more than me, not that she’s ever met me. In the November performance she seemed slightly off-form vocally and she also played Sandy in a different way – far less gentle than she usually plays the role. As I’d missed the understudy announcement I did wonder if she was Robyn Mellor (I knew it wasn’t Faye Brookes) but once she’d warmed her voice up she was brilliant and I knew it was Emma.
Bennett Andrews really is a great Sonny, he really does put so much feeling into the role. But I was glad to have the chance to see Stuart Ramsay in the role again in November. I haven’t seen him as Kenickie for months. Whenever I go, either he’s Danny or he’s off. So it was brilliant to see him and he was amazing in the role. He sang a really powerful and sexy Greased Lightnin’ and he was also really moving when he found out Rizzo was pregnant and sweetly concerned when he was worried about Rizzo dancing in her condition. I still think Danny is Stuart’s best role but he really was very good as Kenickie. I wish I could have seen him as Doody and Roger. He’s such a versatile performer and his vocal range must be huge.
Much as I love to see understudies, it is also nice to see how the performers’ interpretations of their roles change over time. Sometimes they make changes. With Natalie Langston (Rizzo), you never know how she’s going to sing ‘There are Worse Things’. Sometimes it’s the most moving, painful thing ever and other times she sings it with real defiance even though there is still an underlying sadness. And that’s just one thing I love about her Rizzo, you never know what you’re going to get.
Laura Wilson and Michael Melmoe get funnier each time I see them together. It’s been amazing watching them go from being two great comedians to being a really funny double act. Laura finds new amusing ways to say her lines all the time and I love how she’s showing her beautiful singing voice a bit more. Michael is just lovely. I love how you never know what he’s going to say at the opening of the final scene – he always finds something new and funny. I can’t remember what he said in October but in November he just said ‘MAYONNAISE’ and for some reason it was the funniest thing I’ve ever heard, even though I don’t like mayonnaise. I suppose I might have heard it wrong though. There’s also a bit near the end when Roger says ‘Jan, do you want to get something to eat’ and he says it in such a hungry tone of voice. That probably doesn’t make sense but if you heard it you’d know exactly what I mean.
Robyn Mellor’s Marty is always a little bit bitchy but this time she took it to new heights – she was so different, I was wondering if she was an understudy but I wasn’t disappointed at all when I found out it was her. I never really thought of Marty as a funny character in the same way as Frenchy, Jan and Patty. But Robyn can say the most innocent lines a certain way and make them laugh-out-loud funny.
Benjamin Ibbott, Jason Capewell and Kristina Macmillan just get better every time I see them. I love the look Kristina gets on her face when she dances. She really seems to enjoy it so much even though she’s been doing the same dance almost every night for more than a year. Benjamin just gets better and better. His singing is just amazing. I’d love to see him play Danny one day. Yes he is quite small and cute but so is Ray and he managed it.
Jason just cracks me up now. At the November performance, he did another announcement during the curtain calls saying the theatre was doing another charity collection and that the ushers would have collection buckets. I think it’s great for the theatre to support a charity and it’s a great opportunity to get people’s attention when everyone is sitting down, looking at the stage. One thing though, I wish the performers would hold the collection buckets. I remember going to see Blood Brothers when I was about 11 and they had a charity collection and the performers had the buckets. The guy playing Eddie was moaning because people weren’t giving enough money, that was funny. But even though people should give the money whoever is holding the bucket, it’s a great chance to get up close to the performers/characters and that might encourage people to give more. Maybe they’d even put some money in each bucket, just so they get to see everyone close-up.
Faye Brookes was Frenchy in the November performance and I was so happy to see her. It’s actually only the second time I’ve seen her perform the role all the way through. I have seen her perform Act One three times though – she was there the time they had the technical problem and had to end the shoe early. She really is adorable. Sweet and funny and sexy. It’s difficult choosing my favourite Frenchy because the four girls I’ve seen in the role all play her so differently. Alison Hefferon played Frenchy in November, then I got to see her in the Ensemble in November. I might have seen her in the Ensemble before but this was the first time I recognised her. I’d love to see her as Patty. Her Frenchy is quite pushy so I can imagine she’d be a great Patty.
James Marshall played Sonny again in October then I got to see Bennett Andrews as Sonny for the first time since forever. He’s always Kenickie when I go. He is a brilliant Kenickie of course but it was good to see him as Sonny. I’ve never seen a bad Sonny but Bennett just gave it something extra this time. When he told Rizzo she could talk to her if she needed someone to talk to about and she assumed he was trying to get into her knickers, his reaction was amazing. Hurt, shocked… the chance to see Sonny as a human being rather than just a (very funny) sex pest.
Charlotte Bull played Miss Lynch at the October performance and I didn’t see her in the Ensemble in November so maybe she played her in the November performance too. But maybe it was Marie Daly. In the first act it sounded more like Charlotte and the second act it was more like Marie. It definitely wasn’t Niamh Bracken though, she was in the Ensemble. It was funny in the October performance when Jason announced Charlotte was playing Miss Lynch. He said her name in a husky way, like she was a porn star or something.
Ryan Quish was Eugene in the October performance and his geekiness really is cute. Well any geekiness is cute. But he does need to give the audience a better view of his pants when Roger (I think it’s Roger) pulls his trousers down. Jamie Tyler excels at this.
Only one new understudy in the whole two performances. Holly Fletcher is a lovely Patty, I love how soppy she looks during Summer Nights. But maybe she is a bit too nice. Mostly it was fine but when the Pink Ladies were horrible to her and when Sandy pushed her over it was all too easy to take Patty’s side. It’s a shame in a way Holly’s covering two of the least nice characters in the opera and not, say, Sandy and Frenchy. She’d play both those roles really well. But if it wasn't her at the November performance, it was Lizzi Franklin.
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