I missed out on Grease when I was a kid because my father thought it was inappropriate viewing for an eight-year-old.
When girls in the playground were fighting over which Pink Lady they were, I was pretending to be Simba from The Lion King.
So I was ridiculously excited when we were invited to see Grease the musical at The Orchard Theatre in Dartford last Tuesday night.
Finally, I’d get to sing along to all of the infamous hit songs and see what everyone had gone so crazy for at school.
And this Hopelessly Devoted cast didn’t disappoint.
The theatre was packed out with fanatics, itching to indulge in some camp Grease Lightning action – and many had rocked up in T Birds tops.
In fact, the middle aged gentleman next to me was so excited before the curtains went up - he polished off an entire bag of Maltesers and an ice cream waiting for the music to begin.
The atmosphere was electric.
From the moment the beautiful Carina Gillespie (Sandy), began singing, I was mystified by her stunning voice.
Every time she started to belt out one of the classics, I got goose bumps everywhere.
Danny Bayne (winner of ITV’s Grease is the Word contest in 2007) has clearly begun morphing into John Travolta as Danny.
Performing in the hip-gyrating lead role for two years at Piccadilly Theatre to sell-out audiences, this charming actor knows exactly what he’s doing.
It was hilarious watching the teenage dream banter with his gang – the facial expressions alone are worth going for.
At time it was as if Travolta himself had returned to his youth and for some reason decided to come to Dartford.
The swagger was what did it for me.
Bayne has got this smooth mover down to a T Bird.
And he’s got the voice to match.
In fact, the whole cast was pretty impressive.
I loved Rizzo’s performance of There Are Worse Things I Could Do – absolutely spot on.
The electrifying Grease Lightning scene boasted the most thrilling set, with the boys singing atop the old banger before its makeover.
Then with an enormous bang which had my friend and I screaming and jumping out of our skin, the clapped out car disappeared in a puff of smoke.
When it re-appeared seconds later it was the jazziest motor I’ve ever seen, beaming silver with flashing lights all over – and the Birds were overjoyed with their new ride.
Perhaps the scene which, surprisingly to me, had the rammed audience most excited was when the story diverted from the film for a moment and saw Russell Grant appear to Frenchie as Teen Angel.
The Strictly Come Dancing star and astrologer had everyone in hysterics with his ultra glittery (and super camp) outfit.
He launched into Beauty School Dropout with the darling, confused Frenchie and people went wild for him.
My favourite scene was the finale, with Sandy walking out in that iconic black, skin-tight ensemble, making Danny’s jaw hit the ground.
Everyone was up on their feet, singing and dancing.
This musical celebrates all that was great about the 1950s.
If you missed out on Grease when you were a child, be sure to catch it this time around.
The show runs until September 1.
For tickets visit orchardtheatre.co.uk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article