Before I start digging my claws into this production, I must say it has a lot going for it - a strong ensemble, hot dance scenes, an excellent live band and some great comedy.

The director has chucked in a few extra rock 'n' roll tunes for free and for the most part successfully rejiggled the film to fit the limitations of the stage.

However,while the group pieces fizz with life, some key characters are badly miscast. Hayley Evetts of Pop Stars fame makes a decent Sandy. She's blonde, cute, big of voice and has enough zing to side-step blandness.

But Rizzo and Danny, the big bad rebels who should carry the show, have no charisma. Deborah Hayward doesn't have the balls to play Rizzo and makes up for it by talking in an unconvincing deep voice and pouting a lot.

Paul Manuel is just plain too old to play Danny and no amount of fake tan can cover it up. Grease should explode with teenage hormones and it just doesn't work with a Danny who looks older than school-marm Miss Lynch.

He also reacts to Sandy's - admittedly anti-climactic - transformation with all the electrification of a digestive biscuit.

It doesn't help that the actors are playing caricatures of their film versions rather than being able to put their own slant on them.

Go for the songs and the spectacle and you will enjoy it but don't go expecting high-school chemistry.

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