Grease, Birmingham Hippodrome - review with pictures

From start to finish the show was a true spectacle of sheer musical brilliance - and I do not say that lightly.

The cast and crew brought the story to life through grand dance numbers and dazzling pyrotechnics to minor background actions and the simplest of expressions - no one broke character for even a second and each loud personality stole the show in its own way.

The Wanted's Tom Parker made a comical and rebellious Danny, boasting a truly remarkable singing voice that made renditions of Summer Nights and Sandy shine. His on stage chemistry with Danielle Hope playing the sickeningly sweet Sandy was almost electric - their voices complimenting each other effortlessly and making their on/off relationship even more heartbreaking and tense to the crowd.

They truly encapsulated the lovers polar opposite personalities. Hope's plight as Sandy to fit in with the pink ladies was endearing from start to finish with her awkward lonely moments and stellar solo numbers that told of her inner-most heartache.

The slapstick bad boy humour of Kenickie and his boys Doody, Roger and Sonny in the T Birds garnered the largest laughs from the audience - as well as the largest cheers as a rip-roaring rendition of Grease Lightning, complete with flashing lights, gravity-defying dance moves, exploding fireworks and a fully-modded car blew the audience away.

Swapping leather jackets for bright pink ones - the Pink Ladies were everything I wanted to be as a little girl, and everything I wanted to be once more as Frenchie, Jan, Marty and Rizzo welcomed Sandy into the world of acting out.

Though a group, each girl had their own larger-than-life personality. Notably, Rosanna Harris' lovingly goofy Jan stole the show, with her unashamedly obvious love of Roger and her disregard for being sultry and sexy - just a need to express her love of food and her friends.

Louisa Lytton played the rough and ready Rizzo expertly, she always had her arms folded and her eyes rolling even through the most energetic of dance numbers...Or she was starting a fight with Kenickie. Her hostility to Sandy was palpable until iconic solo number There Are Worse Things I Could Do where the audience fell in love with her inexplicably.

Though only in the show for one number, there was one stand out star in this show - Jimmy Osmond.

Playing the dreamy Teen Angel, Osmond's showbiz expertise shone through with him shaking his hips across the stage, elongating all of his high notes and raising his arms for even more applause with a Hollywood smile stretched across his face.

These main acts were accompanied by truly amazing backing dancers whose enthusiasm and energy remained constant throughout every single number, as well as a brilliant side cast featuring the likes of the terminally delightfully Patty Simcox and lovably nerdy Eugene.

All of these characters were brought together on an extraordinarily detailed set with jaw-dropping special effects. From light up guitars and Vince Fontaine's groovy radio station sides to exquisite diners and workshops gliding across the stage with ease - Rydell High and it's teenage hangouts were as real as ever right before our eyes.

Sandy's final transformation to a full-on bad girl marked the shows final number You're The One That I Want and a Grease mega-mix mashup of songs accompanied by the audience dancing in the aisles and inciting one mass sing along.

One last super fast hand jive before the end of the night - Birmingham Hippodrome provided a spectacular night of entertainment as the audience experienced one of the most influential cult films of all time.

Grease runs at Birmingham Hippodrome until June 3.