Review: Grease the Musical at Ipswich Regent delights crowds

The two-and-a-half-hour long play is carried by a whole ensemble of cast members singing and dancing, which is one of the most gripping parts of the play, as all of them do their bit to pull you into it.

The cast was also set with the task of playing around with huge set pieces such as a staircase that remained throughout the play and the emblematic Grease lightning car. 

Leads Marley Fenton and Hope Dawe (Image: Contributor)

This gave the set a bigger depth and gave the audience a chance to look at something other than the actors.

Sadly, at times, some lines felt mumbled and unclear, partly due to the American accents on show. 

With the first half of the performance having less singing and more dialogue, the mumbles led to the cast losing the crowd a little. 

But after the 15-minute break, they came back with high-energy singing and dancing, winning the audience back, who couldn't help but move around to the music in their seats. 

Hope Dawe playing Sandy Bumbrowski gives a stand out performance (Image: Grease the Musical, picture; Marc Brenner)

It was during this half that Hope Dawe, who played the lead character Sandy Dumbrowski, gave the stand-out performance of the act while singing her rendition of Hopelessly Devoted to You. 

She was acting alongside Marley Fenton, who played Danny Zuko, along with supporting actors Rebecca Stenhouse and George Michaelides, who portrayed the parts of Betty Rizzo and Kenickie, respectively. 

Overall the performance was fun and playing off high energy (Image: Marc Brenner)

All of them gave great performances and were using the stage and the audience's energy to their benefit, but none came close to Dawe's singing. 

While the play was, in parts, let down by the dialogue, what kept it going was the fun that the actors seemed to be having on stage. 

The play will stay at the Regent Theatre till Saturday, May 25.