Louise Redknapp to play Teen Angel in GREASE at the Dominion Theatre
by Best of Theatre Staff on Thursday 12 January 2023, 9:22 am in Cast Changes and Announcements
English singer, songwriter and presenter Louise Redknapp will play Teen Angel in Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey’s iconic musical GREASE, which returns to the Dominion Theatre in London’s West End from 2 June 2023. Redknapp will perform from 2 June until 29 July, excluding Mondays.
Producers are also delighted to announce the return of 2022 cast members Dan Partridge as Danny, Olivia Moore as Sandy and Jocasta Almgill as Rizzo.
GREASE is directed by Nikolai Foster and choreographed by Dame Arlene Phillips, with further casting to be announced.
Louise Redknapp rose to prominence in girl band Eternal before embarking on a successful solo career in 1995. She then worked as a presenter on documentaries such as The Truth about Size Zero and Something For The Weekend in 2009 before joining the judging panel on the second series of BBC1’s So You Think You Can Dance. Making her stage debut in 2017, she starred as Sally Bowles in the National Tour of Cabaret before returning to music, with a sell-out live show. In January 2018. Louise signed a global publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music before making her 2019 West End debut as the lead role of Violet Newstead in Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 The Musical at The Savoy Theatre, later reprising the role for the touring version throughout 2021 and 2022. After signing a worldwide recording deal with Warner Music, Louise released her first studio album in 20 years, Heavy Love, and announced her first non-fiction book, Sunday Times Best Seller You Got This in August 2020. Since then, she joined the cast of Fatal Attraction directed by Loveday Ingram and signed to BMG Music worldwide. In 2023, Louise celebrates 30 years in the entertainment industry.
Louise said “As the biggest fan of Grease growing up I was thrilled to be asked to join the cast in the role of Teen Angel. Traditionally seen as a male role, I’m excited to be given the opportunity to shake it up and play it from a new perspective under the direction of Nikolai Foster.”
In 2022, GREASE was seen by over 500,000 people in the West End, making it the Dominion Theatre’s most successful summer run since We Will Rock You. GREASE recently received 4 WhatsOnStage Award nominations for Best Musical Revival, Best Choreography for Arlene Phillips and Best Supporting Performer in a Musical for original cast members Jocasta Almgill and Paul French.
This production of GREASE is dedicated to the memory of Olivia Newton-John, who sadly passed away in August 2022.
GREASE originally opened in Chicago in 1971, followed by a move to Broadway in 1972, where it received seven Tony Award nominations, including one for Best Musical. During the show's eight-year run at the time, little known actors including Peter Gallagher, Patrick Swayze and John Travolta all appeared in the production, with Richard Gere understudying many roles before going on to star as Danny Zuko in the 1973 London premiere. GREASE was first performed at the Dominion Theatre in 1993 before transferring to the Cambridge Theatre in 1996. It returned to the West End, opening at the Piccadilly Theatre in 2007.
The 1978 film adaptation starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John is the fourth highest-grossing live action musical of all time. The musical features beloved songs, including Summer Nights, Greased Lightnin’, Hopelessly Devoted To You and You’re The One That I Want.
GREASE has designs by Colin Richmond, orchestrations and musical supervision by Sarah Travis, lighting design by Ben Cracknell, sound design by Tom Marshall and Richard Brooker, video and projection design by Douglas O’Connell and casting by David Grindrod CDG.
This production of GREASE is produced by Colin Ingram for InTheatre Productions, Donovan Mannato, Playing Field, Gavin Kalin, and Curve.