Grease is the word and it’s hopelessly devoted to city stage

It’s got a groove. It’s got a feeling.

Sandy is Georgia Bergerson’s ultimate role and now, after an international career in musicals and a stint on the Survivor TV series, she is stepping back onto a stage she loves to star in Grease.

The Manawatu¯ Theatre Society is bringing the original high school musical to the Palmerston North stage and Bergerson said she is thrilled to be playing Sandy.

‘‘Olivia Newton John as Sandy was a favourite of mine and my mum too.

‘‘I always thought it would be a role I would love to play, so it’s great to be doing that at the Regent, which is a theatre I love.’’

It is a theatre that she has performed in many times before.

She grew up involved in Palmerston North’s musical-theatre scene and said some of the people she performed with when she was a child are involved in Grease as well.

‘‘It’s amazing to be performing with women who I looked up to when they were my age.’’

The show is the highest grossing movie musical of all time and Bergerson said to prepare herself, she re-watched the movie several times.

The Manawatu¯ Theatre’s version will be sticking as close to the film as possible and Bergerson said the director Steve Sayer has done a wonderful job.

‘‘He is so talented.

He really is just so amazing. It is awesome to work with him. ‘‘It is very inspiring.’’ Bergerson worked on the New Zealand touring production of Starlight Express and then went on to be involved in the same production in Germany.

She also worked on the stage production of Tarzan, before returning home to be a part of last year’s Survivor.

Bergerson said she was enjoying being back on her hometown stage and for now planned to stay on in New Zealand. ‘‘I’m aiming to go big.

‘‘I’m not going to sit and settle and think: ‘What if I did this?’’’

❚ Grease opens at The Regent on Broadway on April 6.