Me and Teen Angel... We Go Together, says Peter
Singer and actor Peter Andre is looking forward to spending some Summer Nights in Birmingham as part of a grittier production of the musical Grease. ROZ LAWS reports
IT’S going to be electrifying! Get ready for a fresh take on one of our favourite musicals. The first new production of Grease in 25 years is on a UK tour and coming to Birmingham. And while the fantastic songs and story remain the same, expect this version to be young, dynamic and bold.
The two unknown but talented leads look like they could actually still be in high school. Sandy is less of a sappy walkover than we remember from Olivia NewtonJohn’s sweet character. And there’s an underlying grittiness to the plot and setting of urban Chicago.
Audiences can also look forward to an authentic 1950s feel, thanks to new choreography from Strictly star Arlene Phillips who has researched the dances of the era.
Flying in for most of the Birmingham performances will be Peter Andre as Teen Angel.
Producer Colin Ingram says: “This is Grease for a new generation – fresh, relevant, vibrant and young.
“It’s still got the wonderful songs but this is not a karaoke version. It’s about telling the story and putting the grit back into Grease. We’ve given it an edge which will work better with a modern audience.’’
He adds: “I believe we have found a complete star in Martha Kirby, who hasn’t even graduated yet.”
Martha, 22, says: “My Sandy has more of a backbone. Our generation of women are strong-minded so we’ve brought a modern take to it.”
Danny Zuko is played by 26-yearold Dan Partridge, who says: “I am obsessed with Grease. It’s a joke with my friends how much I love it. It was the first show I was in, playing Danny at 12 with a leather jacket that was too big for me.”
He’s looking forward to coming to Birmingham for some Summer Loving, and making better memories than his only “disastrous” trip to the city.
“I was stuck in Birmingham one New Year’s Eve after I missed the last train. I was working in Hereford and caught a cab that cost £90. Then I left my wallet in the taxi.”
Peter Andre is playing Teen Angel and when he sings Beauty School Drop-out to Frenchie, with the message don’t drop out of school, that’s particularly close to hios heart.
Peter’s telling it to his own children and it’s a lesson he was taught by his father when he won New Faces in Australia at 16 and was offered a record contract.
Peter, 46, remembers: “I was the happiest person alive, but Dad was very strict and said I had to stay on at school.
“I was panicking, thinking they would back out of the deal but they waited for me to finish. Then my first job was opening for Madonna.
“Dad would say ‘You want that prize at the top of the mountain? Get climbing’. Now my kids see me at the top and don’t understand about climbing. But I tell them they have to do well at school and put the effort in.”
Making his musical debut in Grease is a dream come true for Peter.
He smiles: “I loved the film Grease, I must have seen it at least 15 times. That, along with Back to the Future, are my two favourite films. If I could have a time machine, I’d go back to the 1950s.
“At school I dressed like the Fonz, with a leather jacket, white T-shirt and blue jeans.
“Now I get to fly in on wires as Teen Angel. I haven’t told them yet I’m scared of heights! I’ve never sky dived or bungee jumped. But I’ll be fine, I hope.”
Peter is missing some of the performances due to other commitments.
But he may be returning to Birmingham more regularly if an investment goes through.
“I love Birmingham, in fact I’m thinking of buying a property there. I think it’ll be a gold mine when they’ve built the new high speed train line. I’ve been talking about it with my wife Emily.’’
He adds: “When I think of Birmingham I think of great curries and loyal fans. Some of them still wait outside the hotel.”
Pete has four children – Junior, 13, and Princess, 11, and Amelia, five, and two-year-old Theodore with doctor Emily, 29.
His eldest two have grown up in public but he tries to keep his younger two out of the limelight, which has recently meant some explaining.
“Amelia had never seen me on stage but I took her to the cinema to see Thomas the Tank Engine, as I was the voice of a car called Ace.
She could hear my voice and was really confused. How could Dad be a car?
“Then she said ‘People at school asked me, is your dad Peter Andre? Are you? How do they know you?’. I didn’t know what to tell her but I said ‘I’m friends with everyone’. It is a weird thing.”
Teen Angel’s halo is fitting for nice guy Pete. But there is one thing that brings out his devilish side – food.
“I think food is such a joy. I exercise a lot so I can eat whatever I want. What’s my favourite food? Everything! There’s nothing you can put in front of me that I’d say ‘no thanks’. I love it all.”
Grease runs at Birmingham Hippodrome from August 13-24. For tickets ring
0844 338 5000 or go to birminghamhippodrome.com.