Jason Donovan is Teen Angel

Jason Donovan is Teen Angel

Matinee favourite Jason Donovan will play Teen Angel at certain performances in a new production of Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey’s iconic musical GREASE, at the Dominion Theatre. Donovan’s first performance will be Wednesday 29 June. GREASE is directed by Nikolai Foster and choreographed by Arlene Phillips.

Jason Donovan first appeared as Scott Robinson in the hit Australian series Neighbours in the 1980s. He then followed on as a recording artist and had several hit songs in the late 1980s. His album Ten Good Reasons was the best-selling album of 1989.  His hit songs included Too Many Broken Hearts, Especially For You (with Kylie Minogue), Any Dream Will Do, Sealed With A Kiss, and many more.  On stage, he had a record-breaking run in Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat  and subsequently starred in The Rocky Horror Show, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, The Sound of Music, Annie Get Your Gun, The King’s Speech, Million Dollar Quartet, Jeff Wayne’s The War Of The Worlds and Chicago. In 2019 and 2021, Jason spent the summer months at the London Palladium as Pharaoh in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and is currently starring in the UK tour. Jason’s recent TV credits include ITV’s Dial M for Middlesbrough and Dave’s Meet the Richardson’s.

Jason Donovan said “As a lifelong fan of the show, I’m thrilled to be joining the cast of Grease in the role of Teen Angel at the Dominion Theatre for 6 weeks this year. While I may have missed the boat on playing Danny, the Teen Angel seemed like the perfect fit. I especially look forward to those few performances I get to perform with Peter Andre as Vince Fontaine. Who would have thought two Aussie’s would take to the West End in such a well-loved musical, singing the most iconic songs? Roll on June”

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Also in the cast are Dan Partridge (Link Larkin in Hairspray UK tour & Pepper in MAMMA MIA! West End) and Olivia Moore (Waitress at the Adelphi Theatre & Heathers at Theatre Royal Haymarket) as Danny and Sandy respectively, with Jocasta Almgill (& Juliet at Shaftesbury Theatre) as Rizzo, Paul French (Grease UK tour) as Kenickie, Noah Harrison (Arts Educational School graduate) as Roger, Mary Moore (Little Women at Park Theatre) as Jan, Jake Reynolds (professional debut) as Doody, Lizzy-Rose Esin-Kelly (A Chorus Line at Curve) as Marty, Damon Gould (Pretty Woman: The Musical at Savoy Theatre) as Sonny, Eloise Davies (Be More Chill at The Other Palace) as Frenchie, Darnell Mathew James (Urdang Academy graduate) as Eugene, Jessica Croll (Hairspray UK tour) as Patty Simcox, Katie Lee (Matilda The Musical at Cambridge Theatre) as Cha Cha, Ronan Burns (West Side Story at Curve) as Johnny Casino and Corinna Powlesland (An Officer and A Gentleman at Regents Park Open Air Theatre) as Miss Lynch. Darren Bennett (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at the Savoy Theatre) will play Officer Mailie and Vince Fontaine at certain performances. They are joined by Jack Harrison-Cooper, Pearce Barron, Ben Culleton, Rishard-Kyro Nelson, Ellie Kingdon, Kamilla Fernandes, Remi Ferdinand, Kalisha Johnson, Zack Guest, Imogen Bailey, Kevin O’Dwyer and Carly Miles.

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.

Patrons are advised to check the website for his performance schedule.