GREASE UK Tour Finds Its Pink Ladies and T-Birds; Full Cast Announced!

Grease is the word! Full casting is announced for the hit '70s musical, which returns this year for a UK tour.

Casting for the tour includes Tom Parker (The Wanted) who makes his musical theatre debut playing Danny Zuko, Danielle Hope (Over the Rainbow winner) who plays Sandy, Louisa Lytton (Strictly Come Dancing, EastEnders) who plays Rizzo and Darren Day* (Celebrity Big Brother) who returns to Grease to play Teen Angel seventeen years after playing Danny in the West End.

Completing the cast are Tom Senior as Kenickie, Michael Cortez as Sonny, Oliver Jacobson as Roger, Ryan Heenan as Doody, Callum Evans as Eugene, Lauren Atkins as Marty, Rosanna Harris as Jan, Rhiannon Chesterman as Frenchy, Gabriella Williams as Patty and Ailsa Davidson as Lynch. The ensemble includes Charlotte Coggin, Anthony Hughes, Alessia McDermott, Natasha Mould, Anna Murray, George Olney, Rory Phelan and Grant Thresh.

Since opening on Broadway in 1972 and the smash hit movie starring John Travolta and Olivia Netown-John, Grease's place has been firmly established in the cultural Hall of Fame, having seduced the hearts of millions with its back-to-back sizzling tunes. It's the original high-school musical featuring everyone's favourite characters - Sandy, Danny, the groovy T Birds, the sassy Pink Ladies and the whole gang at Rydell High - and all the unforgettable songs from the hit movie including You're The One That I Want, Grease Is The Word, Summer Nights, Hopelessly Devoted to You, Sandy, Greased Lightnin' and many more.

Voted the "No 1 Greatest Musical"**, Grease has proved that a musical love story, bursting with denim, cheerleaders, slick hairstyles, rock'n'roll, 1950's pop culture and an irresistible mix of teenage angst and young romance is timeless and universal. Grease is the ultimate feel-good, pick-me-up musical - an electrifying extravaganza, packed with fun, energy and vibrant physicality. The show is guaranteed to thrill audiences and leave everyone hand-jiving the night away with "A-wop-bop-a-loo- bop, a wop-bam-boom!"

This award-winning production originally opened in the West End in 1993 where it enjoyed a hugely successful run of 6 years at the Dominion and Cambridge Theatres. The show has since toured throughout the world playing to sell-out audiences and breaking box office records everywhere, having been seen by over 12 million people in the UK alone.

Tom Parker has amassed worldwide success with his band The Wanted, achieving two UK number 1s and 9 top 10 singles as well as 4 Billboard 100 singles, with Glad You Came placing in the top 5 and selling over 900,000 records. The band have had three platinum albums, two sold out arena tours, and 3 million singles sold in America. Tom is also a winner of BBC Radio 1's Teen Choice Award and US People's Choice Award with The Wanted.

Danielle Hope made her professional debut as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium, after capturing the hearts of the country and winning the BBC's smash hit Over The Rainbow having competed against over 9,000 girls. She went on to star as Eponine in the West End production of Les Miserables (Queen's Theatre) - a role to which she most recently returned, Cathy in The Last Five Years (Greenwich Theatre & Warren Theatre, Brighton), Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (National Tour) and Maria Rainer in The Sound of Music (National Tour).

Louisa Lytton trained at the Sylvia Young Theatre School and secured her first professional role as the innocent schoolgirl Ruby Allen in EastEnders. Following this Louisa joined The Bill, playing the inexperienced and shy police officer Beth Green. She has since enjoyed a host of varied roles, from parts in the internationally successful American Pie franchise, to the British Shakespeare Company's productions of both A Midsummer Night's Dream and Much Ado About Nothing. Most recently she has appeared in the new prime-time ITV comedy drama The Edge of Heaven, filmed a thriller due to be released in Oct 2017 called Fractured, appeared in the Canadian period drama Murdoch Mysteries and starred in the touring production of Swap!. Aside from acting, Louisa reached the quarter-finals in the fourth series of Strictly Come Dancing, and subsequently toured the country as part of the sold- out Strictly Come Dancing arena tour. She also represented the UK in the 2008 Eurovision Dance Contest. Louisa recently took park in Channel 4's The Jump.

Darren Day made his stage debut playing Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat in the West End and on tour internationally establishing him as a star of the stage. His many other leading West End credits include Don in Summer Holiday and Tony in Copacabana. On tour he has played the title role in Alfie, Billy Bigelow in Carousel, Pip in Great Expectations, Jesus in Godspell, Frank N. Furter in The Rocky Horror Show, Cornelius Hackle in Hello Dolly and Khashoggi in We Will Rock You. Darren is also a recognised recording artist and a prominent face on television both as an actor and presenter. His television credits include Holby City, Crime Stories, Doctors, The Bill, Mile High, Harry Hill's Extreme Soap and French and Saunders. He is also known for his role as Hollyoaks bad-guy Danny Houston and won the hearts of viewers when he became a finalist in the 2016 series of Celebrity Big Brother.

Written by Jim Jacobs and WarRen Casey, directed by David Gilmore (Daisy Pulls It Off, Happy Days, Song & Dance, Footloose) and choreographed by Arlene Phillips (Starlight Express, Saturday Night Fever, Flashdance The Musical & BBC's Strictly Come Dancing), designed by Terry Parsons, with costumes by Andreane Neofitou. Grease is presented by Paul Nicholas and David Ian.

For more information, visit www.greasethemusical.co.uk.

TOUR DETAILS:

Palace Theatre, Manchester 10 March - 25 March 2017 Website: www.atgtickets.com Box Office: 0844 871 3019

New Theatre, Oxford
28 March - 1 April 2017 Website: www.atgtickets.com Box Office: 0844 871 3020

Liverpool Empire, Liverpool
3 April - 8 April 2017 Website: www.atgtickets.com Box Office: 0844 871 3017

Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-on-Sea
11 April - 15 April 2017
Website: www.southendtheatres.org.uk Box Office: 01702 351135

New Wimbledon Theatre, Wimbledon 24 April - 29 April 2017
Website: www.atgtickets.com
Box Office: 0844 871 7646

Sunderland Empire, Sunderland 1 May - 6 May 2017
Website: www.atgtickets.com Box Office: 0844 871 3022

King's Theatre, Glasgow
9 May - 20 May 2017 Website: www.atgtickets.com Box Office: 0844 871 7648

Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent 22 May - 27 May 2017 Website: www.atgtickets.com Box Office: 0844 871 7649

Birmingham Hippodrome, Birmingham
29 May - 3 June 2017
Website: www.birminghamhippodrome.com Box Office: 0844 338 5000

Bristol Hippodrome, Bristol
5 June - 10 June 2017 Website: www.atgtickets.com Box Office: 0844 871 3012

Mayflower Theatre, Southampton 27 June - 8 July 2017
Website: www.mayflower.org.uk Box Office: 02380 711811

New Victoria Theatre, Woking 10 July - 15 July 2017 Website: www.atgtickets.com Box Office: 0844 871 7645

Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff 17 July - 29 July 2017
Website: www.wmc.org.uk
Box Office: 029 2063 6464

Bord Gáis Energey Theatre, Dublin
1 August - 12 August 2017
Website: www.bordgaisenergytheatre.ie Box Office: +353 (1) 677 7999

Venue Cymru, Llandudno
14 August - 19 August 2017 Website: www.venuecymru.co.uk Box Office: 01492 872000

Princess Theatre, Torquay
21 August - 26 August 2017 Website: www.atgtickets.com Box Office: 0844 871 3023

Milton Keynes Theatre, Milton Keynes 28 August - 2 September 2017 Website: www.atgtickets.com
Box Office: 0844 871 7652

Edinburgh Playhouse, Edinburgh
11 September - 16 September 2017 Website: www.atgtickets.com
Box Office: 0844 871 3014

Regent Theatre, Ipswich
2 October - 7 October 2017 Website: www.apps.ipswich.gov.uk Box Office: 01473 433100

His Majesty's Theatre, Aberdeen
13 November - 18 November 2017
Website: www.aberdeenperformingarts.com Box Office: 01224 641 122

Orchard Theatre, Dartford
21 November - 25 November 2017 Website: www.orchardtheatre.co.uk Box Office: 01322 220 000

Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton 27 November - 2 December 2017 Website: www.grandtheatre.co.uk Box Office: 01902 429 212

Further tour dates to be announced.

*Darren will be playing all venues up until 29 April 2017.
** (100 Greatest Musicals, Channel 4)