Interview: 'I Really Want People to Come and Have a Good Time!': Dan Partridge on Playing Danny Zuko, Audience Expectations, and GREASE in the 21st Century

Grease The Musical has now returned to the West End for another strictly limited season at the Dominion Theatre this summer.

BroadwayWorld UK caught up with Dan Partridge about his own return as Danny Zuko. We discussed what it's been like to have been a part of the show for over four years, how this production is different than the classic movie, and how being half deaf has affected his performance.

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What has it been like returning to Grease after its run last summer? 

It's great. This is my fourth time with the show. So it's really nice that, in terms of the material and the choreography, everything we do at night, I’m very comfortable with all that stuff. To return to the show's amazing, because when they bring in the new cast, that kind of thing of when you're in the rehearsal room, and you're like, “What’s my line?” That is eradicated for me, so I get the joy of just playing with the other actors and getting to see whatever other people are bringing and going, “Okay, I know we did it like this, but actually, this is fun!” It's been really nice. 

Do you feel you've been able to see yourself grow over this time within the role? 

Yeah, 100%. I’ve done the role since like, 2019, so I definitely feel like, as a performer, for one, I've grown a lot. But it's pushed me on my boundaries, too. When you have the same material it's nice, because every time you come back to it, doing the show night after night, I have more and more opportunities to explore and push myself within the boundaries and go, “Oh, maybe I'll try this little melody change or whatever” - Within the realms of what I should be doing! Yeah, I've definitely felt I've grown a lot during it.

What is it been like taking on the iconic role of Danny Zuko?

It’s been great! I've really tried to make it my own. I'll be coming up to 500 shows in a few weeks which is really cool! When I first signed on to do it was for like, four or five months, so to still be doing it . . . I really love it. But when I first got it, I had a little impostor syndrome. I was like, “Oh, I don't really look like that kind of Danny, dark hair with the sideburns and stuff . . . I feel like I shouldn't be doing it or it should’ve gone to someone who looks like him more,” which was a bit sad, actually. But I’ve definitely gone “No, this is my version of it.

I've been cast for a  reason because I can play the role and do what I need to do in the show.” So I've really loved having an opportunity to put my own stamp on something that has a really, really strong identity. And it's actually been really satisfying for people to come watch the show and go, “Oh, you're really different to John Travolta!” That's probably one of the most satisfying things, to go, “I've made creative choices to do this, that, and the other, and people dig it!”

How do you make a role like that your own? 

When people come to the theater and watch Grease, they expect a certain thing, and I do think that it's important to understand what that is. And there are certain things that have the “If it ain't broke, don't fix it” [Sings] It's electrifying! 

I'm not gonna say that line and not do it like this! But also, the role is a bit different, now. The way it's written, it’s a little more youthful and a little more raw, I would say. We've taken the show back to its original version. So it was basically a play with a few songs in it, originally in Chicago before going to New York, and then obviously in ‘78 they released the film. So it's nice because this is a new version of the show, you have license to go, “Let's try something new!” Let’s diversify this cast, let’s really think about how we can find those things in 1959 and really get an essence of what that was, but then we have an opportunity to show that in the light of 2023. It's nice to have new material.

What is it like bringing a musical from the 1950s to the modern day, while still keeping it relevant?

It's great, but it also has its challenges. There are some texts that you read and it's jarring. For one, some of the lyrics in “Greased Lightning,” you’ll be reading through the lyrics and go “Ah, this is really vulgar!” [laughs] But to be honest, we've had conversations about a lot of that kind of stuff.

For example, the racial diversity in the company, because we felt it was very important that it was diverse. Maybe in 1959, it would be a little more segregated and it maybe wouldn't be so integrated, but again, with it being 2023, we want to also represent the city that we're living in. And that's quite nice as well, to see people cast in roles that there's never really been before - the casting has been opened up a little bit. And that's been really wonderful for people of all kinds of backgrounds to come to see it and go, “Oh, I've never seen someone who looks like me play a role like that before!” So, it's also really exciting to do that. But on the other hand, we've also found that actually, to really show the characters for what they are, you sometimes have to lean into that. For example, Danny and Kenickie can be quite misogynistic characters. And when you have a script and you're reading these lines and you’re like, “Oh, God, this is a bit . . . Maybe we wouldn't talk like this nowadays? I don’t think I would act like that.” It's useful to lean into that, to show that for what it is. So the audience go, “Oh, that makes me feel a bit uncomfortable,” and ask those questions themselves. So yeah, it has its challenges doing it now, but it's also great to have those conversations.

Do you have any particular songs or scenes you're looking forward to coming back to?

Yeah, some numbers just always slap, you know what I mean? Like “Greased Lightning” is just . . . there's a tangible feeling, because we have the scene beforehand, and a lot of the scene work with the audience, you feel them going, “Oh, I don't recognise this,” because their reference point is often the film. “Oh, this is new information! Who's this character? Who's this policeman guy?” And then the car comes on, and we all know what that is! And when Kenickie starts the song, you get this real tangible feeling - you feel this murmuring in the audience. I love feeling the buzz that the company can feel from the audience. We're all in this together. I really love that.

Similarly, with the “Hand Jive,” when that kicks in with the band. And it's a huge theatre! The Dominion is over 2,000 seats, so it's a real big space, which is challenging in itself - It requires a lot of energy to hold the audience there. But the payoff is really great when you have these big numbers. For me, I'm half-deaf, and being in the space, I'm always having to work so hard to hear it. I don't know if it's anything related to that, but when I have the band and stuff as well, I feel that extra kind of support. And it gives me even more confidence to forget about all this and just enjoy the music and really lean into the energy of the time. I love it. 

How does being half-deaf affect your performance and how you work with a show like Grease The Musical?

I don't think about it as much anymore. It's basically not much in one ear, so I'm very much used to the level that I'm hearing. It can be hard when there's a lot of noise going on, but I think because I know the script so well now, I know where the lines are coming from. It's understanding the narrative and the story that we're telling. We're currently teching the show right now and this is quite a hard part. Because the other departments in the company, the Sound Department and stuff, they're all tweaking to see where everyone sits and where people's voices need to be high or low or whatever. And because they're figuring it out as well, I definitely find myself having to work pretty hard, but I'm kind of used to that. So I don't think of it as something extra I have to do. It’s just the way I'm operating. 

What do you hope audiences take away from Grease The Musical?

To be honest, I really want people to come and have a good time! Especially last year, we found that after Covid, it was just great to have people in a space, all enjoying a piece of theatre and having fun. That's one of the most important things - It's more important than ever to have that. But also, I would like to challenge what people think about this piece as well, and also to have fresh, new ideas. There are loads of productions around the world where creative teams are reinventing old pieces of theatre, and it's really exciting. And also going and challenging things that we're quite used to. I think it's quite healthy.

But also, I think there's a real connection with this piece and our childhoods and nostalgia - it's a real, passed-down, multi-generational thing that people will take ownership of. They go, “Oh, I used to watch that as a kid, it was the first movie musical I saw like on videotape!” Or “My mum loves that!” Or “My nan loves that!” People have a real sense of ownership, so people can get really protective over what they want it to be, so it is nice to challenge that and go, “Well, this is a bit different!” But ultimately, I just hope everyone has a good time. 

Have you had people talk to you about your different interpretation? 

Yeah, it's really, really nice. It's really satisfying. I love meeting people at stage door. But it is nice when people go, “Oh, this is cool!” Like Danny has a new solo in Act One called “How Big I’m Gonna Be.” And it’s this introspective song where Sandy has basically challenged him and he's the king of the school - no one's ever really challenged him in that way before, and not a woman! And so she's the only person who can really get under his skin and says, “Well, what have you ever done to actually be proud in your life?” And then he has a song - It's a really, really great song because it's basically a monologue. I really enjoy seeing people watching me during the song, because I see the audience and I can see they're all like, “What is this? Where’d this come from?” But it's really nice when people go, “Oh, this is cool, I never heard this one before! Is that a new song or something?” It’s great, but it is nice when they also get a bit of what they want, like, they got the car, they got the lights, the pyrotechnics. . . Sometimes you got to give the people what they want!

And finally, how would you describe Grease in one word?

Electrifying!

I had a feeling that’s what it was going to be!

It’s got to be that, right?

Grease runs for a limited season at the Dominion Theatre until 23 October.

Photo Credit: Manuel Harlan