It was the sort of show Bradford loves: hit tunes, big production numbers, flashy costumes...

So why, I wondered last night, didn't the audience lap it up?

The Alhambra was packed pretty well to the rafters, and there was no doubt that the crowd enjoyed it.

But dancing in the aisles they were not.

Neither were they stomping their feet or even cheering with any gusto.

Perhaps they were still thinking about how much they'd paid for their tickets.

It was money well spent, I'd have thought. Grease is a big show, in every sense of the word. The sets, the choreography, and especially the performances are quite stunning.

There's a revelation, too, in the casting of Luke Goss, late of Bros, in the pivotal role of Danny Zuko.

Though he has clearly modelled his performance on that of John Travolta, his comedy timing is uniquely his own and his stage presence considerable.

He was at his best in the high school dance sequence, dressed to the nines. Moss Bros.

Luke's voice sounded last night to be a mite strained, although the sound system wasn't doing him any favours. Nor was it helping to carry the multiple vocals on Summer Nights.

The Fifties high school atmosphere was nicely evocative, though. Alison Carter as Sandy has a terrific voice, and John McManus as the bookish Eugene was a further standout.

The two-dimensional car in the Greased Lightning number was a disappointment, but at least there was a laser light effect to compensate.

Grease runs here for four weeks. It would be nice, before its time is up, to see the Alhambra shaken up by a little foot stomping.

David Behrens

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.