Singer and actor Noel Sullivan will don the leather jacket of ‘Danny Zuko’ and become leader of the T Birds gang when he joins the cast of the smash hit musical Grease from 30 November 2009 to July 2010 at The Piccadilly Theatre.
Making his West End debut, Noel will star in the iconic role of ‘Danny’ and his sweetheart ‘Sandy’ will be played by Emma Stephens (Starlight Express, Saturday Night Fever), as they follow in the footsteps of screen idols John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John who famously played the roles in the hit 1978 movie.
Noel recently danced back into the limelight and thrilled audiences nationwide with the hugely successful tour of Flashdance: The Musical. He is set to leave West End audiences hopelessly devoted to his charms and jiving in the aisles, when he rock’n’rolls into Grease this November.
Noel joins the current class of Rydell High, which includes Stuart Ramsay (‘Kenickie’), Natalie Langston (‘Rizzo’), Michael Melmoe (‘Roger’), Laura Wilson (‘Jan’), Benjamin Ibbott (‘Doody’), Faye Brookes (‘Frenchy’), Bennett Andrews (‘Sonny’), Robyn Mellor (Marty’), Jamie Tyler (‘Eugene’), Lizzi Franklin (‘Patty’), Jason Capewell (‘Vince/Teen Angel), Marie Daly ‘(Miss Lynch’) and Kristina Macmillan (‘Cha Cha’), with other parts played by the ensemble.
Looking forward to his role in Grease, Noel says: “I'm thrilled to be joining the cast of Grease and making my West End debut in such a legendary show. ‘Danny' is a fantastic role and I'm so excited to be part of such a feel-good, all time favourite musical- it's a dream come true.”
Cardiff-born Noel Sullivan has an extensive choral background, having toured as a soloist with the Black Mountain Male Chorus of Wales (throughout the US). Noel is best known for his part in the record-breaking pop band Hear’say, formed through the nationwide TV talent search Popstars. After winning the prime time ITV show, Noel had huge success with Hear’say- the group became overnight celebrities and sold millions of records, performed a 36 date sold-out nationwide arena tour, starred at The Royal Variety Performance, achieved four Top 10 hits, and more (before their split in 2002). Noel has since returned to his first love, the stage and musical theatre, and has appeared in several successful productions including Fame (Edinburgh Playhouse), Love Shack, What A Feeling and Flashdance: The Musical (UK Tours), to acclaim. More recently, he appeared in the brand new show Simply Ballroom (Golden Nugget, Las Vegas) and featured on our screens in the reality show ‘Trust Me I’m a Holiday Rep’ for Channel 5. He also has numerous television and recording credits.
Grease returned to the West End on 25 July 2007 (with a press night on 8 August) and since its premiere the feel-good audience favourite has been seen by nearly 800,000 theatregoers at London’s Piccadilly Theatre, where it continues to enjoy huge popularity. Grease celebrated its second electrifying birthday this July and is now the longest running show in the venue’s history.
The smash-hit musical will celebrate its 1000th performance this December and tickets for the show are currently on sale until September 2010.
Since breaking out on Broadway in 1972, 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. The show features all the unforgettable songs from the hit film 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, teenage angst and young romance is timeless and universal.
This production originally opened in the West End in 1993 (co-produced with Robert Stigwood) where it enjoyed a fantastic run of 6 years. The last international tour of Grease was a phenomenal success, playing to sell-out audiences and smashing records at many venues. Since 1993, the show has been seen by audiences totalling over 9 million people in the UK alone.
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 (The Sound of Music, Starlight Express, Saturday Night Fever & BBC TV’s Strictly Come Dancing), Grease is produced in the West End by Paul Nicholas and David Ian, by arrangement with Robert Stigwood.