Grease: Stewards Academy: Tuesday March 24th, 2026

GREASE is one of those musicals that is fairly straight forward to do but doing it well is quite another matter.

And then there is doing it brilliantly. Well doing it brilliantly is exactly what happened on Tuesday night at Stewards Academy.

Doing it brilliantly involved perfect singing, perfect acting and perfect choreography. All at the same time.

It started well with the theme song. This gave us a clue as to the energy levels. It also reminded us that we had the wonderful live band, that really makes all the difference.

Each actor really inhabited their role. They made each role their own. Yes, Hayden Lawless as Danny and Lara Miksovic as Sandy were brilliant but it was the supporting cast that was so strong.

Ivana Miksovic was a great cynical street wise Rizzo and Anastasia Kukina was equal to the task as Marty.

On the T-Birds side, Doody played by Cian Sensoy was a sensation. An actor who radiates so much enthusiasm.

Each was a foil for each other. A great example was Isabella Gold as Kenicke. They were not only good on their own but also worked so well with the T-Birds and the Pink Ladies.

Another matter was the fast paced script. The challenge is to keep up and yes they did. This is where expert direction of Abbie Martin shone through.

The first big number test was Summer Nights and they passed with flying colours.

And the audience loved it.

But one of the big tests for the stars were the big solo numbers. For young people, you are really exposed out there. The renditions of Sandra Dee, Sandy, Hoplessly Devoted were brilliantly sung. They inhabited the song, they dominated the stage. They had the audience in the palm of their hands.

Back to the supporting cast: Sonny played by Domino Graduszweski was the best comedy turn of the night. Frenchy played by Amelia Glafla was very endearing. You did feel for her!

There were also others who had smaller roles but still really carved out the characters: Samuel Nottingham’s Eugene; Rosie Bright’s Patty Simcox as well as Fleur Fairservice’s Jan and Logan Spry’s Roger.

We must also mention the thirty-plus ensemble. At one stage, there must have been over fifty on the Steward stage but again, great direction and choreography.

This came to the fore in the Hand Jive sequence. That was electric and really got the audience, well..hand-jiving.

Again the use of the ensemble to fill the whole theatre was inspired. It makes the whole audience feel part of the show, which we guess it should as it is a musical based around Rydell High being performed in a school.

Finally, Haydn and Lara were chosen as Danny and Sandy for a reason. They both possessed a lovely light touch, were great actors and even better singers.

What a great triumph. What a feel good musical and what a vital experience for all concerned. We get the feeling they all deserve their Easter break.

Verdict: Five Stars *****