The ex-Hear’say singer and the former child star of long-running BBC sitcom 2 Point 4 Children will play lead characters Danny and Sandy in the 1950s set musical Grease which runs throughout August.The show, which has a budget of around £200,000 – less than a professional touring musical would usually cost the Opera House for this period – is the venue’s first move towards becoming a producing house.The two stars arrived in Jersey for the first time last night for a flying visit before coming back to start rehearsals on 7 July.
From that date they will be permanently based in the Island until the show ends its three-week run on 23 August.’To be invited to perform in the first professional production by Jersey Opera House is quite an honour,’ said Mr Sullivan on the prospect of his first job since Hear’say split.
‘It didn’t take much to convince me to come to Jersey for the summer, I’ve heard great things about the Island.’Since the end of 2 Point 4 Children, Clare Buckfield has toured the country in musical theatre and the Opera House will be one of the smaller venues she has played.
However, she described the theatre as one of the nicest she had seen.’It’s beautiful, absolutely stunning,’ She said.
‘I’ve never been to Jersey before, but my friend Jonathan Wilkes, who was in Rocky Horror, said: “”you have to come here it’s such a lovely place””.’Although the pair have never performed together before, Opera House general manager and director of the show Ian Stephens, is confident that they are well suited to play the roles made famous by John Travolta and Olivia Newton John in the 1978 film version.’I think they are fantastic together and seeing the two of them I know we are going to have an exhilarating summer,’ he said.Grease opens on Friday 1 August.
The rest of the cast, which is to be all professional is yet to be announced.
