Grease upstaged by Covid as Hamilton cast struck by Covid

Never mind Greased Lightnin' - the cast has been struck by Covid. Photo / Mark Hamilton

Not only was the Grease musical automatic, systematic and hydromatic, but sadly the production has become symptomatic too.

Many cast and crew have been testing positive for Covid-19, so the Clarence St Theatre Trust has had to cancel shows for the rest of this week, despite having triple-cast some roles.

Clarence St Theatre general manager Jason Wade says it is hoped that enough of the cast will be well enough to go ahead with performances scheduled for Monday to Saturday, December 13 to 17 and the trust is working to add two extra shows on December 18 and 19.

The trust had tried its best to prepare for Covid eventualities, announcing at the end of November that the production of Grease was cast at 130 per cent, including two understudies for the main characters.

Grease director Kyle Chuen was mindful of the impact Covid can have on a production after also having directed That Bloody Woman and says for the musical in August, all the understudies got to perform, some for the entire season.

It looks like not even the best planning ahead could have outsmarted the unpredictable Covid, so the trust is set to add two additional shows to the original season - Sunday and Monday, December 18 and 19.

The trust is also looking at possibly staging another week of the show in April if the company, crew and band are available.

Wade says he understands how disappointing this will be for those who have tickets, but he hopes they will empathise.

“Our thoughts go out to our wonderful company, crew and band who all have done such a superb job to this point and were killing it with their infectious and amazing talented performances that audiences were loving,” Wade says.

Ticket holders will be able to move their tickets to attend a performance next week or in April, or, should the new dates or next week not suit, they can get a refund.