Son of Grease

Cool Rider Live: 10 Years Later

April 14, 2024 · London Palladium

Ten years after its two sold-out nights at the Lyric Theatre, Cool Rider came back for one more ride — this time on the biggest stage in the West End. The tenth anniversary concert played the London Palladium on Sunday, April 14, 2024, produced by TuckShop with Christopher D. Clegg and James DP Drury.

Cool Rider Live in Concert poster: a pink-lit leather jacket and bowling ball, billing Ashleigh Gray, Aaron Sidwell, Kitty Scott-Claus and Maxwell Caulfield at the London Palladium

Ashleigh Gray and Aaron Sidwell returned to the roles they created in 2014, joined by RuPaul's Drag Race UK favorite Kitty Scott-Claus and, in a piece of casting no fan saw coming, Michael Carrington himself: Maxwell Caulfield, back at Rydell four decades later as Mr Stuart. The company also included Tom Senior, Hannah Levane, Jacob Fowler, Courtney Bowman, Kyle Cox, Harry Francis and Lucinda Lawrence, several of whom had sung on the 2014 shows or the studio cast album.

Clegg directed, with Lee Freeman back as musical director, choreography by Matt Krzan, lighting by Toby Darvill and sound by Will Thompson, building on Guy Unsworth's original direction.

On the night

  • The full company on the Palladium stage under blue and purple beams
  • The concert seen from the side of the Palladium auditorium
  • Spotlight beams crossing the stage above the band and cast
  • Five performers in pink jackets and skirts singing at microphones
  • A line of performers in leather jackets with arms outstretched
  • The company spread across the stage in pink light
  • Three performers silhouetted with arms raised
  • Two performers embracing under pink light
  • A performer holding a prop aloft mid-number
  • Two performers sharing microphones, one in a red skirt
  • Four performers at microphones, one in a tan suit
  • A performer singing downstage with the company seated behind
  • A performer singing from the top of a stepladder in a spotlight
  • A performer singing under warm red light
  • Three performers in red varsity jackets at microphones
  • The company in pink and white at microphones
  • A performer singing alone in a spotlight
  • Four performers in leather jackets in front of the band
  • A performer in a grey suit at the microphone with the cast behind

Production photos by Mark Senior, from the show's Facebook post.

More on the night: BroadwayWorld, Stageberry and WestEndTheatre.com, plus the show's own Facebook page. Caroline Cronin's review for BroadwayWorld UK covers the show itself, and To Do List London gave it five stars.