Loving the fun and hidden depths of Grease on the Mayflower stage

The other 14 and a half times, as first cover for Sandy, it’s been Sandy that she has gone on as – all a great experience, says India who is on the road with the show with dates including from October 29-November 2 at Southampton’s Mayflower Theatre.

Quite apart from the challenge of occasionally being Sandy, India is finding plenty to discover in Marty in a show that everyone loves: “It is one of those shows that is going to live on and on. People have memories of when they first saw it in the cinema, and I know that I grew up watching it with my family. There is a nostalgia to it and it does feel personal to a lot of people. And the music just never goes out of style. The tunes are all great.”

And India is loving the way the show has developed as they have toured with it: “We've just done just over 100 performances now and it's definitely changed so much because I think within the cast the relationships have built up as we've got to know each other. I play Marty who's one of the Pink Ladies and so much of who she is in her relationship with the other Pink Ladies. And they have just really encouraged us to play with the roles and to relax into the roles and find something fresh. It's been great fun.

“My character comes across as super confident and sassy and womanly and in the Pink Ladies she is supposed to be the grown-up one or that's what she thinks but she's actually a compulsive liar. She wants to bring the gossip. But I think there is a layer of vulnerability to her and I think you see that in her song Freddy, My Love. There is a nod to the song in the film but it's not actually a full-blown production number in the film but it's such a great song. Freddy, My love is about a man in Japan who is sending her luxurious gifts but I think that she's actually making him up. She wants validation from the girls and she wants to be loved and she wants to be wanted, and I think he's just in her mind. Or at least that's my interpretation!”

And if India is not thinking about Marty, then she is thinking about Sandy, and again a big part of the fascination is in the interpretation. India knows that her Sandy is different to Sandy as portrayed by the usual Sandy in the show (Hope Dawe): “There are so many different ways that you can play the role.”

As for that half Sandy in India's tally of 14 and a half Sandys, it came when Hope was unwell and India had to take over: “Sandy is such an incredibly demanding vocal role and I think a lot of people underestimate the vocal agility that you have to have.”

India admits she's still learning about the business of covering roles: “But I do think that covers and understudies are the absolute heroes. You have to have a lot of strength but you also have to bring yourself to a very relaxed place so that you can do it without panicking. I'm still learning it and I'm learning how to look after my voice but also how to control my mental state. But most of the time you do get a reasonable amount of notice. For a 7.30pm show you would usually know by about 2 or 3pm. And obviously you always want to be perfect but I know there are a couple of times when maybe I'm just about to say Marty’s line as Sandy or Sandy's line as Marty. But it definitely helps that they are such different characters.”