The musical, ‘Grease’, really brought the crowds to the Chemainus Theatre this summer. (Cim MacDonald photo)

The musical, ‘Grease’, really brought the crowds to the Chemainus Theatre this summer. (Cim MacDonald photo)

‘Grease’ attendance figures top all Chemainus shows

Summer visitors and locals to the Cowichan Valley have been flocking to the theatre

It’s been a long, hot, and successful summer at Chemainus.

Grease is the word and it is now our all-time best selling production. This is the first time we’ve sold out an entire production run — remarkable considering it’s nearly three months long. This likely places us in a small group of North American theatres that have experienced a complete sell-out over a continuous run of this length — 98 performances,” Randal Huber, Chemainus Theatre’s managing director, said.

Produced by the theatre 40 years after the hit 1978 movie starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, the songs and story of Grease have not lost their appeal for audiences on Vancouver Island.

Summer visitors and locals to the Cowichan Valley have been flocking to the theatre and to enjoy favourite tunes such as ‘Summer Nights’ and ‘Greased Lightning’. Throughout its show run, even the town of Chemainus has worked to support this particular summer hit with events such as the downtown Classic Car Show, hosted by Tourism Chemainus.

The reviews for Grease have been outstanding, with audiences leaving the theatre with smiles on their faces every day.

Earlier this summer, Chemainus Theatre announced they have secured the rights to Mamma Mia, and the response has been excellent. Audiences are using social media to tag friends and have begun to plan a visit to Chemainus next year to see this popular musical.

The rest of the 2019 season will be announced this fall, followed by season ticket sales, and single tickets to go on sale in the New Year.

Huber congratulated “the hard-working cast and creative team of Grease for putting on such a successful and fantastic show! Time and time again we have heard compliments about the set, costumes and how incredible every cast member was in their performance.”

Cowichan Valley Citizen