Ricky Wilson joins Grease immersive musical as Teen Angel
Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson is joining Grease: The Immersive Movie Musical as Teen Angel at Battersea Park's Evolution London. The Secret Cinema production runs from July 22 to September 13, with Wilson singing Beauty School Drop Out in a glittery suit. He joked he is "a terrible actor" but happy to play himself in the short, high-impact role.
Key Takeaways
- Ricky Wilson plays Teen Angel in Grease: The Immersive Movie Musical at Evolution London in Battersea Park.
- The limited Secret Cinema run is scheduled from July 22 to September 13.
- Wilson sings Beauty School Drop Out and says there is "a modicum of acting" because he is "a terrible actor."
- As a teen at Leeds Grammar School in 1993, he had a minor Grease role and believes he is the only cast member to become a professional singer.
- He has turned down full musical-theatre runs because eight shows a week clash with Kaiser Chiefs commitments.
What role is Ricky Wilson playing in Grease?
Wilson will appear as Teen Angel, Frenchy's heavenly mentor, in the immersive staging. He will don a glittery suit and deliver Beauty School Drop Out.
According to the Hackney Gazette, he has "a big part" but is on for a very short time. "There is a modicum of acting which is good because I am a terrible actor - I am playing myself really," he said. "It's fun and I get a shiny hot costume to wear."
How does the immersive Grease show work?
Grease: The Immersive Movie Musical mixes live action with the original film. Audiences sit on the bleachers at Rydell High, ride the funfair, and eat hot dogs and milkshakes while the show unfolds around them.
Wilson said the film plays during rehearsals. "I am surprised how much I know it," he noted. The Secret Cinema production returns to Battersea Park through September 13 at Evolution London, Chelsea Bridge Gate, Queenstown Road.
More celebrity breaking news is tracking the Battersea casting as theatre fans chase tickets for the limited run.
Why does this Grease casting feel like karma for Ricky Wilson?
The booking has personal roots. At Leeds Grammar School in 1993, Wilson was cast in a minor Grease role. "I had a minor role so this is my 'I will show you' vindication to the casting director at school," he said.
"I believe out of the entire cast of Grease in 1993 I am the only one who's gone on to become a professional singer." An ex-girlfriend from that cast still has the performance on VHS - including Wilson pretending to play guitar - material he joked could one day surface on the Graham Norton Show.
Why take this job and not a full West End musical?
Now "knocking on 50," happily married to wife Grace with four-year-old twins, and long based in north London, Wilson says he is freer to say yes to fun projects. "I have got to a fortunate age when I'm asked 'would you like to do it?' there's no thought of 'is this the right thing to do?' It's more 'can I do it?'"
He has been asked to do musical theatre before, but eight shows a week is too much commitment while Kaiser Chiefs remain his "prominent front hustle." The Leeds band - named after South African club Kaizer Chiefs in honour of Lucas Radebe - broke through with Employment in 2005 and hits including I Predict a Riot and Ruby. Wilson also spent three years as a coach on BBC's The Voice.
He still rehearses with the band in the same Leeds room where they started, and recently described getting the Tube and train alone to Luton for a Spain trip - a far cry from earlier rock-star airport transfers.