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Just When You Thought Grease Couldn't Get Any More Nostalgic, Frenchie Walked On

24 Jul 2026

There are plenty of immersive theatre experiences these days. Usually, they involve actors pretending to be people from a film. Secret Cinema has just raised the stakes by producing someone who actually was.

A lovely piece of theatre serendipity

Audiences at Grease: The Immersive Movie Musical in Battersea Park got an unexpected bonus this week when Didi Conn, the original Frenchie from the 1978 film, appeared during Beauty School Dropout. As Ricky Wilson, temporarily swapping Kaiser Chiefs anthems for heavenly harmonies as Teen Angel, serenaded Jess Smith's Frenchie, a second Frenchie suddenly appeared. If you'd paid extra for that surprise, it would probably have been worth it.

Conn, who looked delighted to be back in pink, later declared, "Grease is still the word!" before throwing in an enthusiastic "A wop Baba Lu mop ahh wop Bam Boom!" because, after nearly 50 years, why stop now?

It's a lovely piece of theatre serendipity. The woman who helped make Frenchie one of cinema's most lovable beauty-school disasters sharing the stage with the latest incarnation of the role.

The appearance comes as Secret Cinema's immersive production returns after last year's sold-out run, inviting audiences to wander around Rydell High before settling in for a live recreation of the film. It's already a clever idea. Adding the original Frenchie, even for one night, is the sort of thing you can't put on the poster.

Which is rather the point.

Photo credit: Danny Kaan

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