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Grease musical actress Olivia Moore broke news of Dame Olivia Newton-John’s death to audience: ‘It was really unfortunate’-Alicia Adejobi-Entertainment – Metro
Olivia Moore is currently playing Sandy in the West End production.
Dame Olivia Newton-John (l) died at her home in California on Monday (Picture: Manuel Harlan, Getty Images)
The lead actress in the Grease musical has revealed how she broke the devastating news of Dame Olivia Newton-John’s death to the oblivious audience.
Grease star Dame Olivia died at her home in California on Monday at the age of 73. A cause of death was not revealed but the screen icon had battled breast cancer for 30 years.
As news of her death quickly spread, the audience watching the West End production of Grease were completely unaware.
Dame Olivia famously played Sandy in the classic musical alongside John Travolta, and the actress currently taking on her legendary role, Olivia Moore, said she felt a ‘mixed bag of emotions’ at having to share the news with the audience after learning of the news during the interval.
Moore said: ‘She absolutely was with us tonight in spirit and she’ll be with us for the rest of the run.
‘Tonight was such a special moment. Lots of people came into my dressing room to tell me and news spread quite quickly…
Olivia Moore is currently playing Sandy in Grease The Musical on the West End (Picture: Getty Images)
‘A lot of the audience didn’t know so it was really unfortunate to have to break the bad news to them.’
‘It was very, very surreal,’ she added to PA.
Moore, 26, revealed that she returned to the stage to sing Sandy’s famous number Hopelessly Devoted To You after hearing of her death.
The actress admitted: ‘I will never sing it the same now.
‘It’s an incredibly emotional song anyway, with the character and what’s happening… it’s incredibly moving and very empowering.
Dame Olivia famously played Sandy alongside John Travolta as Danny in Grease (Picture: REX/AP)
Dame Olivia had fought a highly-publicised battle with breast cancer (Picture: Rex Features)
‘So it was an amazing moment, but I felt like I was singing it for like the last time and… going on stage I felt so much pressure because I felt pressure to do it perfectly.
‘I was like “this one’s for her so I can’t be rubbish”.’
The cast of Grease The Musical released a joint statement paying tribute to Dame Olivia, saying: ‘Olivia Newton-John is an icon who has inspired countless young performers across the world, not least our company of Grease in the West End.
‘It is a huge honour to perform songs that she made world famous for thousands of fans, who continue to celebrate the legacy of this musical and her incredible talent.
‘Our thoughts are with Olivia’s family and loved ones at this difficult time.
‘We’d like to dedicate this evening’s performance and the rest of our run to Olivia’s memory and everything she represented.’
Tributes have poured in for Dame Olivia from around the world, with her Grease co-star Travolta – who played her love interest Danny – stating she ‘made all of our lives so much better’, while Kylie Minogue and Peter Andre are among the other stars to share fond memories.
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