I created the role of Bobby C, the insecure, awkward, and ultimately suicidal friend of Tony Manero.
To star in the West End had always been my dream, and to begin my career with a supporting lead role at The London Palladium in a £5million World Premiere production was beyond my imagination!
 I was offered the role of Bobby C in 1997 while in my final term at Central School of Speech and Drama. Rehearsals were due to begin in February 1998 - months away! In the interim I was invited to help workshop the script. The show’s Producers (Robert Stigwood, Paul Nicholas & David Ian), and the Director (Arlene Phillips), gathered together a group of actors, including the principle cast Adam Garcia, Anita Louise Combe, Richard Calkin & myself, the aim being to workshop and develop the original 1975 Film script into a workable musical book for this new stage version. Our challenge was to see how the Bee Gees songs would work in line with the characters.
When auditioning for the role of Bobby C I had been asked to sing the Bee Gees’ hit song ‘Tragedy’ (which didn’t appear in the film soundtrack), and was told the Bee Gees were writing a new original song for my character. However, at the beginning of the two-week workshop, instead of the expected new song, the piece I was given was a short musical introduction, ‘First And Last’, which led straight in to ‘Tragedy’. This would complete my characters ‘musical moment’. Arlene later told me the Producers had decided that ‘Tragedy’, and my particular interpretation of it, was perfect for the character of Bobby C and they therefore wanted to keep it in the show!
While going through the working script I noticed that a Bobby C line I particularly remembered from the movie, had been omitted. Bobby C is talking to the priest, Father Frank Jr, about his girlfriend’s unplanned pregnancy and is told that it would not be possible to get a dispensation from the Pope for an abortion. Bobby C replies: “If you play you pay!” I felt this was a wonderful character realisation and was delighted that Arlene Phillips was happy to reinsert it.
At the Official London Press launch held at The London Palladium on 22nd October 1997, Adam, Anita and I were announced as the show’s leading actors. Finally, we were able to meet the entire Creative Team, including Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb … the Bee Gees! I have never seen so many flashing cameras and paparazzi! I suddenly realised how big this show was going to be … and that I was a part of it!
At the beginning of 1998 I was called to ‘Hustle Dance Classes’ at the Pineapple Dance Studios. Thankfully, it wasn’t a reflection on my dancing skills as all the cast were called, and I joined them in two sweaty, exhausting weeks of fairly complicated Disco partner-work, only to realise that I probably wouldn’t need to do any in the show as Bobby C would hardly be a ‘dance-dynamite’ on the dance floor! Great fun though!During my exhilarating year in ‘Saturday Night Fever’ I got to do some unforgettably amazing things:
- I helped to rewrite the lyrics at the end of ‘First & Last Tragedy’
- During rehearsals the entire cast were invited to perform the musical number ‘Night Fever’ on the variety show ‘Sunday Night at the Palladium’ hosted by Bruce Forsyth
- I recorded ‘First & Last Tragedy’ as part of the Original London Cast Recording of the show
- I was asked to appear in the ‘Night Fever’ pop video AND performed in it on ‘Top Of The Pops’ on BBC1
- The entire cast were invited to perform a medley of songs from the show at the very first ‘Party In The Park’ in aid of The Princes Trust at Hyde Park … in front of over 100,000 people!
All in all it was a most amazing year … and a wonderful beginning to my career!
‘Saturday Night Fever’ ran in the West End for just under two years and opened at The Minskoff Theatre on Broadway in 1999 where it ran for over a year. It has gone on to be performed on a UK & US Tour, plus productions in Germany, Australia and many other countries around the world.
|
 ...........................................
“Simon Greiff is genuinely touching”
The Daily Telegraph
...........................................
“… other names to watch out for … Simon Greiff who played Bobby C…”
The Sun
...........................................
“Simon Greiff’s Bobby C is the one real victim of this heartfelt voyage…”
The Evening Standard
...........................................
“… one can pick out Simon Greiff as the mixed up Bobby C …”
The Stage
...........................................
“Garcia and Combe get exceptional support from Simon Greiff”
Billboard USA
...........................................
“… it’s Tony’s nerdish comrade who best represents the shows confusion and hysteria. It works, because Simon Greiff’s performance is so good: his anxiety to please and to keep up with the gang is already feverish at the start, and grows only more anxious and helpless. A perfectly judged interpretation”
The Financial Times
...........................................
“Simon Greiff, turning in the best acting performance of the evening whilst more than holding his own in the singing and dancing department”
CAB News
...........................................
“… the rest of the strong cast include Simon Greiff”
The Smoke
...........................................
“Making his West End debut, Greiff grabs your attention even when 30 or 40 people are gyrating around him – I’d call him promising, but he’s already past that stage and clearly heading for bigger and better parts”
The Dancing Times
...........................................
“Greiff wins for most touching performance”
whatsonstage.com
...........................................
|
