When you love a film, and I mean really love it, it can sometimes be hard to accept sequels, remakes and any other adaptations that dare stray from your beloved blockbuster.

For me, that film is Grease. It’s been my favourite ever since I watched my parents’ 25th anniversary VHS as a child and, even after all these years, it holds a very special place in my heart.

One thing about your favourite film being a musical is that, at some point, you will undoubtedly get a chance to see it live on stage - and I got that chance as the touring production opened at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury.

I’ve seen Grease in theatres once or twice in the past, but it’s been several years so I was excited, if a little wary, to see what director Nikolai Foster had done with my treasured T-Birds and Pink Ladies.

For a start, there are no T-Birds. In this show, like the original Broadway version from 1972, the slicked-back group of Greasers, led by cooler-than-cool Danny Zuko, are called the Burger Palace Boys.

That’s not the only change I noticed as Frankie Valli’s Grease blasted out and the teenagers of Rydell High School, dressed in 1950s pedal-pushers and Converse-style trainers, were introduced.

The musical score was in a completely different order - lovelorn ballad Sandy came at the opening scene, Look At Me I’m Sandra Dee was performed at a car rally rather than at the girls’ sleepover and feel-good group number We Go Together took us into the interval.

It left me feeling a bit all over the place as I was trying to compare the story unfolding in front of my eyes with the one etched in my memory from watching that VHS tape (and, later, my very own DVD copy) over and over again.

However, all the big hitters like Summer Nights and You’re the One That I Want were there, even if they weren’t exactly where you’d expect, and there were a few extra musical numbers thrown in for good measure.

Songs that made it onto the soundtrack but weren’t given much screen time in the Paramount Pictures version, such as Those Magic Changes and Freddy My Love, were given time to shine.

Marley Fenton, who played Danny Zuko, along with Alicia Belgarde as ditzy wannabe beautician Frenchy and Rebecca Stenhouse as Pink Ladies leader Rizzo were stand-outs.

I did feel that some of the personalities of the characters were missing; in favour of squeezing in more musical numbers, we lost some of Kenickie’s coolness, Marty Maraschino’s sex appeal and Jan’s goofy comedy.

There’s also a chance that a few lines were lost on me because of the hammed-up American accents - at times the twang was so strong I genuinely couldn’t understand what the characters were saying!

But with or without dialogue, the show-stopping scenes stood the test of time. When the mechanics were leaping off the illuminated Greased Lightnin’ car and the cast took to the dance floor during the electrifying Hand Jive, I felt a truly joyous wave of nostalgia.

Grease is a timeless tale of girls-meets-boy and that simple story, combined with irresistible musical numbers and retro charm, will see it continue touring for many years to come.

While the film is simply irreplaceable to me, it’s always fun to see how this coming-of-age romance continues to change and grow over the years. Long live summer lovin’!

Grease is at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury until Saturday, September 14. You can book tickets online here.

You can also book tickets by calling 01227 787787.