What do Carmen, The Sound of Music, and Grease have in common? They were all trashed by the critics when they opened, but went on to become massive hits. Grease, for instance, is now on its umpteenth UK tour, and at Milton Keynes this week the show continues to pulsate with high-octane, brash vitality. If memory serves me right, the set (designer Terry Parsons) has been fizzed up with yards of extra red neon since I last saw it — further emphasising Grease’s all-American, late 1950s teen atmosphere. But, of course, the location remains Rydell High School, an institution where having fun is all that matters. In 2011 Britain, one suspects, Ofsted would be down on the place like a ton of bricks.

Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey’s score has always been one of the glories of Grease. Rock numbers like Summer Nights, Greased Lightnin’ and the first act finale We Go Together contrast tellingly with Beauty School Dropout (here more than passably sung by Robin Cousins, the ice-skater guest star), and Hopelessly Devoted to You — the number that will go round and round in your head for days afterwards. All are accompanied by Arlene Phillips’s spectacular and vibrant choreography, which is delivered with eye-popping precision, and by Gareth Williams’s exuberant seven-piece on-stage band — it’s not the band’s fault that the sound balancer too often allows the lyrics to be drowned out.

Grease also tackles some serious issues: teenage angst, friendship, love, and sexual exploration among them. Forty years on (the show premiered in 1971), these issues are still live, but director David Gilmore all but ignores them. This means that Danny Bayne (Danny), Carina Gillespie (Sandy), and Ricky Rojas (Kenickie) get few chances to shine — only Kate Somerset How’s flaunty Rizzo really stands out. But if it’s a straightforward, feelgood night out you’re after, this production could be just the ticket.

n Until Saturday. Tickets 0844 871 7652 or www.ambassadortickets.com/miltonkeynes. The production is at the New Theatre, Oxford, from July 18-23.