Review - Grease

Grease

Marriott Theatre

http://www.marriotttheatre.com

The musical Grease, now enjoying an exuberant run at the Marriott Theatre, has an inspiring anything-is-possible history. Its origins can be traced back to 1971, where it was first presented in a makeshift theatre space (really an airy former trolley barn) at The Kingston Mines in Old Town. Sitting on dusty wooden benches, the audiences witnessed the play-with-music staging of Grease, produced on a measly $200 budget. Immediately recognizing the potential of this show, savvy producers fast-tracked the show to an Off-Broadway production in 1972, quickly moving uptown to a successful 8-year Broadway gig.

But Broadway was only the beginning - Grease became a blockbuster movie in 1978, starring John Travota and Olivia Newton-John. For the transfer to cinema, three songs were added (“Sandy”, “You’re The One That I Want” and “Hopelessly Devoted to You”), the high school location was moved from northwest Chicago to southern California, and Sandy became an Australian transfer student (since Olivia Newton-John could not manage an American accent) rather than Sandy Dumbrowski, a Polish-American. To complete this arc of success, Grease has now succumbed to the genre of reality television. In a brilliant marketing stunt, the winners of “You’re the One That I Want” are to play the roles of Danny and Sandy in Grease’s third Broadway restaging this fall.

For Marriott Theatre’s slick production, director Marc Robin has chosen to regress back to the original Grease (though he did keep the three new songs intact), bringing together a vocally-talented group of young vivacious actors. Matthew Hyszik deftly pulls off the cool-but-vulnerable role of Danny Zuko. Brandy McClendon, playing Frenchy, is a natural on stage, with superb comedic timing. Other standouts include the energetic Jeremy Cohen playing Sonny and Tammy Mader portraying the spunky Rizzo. Only Megan Nicole Arnoldy, playing Sandy, disappoints. Her Sandy lacks focus, coming across more clueless than sweet and naive.

Marc Robin has done a great job making every song a production in itself. Thus “Born to Hand Jive” is an all-out celebration of a high school dance. “Those Magic Changes”, superbly sung by Stephen Schellhardt, is catapulted by a zesty doo-wop chorus. And, in the best scene, “Beauty School Dropout” is turned into a hilarious extravaganza, complete with women in floor-length white sequin gowns, pink hairdos and pink fans, and guys in long-tailed white tuxes, all while the vocally-gifted Jerome Collins sings his heart out as Teen Angel. (kudos to costume designer Nancy Missimi).

As the Marriott performance space is theatre-in-the-round, there’s not much opportunity for a broad set-design. Nonetheless, we are treated to “Grease Lightning” - an actual car that drives down the aisles and up on the stage. This is great fun, and fits in perfectly with the show’s avid energy.

I have to admit that I have a bias towards this show - growing up in small-town South Dakota, the movie Grease played a huge role in sparking my enthusiasm for musical theatre (though this infatuation can actually be traced back to my first viewing of “The Sound of Music” on television. Imagine an 8-year old boy running around the house singing “I Am 16, Going on 17”! How gay is that?). Seeing Grease in its original manifestation is not only a heartwarming trip down memory lane, but it is also a study on the remarkable development of a musical. Marriott Theatre’s production of Grease is an evening of fun that will have you singing along in your head (though a woman next to me was actually singing out-loud until I gave her the evil-eye!). You will no doubt be wearing a big smile on your face as you skip out of the theatre with the energy, if not the body, of a kid who is 16, going on 17.

Rating: Recommended (3.5 stars)

Reviewed by Scotty Zacher

[email protected]



	Sweet Smell of Success *Grease* Marriott Theatre http://www.marriotttheatre.com The musical Grease, now enjoying an exuberant run at the Marriott Theatre, has an inspiring anything-is-possible history. Its origins can be traced back to 1971, where it was first presented in a makeshift theatre space (really an airy former trolley barn) at The Kingston Mines in Old Town. Sitting on dusty wooden benches, the audiences witnessed the play-with-music staging of Grease, produced on a measly $200 budget. Immediately recognizing the potential of this show, savvy producers fast-tracked the show to an Off-Broadway production in 1972, quickly moving uptown to a successful 8-year Broadway gig. But Broadway was only the beginning - Grease became a blockbuster movie in 1978, starring John Travota and Olivia Newton-John. For the transfer to cinema, three songs were added (“Sandy”, “You’re The One That I Want” and “Hopelessly Devoted to You”), the high school location was moved from northwest Chicago to southern California, and Sandy became an Australian transfer student (since Olivia Newton-John could not manage an American accent) rather than Sandy Dumbrowski, a Polish-American. To complete this arc of success, Grease has now succumbed to the genre of reality television. In a brilliant marketing stunt, the winners of “You’re the One That I Want” are to play the roles of Danny and Sandy in Grease’s third Broadway restaging this fall. For Marriott Theatre’s slick production, director Marc Robin has chosen to regress back to the original Grease (though he did keep the three new songs intact), bringing together a vocally-talented group of young vivacious actors. Matthew Hyszik deftly pulls off the cool-but-vulnerable role of Danny Zuko. Brandy McClendon, playing Frenchy, is a natural on stage, with superb comedic timing. Other standouts include the energetic Jeremy Cohen playing Sonny and Tammy Mader portraying the spunky Rizzo. Only Megan Nicole Arnoldy, playing Sandy, disappoints. Her Sandy lacks focus, coming across more clueless than sweet and naive. Marc Robin has done a great job making every song a production in itself. Thus “Born to Hand Jive” is an all-out celebration of a high school dance. “Those Magic Changes”, superbly sung by Stephen Schellhardt, is catapulted by a zesty doo-wop chorus. And, in the best scene, “Beauty School Dropout” is turned into a hilarious extravaganza, complete with women in floor-length white sequin gowns, pink hairdos and pink fans, and guys in long-tailed white tuxes, all while the vocally-gifted Jerome Collins sings his heart out as Teen Angel. (kudos to costume designer Nancy Missimi). As the Marriott performance space is theatre-in-the-round, there’s not much opportunity for a broad set-design. Nonetheless, we are treated to “Grease Lightning” - an actual car that drives down the aisles and up on the stage. This is great fun, and fits in perfectly with the show’s avid energy. I have to admit that I have a bias towards this show - growing up in small-town South Dakota, the movie Grease played a huge role in sparking my enthusiasm for musical theatre (though this infatuation can actually be traced back to my first viewing of “The Sound of Music” on television. Imagine an 8-year old boy running around the house singing “I Am 16, Going on 17”! How gay is that?). Seeing Grease in its original manifestation is not only a heartwarming trip down memory lane, but it is also a study on the remarkable development of a musical. Marriott Theatre’s production of Grease is an evening of fun that will have you singing along in your head (though a woman next to me was actually singing out-loud until I gave her the evil-eye!). You will no doubt be wearing a big smile on your face as you skip out of the theatre with the energy, if not the body, of a kid who is 16, going on 17. Rating: Recommended (3.5 stars) Reviewed by Scotty Zacher [email protected] Hosted by www.Geocities.ws