Director David Perkovich and musical director Malcolm Ruhl bring the 1950s to life with the lively musical "Grease" at Theatre at the Center in Munster.
Mousy Sandy (played by the lovely Meg Miller) and bad-boy Danny (well performed by Brandon Koller) come from very different social groups but find themselves attracted to each other after.
As Sandy tries to fit in with The Pink Ladies, a group of girls who put fun before high school in their senior year, Danny struggles with his identity as a leader of the Burger Palace Boys (a watered down version of the film's T-Birds) and his attempts to keep Sandy's attention - even while accidentally attracting the too-bubbly cheerleader Patty Simcox (delightfully over-the-top Lara Mainard).
The group sings and dances their way through difficult life choices. Pink Lady Frenchy (played by the extremely excited Dina DiCostanzo) considers whether to finish high school with her friends or go to beauty school. And Kenickie (Richard Strimer, who looks and acts the part perfectly) tries to make a used car into a dream machine worthy of the name Greased Lightening. Unfortunately, we're denied the interesting movie sub-plot of Kenickie's race at Thunder Road.
This version of "Grease" seems to rely a bit more on the book by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, which includes more focus on the other boys. Doody (Patrick John Moran, who should consider a long career in musical theatre) performs songs for his friends, including a cleverly comedic rendition of "Those Magic Changes." Rodger (portrayed well by Mik Dempsey) and Jan (Shelly Koop, an energetic songstress) find unlikely romance via a new song called - for two reasons - "Mooning."
Choreographer Stacey Flaster and scenic designer Robert Andrew Kovach have created a non-stop masterpiece of dazzling dance among realistic, though minimal, scenery. Costumes designed by Janice Pytel and managed by Paula Consdorf capture the 1950s perfectly, especially Kenickie's rebel garb and Patty Simcox's preppie attire.
Though departing a bit from the well-known film version, Perkovich's "Grease" includes one exciting song after another. Old favorites - including "Summer Nights," "Beauty School Dropout," and "We Go Together" - remind us that this is still a story we know and love - even if the story has changed a bit this time around.
Published in The Chronicle in May 2007, as Jade Lee Culberson.
No comments:
Post a Comment