The Original Grease @ American Theatre Company



{ACT I}

The Act I opening number was Foster Beach (otherwise known as Summer Nights). The environment solidly established an authentic history between the Pink Ladies & Burger Palace Boys. I liked how the Greased Lightning car was built into the set as a fixture. As Kenickie, Mike Tepali was not as slick & smooth as typically performed (which I appreciated), but he didn’t own the stage during the moments that belonged to him. He sang well, but didn’t build enough of a character until the second act. Jan  & Roger's duet Mooning was the weakest, most zone-out/bathroom-break moment of Act I. Jan (Missy Moreno) seemed the oldest actor & lacked subtlety. Roger (Rob Colletti) had a more natural & chill demeanor, which only caused Jan to seem more of an over-actor.

As Patty Simcox, Alaina Mills played that familiar-to-everyone, student-council type. She was such a well-rounded actress who could be plugged in everywhere from the most satirical of musicals to the most heavy-handed textual pieces. This production also created a relationship & dynamic between Patty Simcox & Danny Zuko that added depth to both of their characters.

Adrian Aguilar was unflinchingly solid as Danny Zuko. It had to be difficult to play a part immortalized by John Travolta & already beloved by most of the audience members. He had an approachability & vulnerability that has always been lacking. Sandy goes through her classic transformation, but this Danny actually did as well. It felt like he tried more than the Danny Zuko's of the past, he was more earnest but not lacking any of the necessary attitude. If anything, having it set in Chicago instead of Anywhere, America nails in the reality of Danny's hardcore reality.

As Marty, Carol Rose seemed an ordinary & random casting at first, but she won me over during Freddy My Love. Sh belted with ease with a committed, composed & complex characterization of the song’s text. She also reminded me of Scarlett Johansson.

We Go Together is usually the ending to Act II, but this production used it as the end of Act I. This is a great song that was better utilized to cement these friendships before intermission than the cheesy, cinched-up loving ending of the movie. It felt like they actually went together. I’ve had those moments where being with your friends at the end of the night, where rain erupts, gossip prevails, & the sub-par memory is infused with nothing but the ache to return to the scene of the crime-time. The song was performed a capella & erupted organically from a few snaps & the catching on of a beat. One of the best Act I finales ever.



{ACT II}

The second act opened with Sandy singing Raining on Prom Night with the radio; it reminded me of the structure & presentation style of Show Me How by The Killers. It was a dreamier rendition but still served as a less dreamy replacement for the vibe of Hopelessly Devoted to You. Which I appreciated, because Hopelessly Devoted is a nice & pretty song, but redundant & severely emotional.

I loved Kelly Davis Wilson as Sandy. She played a new & different Sandy. This was a spazzier Sandy. It takes confidence to act upon the young, female, crazy instincts. To act as such requires a confidence that the meek movie version lacked. This spazzy quality could be interpreted as a livelihood, a passionate person. Exactly and only the type that would attract & entrance a city boy like Danny Zuko.  She had a quicker & hotter stand-up to Danny halfway through the first act. That quick heat had to be a reflection of the time they spent together on Foster Beach, and the quality of their interactions seemed a lot more grounded & realistically impactful than the foggy, vague love we saw between John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John on that misty beach. Another difference in this production was Sandy's origin. In the movie, she was transplanted from Australia to Anywhere, America. In this version, it was from Joliet to the Northwest Side. It made her more approachable & the differences between her & the rest of the characters seem more substantiated.

The Dance dominated the majority of the second act & dance drug on at times.  The deejay was Vince Fontaine From Vince Fontaine Dancing Studio’s (Michael Accardo) & he had the vibe of a car salesman. I liked establishing this character as a local celebrity; it was much more realistic/interesting. The Boogie Man Boogie reminded me of Spring Awakening, which is good. It is a vintage musical, but this is still a contemporary production that should take advantage of the influence of like-minded contemporary pieces. I loved Hannah Gomez as Cha-Cha because she was so the opposite of the traditional casting; she was like this group’s Andrea Zuckerman & I loved her.

Bryan Conner seemed like a random casting for the Beauty School Drop-Out Angel. He was not a 1960’s dreamboat-type, but more a pretty 1990's boy-bander. It was not at all a nurturing rendition like Frankie Valley’s; the tone had threatening, more good-riddance tone to it. I liked that vibe, but the number itself seemed out of place with the production as a whole. This song did allow an opportunity for Roni Geva to shine as Frenchy. She was a great contemporary adaptation of the movie figure we love so much. Her performance didn’t bring anything new to Frenchy but I'm not sure Frenchy needed anything new. Her character is a sweet, soft-spot in the show & she fulfilled that role perfectly.

There Are Worse Things I Could Do was scripted as direct & narrated response to Sandy. It didn't start with that big pause before female belter moment, but she sort of slid into the song. Jessica Diaz was a sarcastic Rizzo who showed the smarts in her street smarts. Her face reminded me of Fairuza Balk & I was parital to her bangs.

Alone at the Drive-Through was a perfect avenue for Kenickie to excel. His voice was strong, but the performance quality of his vocals were just as strong. What I initially saw lacking in him in Act was a lack of physicality being infused into his character. But he made up for that with this number because he sat stationary & could focus his energy on acting through his singing.

In My Day was a song by Miss Lynch. Peggy Roeder gave a good rendition of a pointless song & a waste of time, considering the length of the show. This number was my least favorite surprise, but it is no way a reflection of Peggy Roeder's overall pitch-perfect performance.

Kiss It was my favorite surprise from this new/old Grease. It actually had a point, perspective, & style (all of which were lacking in the movie's You're the One That I Want).