By Carol Davis
CHULA VISTA, California— Remember that fictitious place Rydell High? That’s where the Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey 1959 high school musical Grease happens. The musical debuted in Chicago in 1971, quickly moved to Broadway where it ran for 18 years and 3388 performances. Grease was made into a movie in 1978 starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton John and became a box office smash. A few years ago yours truly managed to catch it on TBS television. It has really come full circle. Now it is being given a fine airing at OnStage Playhouse in Chula Vista under the deft direction of Thomas Fitzpatrick.
Originally the show was called raunchy and vulgar but as it gathered steam it was ‘sanitized’ and tamed especially for the movies. It still deals with delicate issues for high school students. Social issues like fitting in, who’s in who’s out, teenage pregnancy and gang violence are touched on, but the plot just scratches the surface of the latter. It’s not that we don’t have that today but it’s so commonplace that it could hardly become a blip on the Richter scale. How jaded we have become over the years.
So when director Fitzpatrick assured me that show we are seeing at OnStage is the real McCoy, I didn’t know what to expect. Not to worry, you won’t see an ‘R’ rating here because the show, according to today’s standards, would be given a ‘G’ rating. That said this is a fun romp at OnStage and if the date were moved back to 1955 at Classical High in Worcester, Massachusetts, it might have been about some of my classmates.
Here’s the scoop! New gal in town, Sandy (Alyssa Anne Schechter) meets hot jock and leader of Burger Palace Boys of Rydell High, Danny (William Henry) over the summer vacation. (“Summer Nights” and “Grease). It’s attraction at first sight.
However, when Burger Palace Boys; Kenickie (Michael V. Williams), Sonny (Manny Bejarano), Doody (Alan Aguilar), Roger (Jimmy Christiansen) and of course Danny and The ‘Pink Ladies’; foul mouth and troublemaker Rizzo (Meredith Russo); Marty (Alisa Williams), Frenchy (Loraine Odierno), Jan (Jennifer Purviance) and head cheerleader Patty (Daryl Daley) get together on the first day of school to renew old acquaintances Danny just about ignores Sandy sending her in a tail spin of confusion. (“Hopelessly Devoted To You”, “You’re The One That I want”)
Over the course of the musical things get worse for her before they get better because she is the outsider and, frankly she gets treated like dog doo by the “Pink Ladies” especially Patty who has her claws aimed for Danny. It isn’t pretty, but that’s what cliques do. Now we call it ‘Bullying’.
Blessed with a very strong cast, Fitzpatrick and the seniors at Rydell High navigate through a series of trials and tribulations including the above-mentioned teenage pregnancy, dropping out of high school, gang violence, and just plain being teenagers looking for a place to fit in. Nothing is earth shattering; it’s just a look back for those of us who can barely remember high school or for those closer to the event. It has universal appeal.
Some that deserve mention: Loraine Odierno’s Frenchy is truly an airhead as she opts out of high school for Beauty School only to drop out of Beauty School as well (“Beauty School Dropout”), and Jimmy Christiansen’s Roger is as retro and credible as anyone in the cast and his voice is clear tenor all the way. Meredith Russo’s Rizzo is so convincing that I almost wanted to slap her a few times and Laura Scarafone as principal Miss Finch is a hoot and a howl as the straight laced, ‘take no prisoners’ leader of this unruly pack.
Rounding out the ensemble Oliver Wilcox plays the overly gay and nerdy Eugene to some exaggeration and Baron Henzel (set design) is perfect as Teen Angel/Vince Fontaine the creepy Master of Ceremonies during the High School dance contest looking rather comical in his 50’s two-tone pattern leather shoes (Shelly Crickett) and swooping bouffant hairpiece.
Alisa Williams’ choreography fits well on the cramped stage that allows for the ensemble to strut their stuff and for Carmina Vasquez as Cha Cha DiGregorio (the gal from the wrong side of the tracks) to cha-cha her heart’s content with Danny.
Aaron Erwin and musical director and accompanist Kirk Valles make this night at Rydell High one to remember especially with numbers like “Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee”, “Blue Moon”, “Tears on My Pillow”, “Freddy, My Love” and of course “Summer Nights” to name a few. It’s worth a look-see.
And as for the title: Well ‘Greasers is just another name for working class youth subculture that originated in the ‘50s in the northeastern and southern US street gangs’. The name came from their greased back hairstyles. We used to call that greased back hair D.A’s. ‘Nuff said.
See you at the theatre.
Dates: Through May 26th
Organization: OnStage Playhouse
Phone: 619-422-7787
Production Type: Musical
Where: 291 Third Avenue, Chula Vista, CA
Ticket Prices: $20.00
Web: onstageplayhouse.com
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Davis is a San Diego-based theatre critic. She may be contacted at carol.davis@sdjewishworld.com