‘Grease’ Full Of Enthusiasm And Charm
“Grease” Tuesday, Feb. 18, Spokane Opera House
This national touring version of “Grease” delivers the usual “Grease”-like combination of doo-wop, camp and “Happy Days” nostalgia.
This non-Equity (i.e., cheaper) tour doesn’t have the star power or the production values of the big Broadway revival or the official Equity tour. But it delivers plenty of charm and enthusiasm, and the sold-out audience seemed to eat it up.
More so than I did, I might say. I’ve never been a “Grease” fan, and this show did nothing to change my mind.
As far as I’m concerned, “Grease” is merely a two-hour excuse to rest the brain. However, there were several moments that even roused me out of my daydreams, the best of which was the “Beauty School Dropout” number featuring the Teen Angel, played by Jamie (no last name). Jamie does a Little Richard-goes-gospel routine which is truly astonishing. Dressed in white robes, he sings with an evangelical fervor, as if James Brown himself decided to give himself up to God.
The other standout performer was Steven Mitchell Sackman as Vince Fontaine, the WAXX deejay. He moved with Fonzie-like cool, and he has the kind of expressive deep radio voice that can make phrases like “stacks of wax” sound authentic.
However, it is probably not a good sign that these two performances, the best of the evening, came from characters outside of the show’s core characters: the Rydell High School teens. There were some good performances here, especially Randy Bobish as Danny Zuko and Christine Hudman as Rizzo, but in general most of the characters weren’t as fully delineated as they have been in other versions of this show. I had trouble keeping the Kenickies and the Sonnys and the Doodys straight (then again, maybe I was resting my brain too much).
Most of the cast appears to be quite young, which is not a bad thing. For one thing, they are brimming with energy and enthusiasm. For another, they were believable as high-schoolers. Yet there did seem to be a shortage of distinctive character-actor experience.
The set was quite effective, featuring an enormous juke-box style facade with “Rydell High School” in Wurlitzer-style neon. A big, sparkly “Grease” sign descended from aloft at key moments. However, many of the set pieces showed an alarming tendency to move or to sway during scenes. This is definitely not a state-of-the-art Broadway production, but the designers did a good job of making the most of what they had.
My real problem with this show is the musical itself. “Grease” may be an enduring theater phenomenon, but to me it seems a particularly empty one. Whatever camp value it may have had is submerged now under two decades of “Happy Days” and “American Grafitti” and Sha-Na-Na.
And as for an enduring message, it seems to be: The way to true teen happiness is conformity. (Note Sandy Dumbrowski’s black-stretch-tights transformation at the finale.) Nobody but a beauty school dropout could respect that.
, DataTimes MEMO: “Grease” continues through Sunday at the Spokane Opera House. All performances are sold out.