Displaying items by tag: Catie Hogan

Vape! The Grease Parody, currently running at Chicago’s Apollo Theater through January, takes a satirical swing at the iconic 1978 film. The production leans heavily into campy, low‑brow humor, poking fun at the original and the characters who appeared in it - Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson, made famous by John Travolta and Olivia Newton‑John, their respective groups, the T‑Birds and the Pink Ladies, and a parade of other colorful personalities. Vape! attempts to capture the same irreverent energy that made recent parody hits like Titanique and Schmigadoon! work, but it struggles to carve out its own distinct identity.

For those unfamiliar with the source material, Grease follows the summer‑fling romance between Danny Zuko, the swaggering leader of the T‑Birds, and Sandy Olsson, the wholesome new girl who unexpectedly lands at his high school. Their reunion at Rydell High kicks off a swirl of teen drama, pep‑rally posturing, and 1950s hot‑rod bravado, all set against the antics of their respective cliques. The story ultimately tracks whether Danny and Sandy can bridge the gap between their carefully curated images and who they actually are - all wrapped in a soundtrack that has produced some of the most memorable songs from a stage and screen musical.

The narrative of Vape! modernizes the classic tale by tossing an assortment of pop-culture tropes and theatrical nods at the audience. Some of these updates land, such as transforming Sandy into a washed-up mermaid or reimagining "Beauty School Dropout" as an "Influencer Dropout" sequence featuring the ensemble performing with ring lights affixed to their heads. Theater lovers will also spot references to Wicked, The Phantom of the Opera, A Chorus Line, and others. However, some of the updates – like turning Rizzo into a Scream-esque murderer – don’t.

At times, the structural additions feel somewhat disjointed. The modernizations do not always mesh smoothly with the source material, creating an odd juxtaposition where 1950s greasers and TikTok culture clash rather than complement one another.

While the original Grease carried a certain tongue-in-cheek approach beneath its mature content, Vape! leans fully into explicit and crude farce. For instance, Grease’s "Hand Jive" gets a lyrical update to become the "Handjob.”

Despite the material, the cast delivers energetic and capable performances, keeping the energy high. Will Leonard offers an enjoyable Travolta impersonation, capturing his signature vocal whine with precision – though it’s a bit disappointing he didn’t have the iconic black hair. Jenna Smith makes Sandy fun to watch, especially in the way she pokes fun at Olivia Newton‑John’s accent. Among the ensemble, Suzanne Sole and Sophia Brazada turn in standout moments, each showing off impressive vocal chops.

The creative team behind Vape! brings together a mix of comedy writers and seasoned parody specialists. Sketchworks Comedy and Catie Hogan supply the show’s core concept, while Billy Recce - of A Musical About Star Wars fame - contributes additional lyrics and book alongside Danny Salles. Jack Plotnick, known for directing Broadway’s Disaster!, steers the production, with Ashley Marinelli shaping the choreography and Lena Gabrielle overseeing music supervision and arrangements. Sketchworks also produces the show, with Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley Jackson offering input as creative consultants.

It’s clear from the theater’s decorative environment that great care has been taken with the overall experience. It’s immersive and outfitted with goofy parody posters, themed photo ops, cutouts, and even Grease‑themed cornhole. So, for devoted Grease fans looking for a lighthearted mockery of the classic, or perhaps theatergoers simply seeking silly, inconsequential escapism, Vape! offers a breezy night out.

Vape! The Grease Parody is being performed at the Apollo Theater Chicago through January 3rd, 2027. Tickets and information are available at vapethemusical.com.

Vape! The Grease Parody, a hilariously unhinged spoof of the beloved stage and film musical Grease, will make its Chicago debut at the Apollo Theater, 2550 N. Lincoln Ave., Aug. 20 – Jan. 3, 2027. Travel Arts Journal called the production "a sharp, quick-witted comedy" and "a fast-and-furious production that can be summed up in one word: hilarious!" Tickets go on sale July 22 at 10 a.m. at vapethemusical.com. The press performances will be on Saturday, Aug. 22 at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m.

Written by Catie Hogan and Sketchworks Comedy, Vape! features lyrics and additional book by Billy Recce (A Musical About Star Wars, FIVE: The Musical Parody) and Danny Salles (TV's Joan and Melissa, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D List). Produced by Sketchworks Comedy, with Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley Jackson serving as creative consultants, Vape! is directed by Jack Plotnick (Broadway's Disaster!), with choreography by Ashley Marinelli (Stranger Sings! The Parody Musical), and features music supervision and arrangements by Lena Gabrielle (Emojiland). Visceral Entertainment is the executive producer and general manager.

Vape! lovingly pokes fun at all of the wonderful moments, sexual innuendos, outrageous characters, rivalries and secret romances from the original musical. The hair products may have changed, but the drama and the thirst for hallway clout remain timeless. It's the musical you know and love, but dragged through a cloud of strawberry-scented vapor and a TikTok filter... It's the show that you want ("...Ooh! Ooh! Ooh, honey!").

Originally premiering in Atlanta in 2018, Vape! was scheduled to premiere in New York in August 2019. Ten days before the first performance, the rightsholders of Grease served Sketchworks Comedy a cease-and-desist letter, claiming Vape! violated their copyright. As a result, Sketchworks Comedy filed a lawsuit against Grease, believing that they were protected under fair use law. After a two-and-a-half-year legal battle, Chief Judge Laura Taylor Swain of the Southern District of New York ruled that Vape! is, indeed, a parody. Vape! Went on to make its triumphant debut in a celebrity packed benefit concert at NYC's Town Hall in 2025, followed by an extended run Off-Broadway.

"I am so thrilled to be returning to this wonderfully silly, in the best way, parody of one of my absolute favorite movies," said Plotnick. "After a fantastic Off-Broadway run in New York, I'm especially excited to bring Vape! to a great comedy town like Chicago, in the wonderfully intimate Apollo Theater. The space will allow us to create a really fun and totally unique experience for audiences, welcoming them right into the campus of Rydell High."

In response to its New York debut, Vape! The Grease Parody has received praise for its witty humor, energetic performances and fresh take on the beloved musical classic. Medium raved "Vape! Brilliantly blends the classic spirit of Grease with today's pop culture, with modern humor, clever writing and a cast full of charisma." TheaterScene called the production "brash, fast and unapologetically smart. The rare spoof that works both as satire and theater. Affectionate parody rooted in cultural truth," and Hollywood Press Corps hailed the production as "a must-see! A fun, irreverent night out, it's Grease, lovingly dismantled and reconstructed for a new generation. I couldn't stop laughing." Even the original producer of the 1972 New York debut of Grease, Ken Waissman, who brought the production to Broadway after seeing its premiere in Chicago at the Kingston Mines, described the musical as "a witty, funny and fully engaging sendup of our forever popular Grease... the excellent cast embodies the spirit of their '50s counterparts with absolute perfection."

Scenic design is by David Goldstein; costume design is by Matthew Solomon; lighting design is by Zach Pizza; sound design is by Daniel Lundberg, and props are by Brendan McCann. Casting is by Cindi Rush, and will be announced at a future date.

The performance schedule from Aug. 20 – Sept. 20 is as follows: 

• Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m.
• Saturdays at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m.
• Sundays at 2:30 p.m.  

Beginning Sept. 22, the performance schedule will be:

• Tuesdays through Fridays at 7:30 p.m. 
• Saturdays at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m.
• Sundays at 2:30 p.m.  

There will be Thursday matinees on the following dates: Oct. 8 and 22, Nov. 5 and 19 and Dec. 3 and 17.

Tickets go on sale July 22 at 10 a.m. and are priced from $45 - $65, with Pink Squad Premium Seating starting at $85, including all fees.  Tickets can be purchased at vapethemusical.com, by calling the Apollo Theater box office at 773-935-6100, or in person at the box office.  For group sales, contact Group Tix & Tours at 312-423-6612.

About the creators of Vape! 

JACK PLOTNICK (Director) co-wrote and directed the Broadway musical Disaster (NYT Critics Pick.), and the Sony Pictures feature film Space Station 76. He executive produced/starred in the feature film (and cult hit!) Girls Will Be Girls, which was featured on Netflix. As an actor, he's had regular and recurring roles on Grace and Frankie, Z Nation, The Mentalist, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Reno 911 and Drawn Together, plus appearances in the films Meet the Fockers, Down With Love, Rubber and Gods and Monsters.

ASHLEY MARINELLI (Choreographer). Credits include Stranger Sings! (Winner of Broadway World's "Best Off-Broadway Choreography" Award), Welcome to the Big Dipper (Off Broadway), The Perfect Game (Off Broadway), A Musical About Star Wars (Off Broadway), Once Uponzi Time (McCarter Theater), American Psycho (Winner of Broadway World's "Best Regional Choreography" Award), The True and Unquestionable Account of Dr. Joseph Snodgrass (World Premiere), Mystic Pizza (Engeman Theater) and Techies (Winner of Kennedy Center CTF's "Certificate of Merit for Outstanding Choreography" Award). 

SKETCHWORKS COMEDY includes CATIE HOGAN, LEANNA ADAMS, JOHN BABCOCK, CASEY HOLLOWAY, JULIE SHAER and BRIAN TROXELL (Original Writers/Producers). Sketchworks has been entertaining Atlanta audiences with award-winning sketch comedy since 2001. Their ensemble features some of Atlanta's top working professional writers and actors who have been featured all over the film, TV, and commercial landscape. Vape! The Grease Parody is their first foray into musical parody. More at sketchworkscomedy.com. 

BILLY RECCE (Lyrics & Additional Book) is a composer/lyricist and playwright, whose musicals include Little Black Book, directed by Tony Award® Nominee Kristin Hanggi, and most recently was staged in concert at the Bowery Ballroom starring Tony Award® Nominee Orfeh. OffBroadway/NYC: Fowl Play (music and lyrics, directed by Olivier Award-Winner Tye Blue), FIVE: The Parody Musical (music and lyrics), A Musical About Star Wars (music and lyrics), Singfeld (music and orchestrations), Balloon Boy: The Musical (book, music and lyrics; NYMF's youngest ever writer). Licensed titles include Concord/Broadway Licensing's The Big Twist: A Musical OzVenture (music), and 10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse: The Musical (music and lyrics), based on one of the most produced plays in America of the same name. He has developed musicals with Ensemble Studio Theatre, Barrington Stage and the Edinburgh Fringe. He is a Two-Time MAC Award winner, an Orchard Project Greenhouse member, a Bushwick Star Grant Awardee, a Relentless Award semi-finalist, a Eugene O'Neill Finalist, a NAMT finalist, a two-time Wallowitch Award finalist and a Jonathan Larson Grant Finalist. billyrecce.com 

DANNY SALLES (Lyrics & Additional Book) is a writer/director/producer for television and theater. He directed the holiday movie The Christmas Thief for ION TV and four seasons of the ABC comedy The Middle. He was showrunner and director on various comedic TV reality series: Joan Rivers' Joan and Melissa (WeTV), Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List (Bravo, Emmy nomination) and Todrick (MTV) and codirected the Emmy-winning Recipe for Change (YouTube). For the stage, Danny recently directed the musical The Perfect Game is addition to writing book and lyrics and directing the musical comedy satire The First Annual Trump Family Special in LA and Off-Broadway starring Gina Gershon. Salles is Director of Creative Development at Visceral Entertainment.