Displaying items by tag: Grease

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.

Grease has always been, first and foremost, a stage show. And while the 1978 movie with John Travolta and the late Olivia Newton-John is what lives on in pop culture (as it should), Grease arguably works better on the stage, and this version should get more credit.

Drury Lane Theatre’s production directed by Paul Stancato captures the high school of it all—and the 1950s of it all—in a way the film doesn’t. While the film primarily focuses on the love story between Danny and Sandy, the stage show gives near equal time to all the guys and girls in the group, giving the audience a snapshot of an entire high school class with a range of personalities, quirks, and levels of delinquency.

The story is one we're familiar with: boy meets girl, boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy fights to win her back. But in Grease, it's wrapped up in a 1950s bow, complete with greasers, bobby socks, and early rock 'n' roll melodies. And with the structure of the story and songs in the stage version, more of the ‘50s songs are featured as solos throughout, like Marty’s “Freddy My Love” she sings with the girls as backup at their sleepover, and “Those Magic Changes” sung by Doody and the other teens on the bleachers. In the movie, these songs are crammed into the dance scene with Sha-Na-Na singing them in the background. Onstage, they get to be full-fledged moments.

Cast of Grease at Drury Lane Theatre. Photo by Brett Beiner Photography.

Led by Jake DiMaggio Lopez as Danny and Emily Schultheis as Sandy, the Drury Lane cast brings energy and spectacular voices to the musical we know and love. Standouts of the cast for me, besides the two leads, were Alina Taber as a snarky but surprisingly vulnerable Rizzo, who finally breaks her cool girl veneer in her act two song “There Are Worse Things I Could Do”, and Billy Rude as Kenickie, who can be described in much the same way, playing the tough guy most of the time but the production giving him moments of more raw emotion.

The sets and costumes also shine, with 1950s high school hangouts like the diner, the bleachers, and teenage girls' bedrooms portrayed vibrantly through backdrops and set pieces. And the costumes felt realistic for the time period with, like the sets, a dash of bright cartoon-y-ness to match the energy of the score.

Billy Rude and Alina Taber in Grease. Photo by Brett Beiner Photography.

Stancato says in his director's note in the program that he wanted to bring together the grit and realness of the original Grease with the polish and flash of the movie. I think this production does just that. It acknowledges the audience's love for the movie while respecting the edginess of the original 1971 stage version (which, interestingly enough, premeried in Chicago—where Drury Lane's production is set).

If you like Grease the movie, this show is a must-see.

Grease is playing at Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace through June 4, 2023. Tickets available by phone at (630) 530-0111 or at drurylanetheatre.com.

It’s time to go back to high school – for a couple hours anyway – and the year is 1959. The time for slicked back hair with full-on pompadours, bobby socks with pleated knee length skirts and hanging out at the malt shop have once again returned as Marriott Theatre has begun 2020 on a strong note bringing the classic rock and roll musical ‘Grease’ to the stage. And though maybe not quite the R-rated, profanity-laced production that first hit Chicago when it was initially produced in 1971 by the Kingston Mines Theater Company in Chicago, there is still enough teenage-driven attitude, raunchiness and high school spirit to successfully deliver the spirit of the original. 

The story, which is based on co-writer and co-composer Jim Jacobs’ own experiences at Taft High School in Norwood Park, takes place at ‘Rydell High,’ walks us through the senior year of a handful of colorful characters. Greaser Danny Zuko (Jimmy Nicholas) returns after summer break to lead the T-Birds while, at the same time, Sandy Dumbrowski (Leryn Turlington) is just getting her feet wet at Rydell, a brand-new student whose family just moved to the area. It turns out the two had a relationship over the summer while on vacation, but their stories couldn’t be more different. While too-cool-for-school Danny tells a more vulgar description to impress the gang where the two were “getting friendly down in the sand,” Sandy, intercepted by the Pink Ladies led by tough and sassy Betty Rizzo (Jacquelyne Jones) a.k.a. “Rizzo,” tells the girls a wholesome version more along the lines of meeting a cute boy, holding hands, having lemonade and staying out until 10 o’clock. Thus, explained to perfection in the show’s second number “Summer Nights”.   

Not long after, the two are beyond surprised to find out they are attending the same school, but Danny’s cool image that he holds so dearly might just get in the way of rekindling any kind of romance they once had. While centering on Danny and Sandy, ‘Grease’ also keeps us busy with plenty of T-Birds and Pink Ladies action. Danny’s second in command, Kenickie (Kevin Corbett) is building a hot rod the fellas call “Greased Lightning”. It’s a hunk of junk, but he can dream. T-Birds Sonny LaTierri (Jack Cahill-Lemme), Roger (Jake Elkins) and Doody (Michael Kuroswki) cause trouble whenever they can, talk about rumbling with other gangs (they don’t) and just love to horse around any chance they get. 

The Rizzo-led Pink Ladies take Sandy in. She’s far too squeaky clean for their taste but maybe a pajama party with booze, cigarettes and ear-piercings might loosen her up. Frenchy (Landree Fleming) wants to be a beautician and drops out of high school, Marty (Michaelle Lauto) crushes on TV dance host Vince Fontaine (Curt Bouril) and Jan (Tiffany Taylor) has the hots for Roger, a T-Bird who really loves mooning people. 

There are plenty of ups and downs along the way for these seniors and plenty of unforgettable moments take place. Director Scott Weinstein not only does a fantastic job at staging this production in the round, he gives the audience what we want most of all – a nearly flawless recreation of the hit show so many of us grew up with. William Carlos Angulo beautifully choreographs the dance numbers to Ryan T. Nelson’s musical direction, particularly in “Greased Lightnin’” and “Born to Hand Jive” and the casting is just superb. Jimmy Nicholas brings the looks, the cool and the comedic timing to pull off an admirable Danny Zuko, while Leryn Turlington delivers the sweetness and innocence (and toughness at times) needed to play Sandy. Turlington also impresses vocally, especially in the key number “Hopelessly Devoted to You”. As good as Nicholas is as Danny, you can’t have a convincing leader of the T-Birds without strong support from his gang and Corbett, Cahill-Lemme, Elkins and Kurowski are simply terrific. Each have plenty of their own moments to shine, but when together, it’s not hard to imagine these goofballs being the best of friends.

Equally impressive is the chemistry and individual acting chops of our Pink Ladies. While Jones truly does stand out in this production (her rendition of “There are Worse Things I Could Do” – wow!), Fleming has plenty of laugh out loud moments as Frenchy while Lauto and Taylor have their own scene-stealing moments. 

Garrett Lutz also makes a funny Eugene and Kelly Anne Clarke is solid as Miss Lynch, but it is Jonathan Butler-Duplessis as Teen Angel who, though not as featured as the rest of the cast, might just leave the audience with the biggest impression of all after his show-stopping performance of “Beauty School Dropout”. 

‘Grease’ is a hit for good reason. What took off from a small Chicago theater company, made its mark on Broadway (16th longest run in history) and inspired a 1978 mega-hit starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton John, has now become an iconic part of pop culture. It is a story that so many of us can relate to, no matter when we went to high school.  From real teenage moments and hysterical antics throughout from the show’s many lively characters to well-executed song and dance numbers that keep your toes tapping, Marriott Theatre’s ‘Grease’ successfully keeps the classic musical alive in their own unique way while holding onto the integrity of the show. 

The arsenal of great songs is plenty and includes such familiar tracks as “We Go Together,” “You’re the One the I Want,” “Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee” and “Alone at a Drive-In Movie.” 

Highly recommended for those who enjoy laughing and listening to catchy music. 

‘Grease’ is being performed at Marriott Theatre through March 15th. For tickets and/or more show information, visit www.MarriottTheatre.com.