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Grease
Music, Book and Lyrics by Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey
Directed by David Perkovich
Choreographed by Stacey Flaster
At the Theatre at the Center
1040 Ridge
Munster, IN
Call 219-836-3255, tickets $36 - $39
Wednesdays 7 Thursdays at 2 pm
Fridays at 8 pm
Saturdays at 2:30 & 8 pm
Sundays at 2:30 pm
Running time is 2 hours, 20 minutes with intermission
Through June 3, 2007
Terrific set and youthful, innovative choreography shine in Grease
Set designer Robert Andrew Kovach’s vibrant reddish diner set and Stacey Flaster’s smart, energetic and innovative choreography are the highlights of this warhorse 1950’s musical. While I found the singing a tad bland and the acting perfunctory, Richard Strimer’s Kenickie and Tammy Mader’s Rizzo were standouts.
Rydell High School, circa 1957 (based on Taft High School in Chicago) is the scene for Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey’s fluffy and sweet nostalgic rock and roll musical, Grease. This highly entertaining and brainless show is pure fun. It is so silly, so manic and so bouncy that is keeps you smiling with its corny humor and the toe-tapping early rock beats. Danny (Brandon Koller) is the head greaser and he love the new girl, Sandy (the cute Meg Miller), the greasers must adjust to the new relationship. We meet the teens at the burger joint , a pajama parties, in the school cafeteria and at school dances as they match up for fun and pleasure.
Filled with well know tunes (especially from the hit 1978 film), such as “We Go Together,” “Summer Nights,” “You’re the One That I Want” and “Grease Lighting,” the energetic musical dances terrifically with choreographer Stacey Flaster’s swift movements including the outstanding “Born to Hand-Jive.”
Grease is a treasure of early rock tunes that hilariously depicts the innocence of 1950’s teen life when fear of getting pregnant was dominant and a guy wished for a jalopy and sported a ducktail haircut. It is cute show that will please everyone.
Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: May 9, 2009
Jeff Recommended
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