Winter lovin': Marriott's 'Grease' is darn near perfect

<p><em>Grease</em> at the Marriott Theatre reminds  us how much we miss- and would never want to experience again- about high  school</p>
<p>There is something about  the musical <em>Grease</em> that makes us feel good. Maybe it’s  that, for a brief moment, we can feel like we’re back in high
           school. Or maybe it’s the  catchy songs. But I think it’s almost impossible to see a production of  <em>Grease </em>and not leave the theater dancing
           and belting out the lyrics to  <em>Summer Nights</em> as you walk to the parking lot. The  Marriott Theatre’s production of <em>Grease </em>was no
           exception. Once again, a  Marriott production and the production team of Scott Weinstein (director),  Jeffrey D. Kmiec (set design), Sally Zack (properties
           design), Jesse Klug (lighting  design) and others amazed me with their ability to create a great theater  experience in a small, in-the-round theater.</p>
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<p>I’m guessing if  you’re reading this, you are familiar with the story of  <em>Grease.</em> I was introduced to the classic John  Travalota/Olivia Newton-John
           film at a young age and my  mom recounts how my sister and I would dance around to <em>Greased  Lighting</em> when we were little. Of course, looking
           back, that was completely  inappropriate as the song and musical itself are pretty inappropriate for a  young person, but luckily I lived a blissfully
           naive life and didn’t make  this connection until I was much older. If you have never been exposed to the  musical, a quick recap of the show: Sandy
           and Danny, two high school  students in 1959, have met and “fallen in love” (in the way high  schoolers do) over the summer and unbeknownst to them
           are attending the same high  school in the fall. Danny is part of the T birds, a greaser gang, and Sandy  struggles to find where she fits in as
           the new girl. Danny doesn’t  help by varying from in-love boy to too cool for school greaser. As we follow  Danny and Sandy’s story, we also learn
           about their friends and other  students at the school, all of whom are trying to figure out who they are.  [One very important note about <em>Grease:</em>        the stage musical is very different  from the movie! Important plot points are the same and some of the songs  overlap, but I remember the first
           time I saw a stage  production, I left feeling very disappointed because I didn’t know the  stage version was so different. Going into the Marriott
           production, I was mentally  prepared for these differences and as a result, enjoyed this production much  more.]</p>
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<p>Weinstein made excellent  decisions in his casting of <em>Grease</em>. While it’s hard to  take on roles idealized by Travolta and Newton-John, Jimmy
           Nicholas makes a very  acceptably cool and confused Danny Zuko and Leryn Turlington’s Sandy  Dumbrowski is exquisitely naive and coy. Their final
           dissonant note on  <em>Summer</em><em>Nights</em> was everything a fan  of this musical would want and they made a believable on again, off  again
           high school couple. I just  wish for once, Sandy didn’t have to totally lose herself in tight clothes  and stiletto heels to win Danny’s love in
           the end! Danny’s fellow T  birds were equally impressive. Each one gets their own moment to shine-  Michael Kurowski’s Doody makes you want to run
           over and hug him during his  <em>These Magic Changes</em> dream sequence. Kevin Corbett’s  Kenickie has just enough bully in him and performs a rousing
           rendition of  <em>Greased Lighting,</em> but my favorite was Jake Elkin’s  Roger and the very fun <em>Mooning</em> duet he sings with  Tiffany Taylor’s
           Jan. </p>
<p>While the T birds were  good, the Pink Ladies were fantastic. Taylor’s Jan was very funny, Michelle  Lauto’s <em>Freddy My Love</em> was perfect and
           Landree Flemming’s Frenchy  reminded me of so many of my own high school students- lost and desperately  trying to find themselves. But the standout
           to me was Jacquelyne Jones’  Betty Rizzo. She had so much bitchiness throughout the show and yet, I  can’t say I’ve seen a more vulnerable and powerful
           performance of  <em>There are Worse Things I Could Do</em> than hers. The  supporting characters are perfectly stereotyped as well: nerdy Eugene
           Florcyzk played by Garrett  Lutz, the annoyingly perky Patty Simcox played by Alaina Wis, creepy Vince  Fontaine played by Curt Bouril and the stern
           Miss Lynch played by Kelly  Anne Clark.</p>
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<p>What is tricky about  this production, as with most productions of <em>Grease</em>, is  that the characters are not played by high school students. Watching
           the show, I connected again  why that is: this show is super raunchy! I direct high school musicals myself  and honestly had a hard time fathoming
           how we’d be allowed to put  on this show. Ironic, right? Since it takes place in high school? Anyway,  watching this production from the balcony
           in one of the large theaters  in Chicago, you wouldn’t notice the age discrepancy. But at the Marriott,  it’s pretty much right in your face. Luckily,
           because I was enjoying the  show so much, I could overlook the clearly older actors playing high school  students. However, there were moments where
           the reality hit me and I  struggled to believe the characters. I wondered if costume designer, Amanada  Vander Byl could have tailored some of the
           costumes in a way that age  was not always as obvious.</p>
<p>If you’re still with  me on this review, I thought I’d take the last paragraph to pontificate on  this American classic. The Marriott’s production caused
           me to see  <em>Grease</em> in a way I haven’t before. Maybe it was the  intimacy of the theater. Or maybe it’s that I now spend most of my days  surrounded
           by high school students. But  I had never really connected that the story is so heavily about fitting in  and figuring out who you are, such an important
           part of adolescence. In the  stage version, almost every main character has a song where we learn  something about them, their hopes, their dreams,
           their struggles. The stage  version to me wasn’t as much of the Danny/Sandy love story I remember the  movie being but instead a story of young people
           making the transition from  child to adult. And it reminded me of how hard this transition is. The  characters in <em>Grease</em> face grown-up issues
           but wrestle with them with  the minds of an inexperienced young person. <em>Grease</em> really  captures that spirit of high school transition. This
           struck me the most at the end  of Act I as the T birds and Pink Ladies are hanging out at a park and they  face some social challenges within the
           scene. Then, after a pretty  intense moment, they burst into <em>You’re the One that I  Want</em> and sing and dance together again as friends because
           of course, in the end, they  are really still kids. </p>
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<p>I think it is impossible  not to love <em>Grease</em> and if you want a trip down memory  lane whether to relive your own high school experience or your
           John Travolta loving youth,  check out <em>Grease</em> at the Marriott Theatre in  Lincolnshire.</p>