ST. GEORGE — For anyone looking for a high energy show with heaps of high school nostalgia, Grease at St. George Musical Theater is the word.
Even if you didn’t attend high school in the height of the 1950s, the nostalgia of this classic story still rings true. After all, every era and every high school boasts their own “in crowd,” their own“bad kids,” and their own “nerds.” All those stereotypes come together in spades in this production of Grease in-the-round. Mixed with a soundtrack of popular songs including “Summer Nights,” “Hopelessly Devoted,” and more, this show written and composed by Warren Casey and Jim Jacobs will take you back in time.
The story follows the journey of Sandy Dumbrowski (played during this performance by Averi Jackson) and Danny Zuko (played by Brayden Winslow) who strike up a romantic relationship during a vacation at the beach. Their summer fling takes an unexpected turn when straight-arrow Sandy enrolls at Rydell High that fall, where Danny is the head “Burger Palace Boy.” Surrounded by the pressure of a group of hot-rodding greaser friends, and the popular “pink ladies,” it’s anything but smooth sailing for this unlikely pair as they navigate the challenges of young love and teenage life.
Under the direction of Tazia Murie, this production of Grease is actually the school version, meaning the script has been edited from its edgier, innuendo-filled content to offer a softer style of the same storyline. This works well, considering the bulk of the cast is in high school or has been there recently. However, there are pieces of the storyline that are omitted in order to avoid more mature themes, denying some of the character development of the original and leaving a few plot holes without much explanation (such as Betty Rizzo’s back-and-forth attitude with boyfriend Kenickie and her inexplicable change of heart at the end). Still, the school version will likely appeal to anyone who has wanted to expose their children, or themselves, to this fan-favorite show without having to explain the meaning behind some of the lyrics to the original “Greased Lightning” song, among others.
From the very beginning, it is clear the cast, consisting largely of newcomers to the St. George Musical Theater stage, is here to have a good time. Their effusive personalities come to life at varying intervals throughout the production, particularly on the full ensemble numbers like “We Go Together,” “Those Magic Changes,” and others. The dance segments, choreographed by Kelby Tyrrell, showcase the cast’s youthful exuberance, and make scenes like the school dance feel genuinely fun as the characters move to the music of “Shakin’ at the High School Hop” and “Born to Hand Jive.”
Playing out the lead characters made famous by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in the 1978 film version of the show, Winslow and Jackson have some big shoes to fill as Danny and Sandy, and they handled the pressure very well.
Winslow’s version of Danny walked a fine line between teenage tough guy and lovable boy next door. While he occasionally erred too far on the nice guy side of the line, this acting choice made his later transformation into the boy he thought Sandy was looking for easy to believe. His passion as a vocalist was evident during his solo song, “Sandy,” and he held his own in the dance sequences, particularly when he and Sandy strutted their stuff on “You’re the One That I Want” as the show concludes.
Meanwhile Jackson’s version of Sandy treaded lightly at first, being overpowered at times by the ensemble on “Summer Nights,” (a sound balancing issue that is often a problem in this theater space), but quickly gained strength as the show went on, culminating in a rockstar rendition of “Hopelessly Devoted” and an equally moving reprise of “Sandra Dee.”
While the main storyline follows the cast’s leading lovebirds, there is another character who seemed to effortlessly steal the show whenever she walked on stage: bad girl Betty Rizzo, played by Aubrey Sanders.
Although her storyline is heavily muted by the school version editing (hence the inexplicable mood changes in this iteration), Sanders’ portrayal of Rizzo was compelling and an absolute delight to watch. She had all the sass and confidence this character requires, taking on the boys and girls in both verbal and physical battles, while remaining seductive, distant, and funny at the same time. Regardless of what was happening on stage, I found my eyes straying to see what Rizzo was up to and was inevitably rewarded by her subtle acting maneuvers; always in character no matter how small her role was in the scene.
Another supporting lead character who brought his A-game all night was Josaia Naivalu in his rendition of Roger. A man who was lighter on his feet than one might expect for his size, Naivalu somehow combined goofiness and charisma into the same being. His efforts ultimately led to winning over the heart of his love interest Jan (delightfully and hilariously portrayed by Ava Merrill) as well as the audience during his song, “Mooning” and later with his duet with Doody (Gunnar Busk) on “Rock ‘n’ Roll Party Queen.”
Throughout the production there were several technical elements that deserve high praise. For example, the video projections of yearbook style photos of the cast that appear during the opening scene add an extra bit of personality and local flavor to the performance. And kudos to the sets and props teams, headed by Brad Shelton, Don Clements and Emili Whitney, for their ability to transform the Kennickie’s (Sam Sharp) clunker car into the enviable Greased Lightning in seconds.
But the best of these elements has to be the original movie showing on screen during the famous drive-in movie scene where Danny tries to put the moves on Sandy. While the action happening on the stage certainly warranted applause, it is difficult to take your eyes off the screen where other members of the cast had been filmed in advance for a cheesy, drive-in style werewolf flick. Even when the movie’s sound was muted, indicating the need to return one’s attention to the story unfolding on stage, the viewer is left a bit torn. Do you pay attention to Danny’s heartbroken rendition of “Sandy,” or watch to see what will happen as the on-screen lovers run from the monster chasing them through various scenes filmed in black and white? It’s a difficult decision.
While the stage is lit, the action in this production moves along at a healthy clip, the storyline unfolding quickly and keeping the audience engaged. However, the downtime between scenes lags a little long. Faster set changes and costume changes would improve the overall flow but, even with all of that, the show comes in at only two hours, including intermission.
The entirety of the show is filled with even more songs audiences will know and love, from “Beauty School Dropout,” to “We Go Together,” and more, making the choice to go back in time with the class of 1959 at St. George Musical Theater, a very easy one.
