Those Magic (and Not So Magic) Changes

Date of Performance: October 14 matinee

By: Book, music and lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey; additional songs by Barry Gibb, John Farrar, Louis St. Louis and Scott Simon; directed and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall

Starring: Max Crumm (Danny Zuko), Laura Osnes (Sandy Dumbrowski), Ryan Patrick Binder (Doody), Susan Blommaert (Miss Lynch), Jeb Brown (Vince Fontaine), Stephen R. Buntrock (Teen Angel), Daniel Everidge (Roger), Allison Fischer (Patty Simcox), Robyn Hurder (Marty), Lindsay Mendez (Jan), Jenny Powers (Betty Rizzo), José Restrepo (Sonny LaTierri), Matthew Saldívar (Kenickie), Jamison Scott (Eugene Florczyk) and Kirsten Wyatt (Frenchy)


Back in January, a show called Grease: You're the One That I Want premiered on NBC. It was sort of American Idol on crack, a strange hybrid of a number of reality shows, and featured 14 fresh faced stage actors vying for the coveted leading roles of Danny Zuko and Sandy Dumbrowski in a Grease revival. An interesting (and risky) idea, it featured some of the staples we come to expect from our reality fare--bitchy Brit judge David Ian, confessionals, and a high cheese factor. In some ways, it was worse than American Idol: Each contestant was assigned a color (all their costumes, jackets, etc. were in this color) and given a nickname. Examples include: "Spiritual Sandy" and "Boy Band Danny." However, despite all the silly skits and inane pop songs the contestants were forced to endure, one thing was blatantly clear--the contestants were charismatic, likeable...and (gasp!) talented. I clearly remember when the competition got down to the final four. There was Austin Miller, "Hot Danny," who I'd seen as Link in the Hairspray tour, Ashley Spencer, "Ballerina Sandy," who is now currently on Broadway as Amber Von Tussle, Max Crumm, "Slacker Danny," and Laura Osnes, "Small Town Sandy." Physically, Miller and Spencer seemed better suited to the roles--Miller with his typical good looks and Spencer with her tall physique and blonde hair. Coming into the competition, Crumm and Osnes were the underdogs--Crumm was presented as a goofball and got a lot of attention because his looks aren't that of a matinee idol, and Osnes had the "audacity" to be a brunette. However, when it came down to the final vote, it was Laura Osnes and Max Crumm America wanted for the Grease revival.






There was a lot of skepticism surrounding this casting... Was America really fit to decide who should helm an expensive Broadway show? Were Laura and Max really the ones right for the roles? Would they do well?

The fact of the matter is that Danny and Sandy aren't extremely demanding roles to play. They're really not that well written, and I'll go as far as to say that Laura Osnes and Max Crumm give good, but not great, performances. Between the television show and the Broadway run, it's clear that Crumm has put in a lot of work. He's toned down the goofball act, his voice is stronger and he proves himself to be a good dancer and actor. However, if you come to Grease expecting John Travolta's Danny, you'll be sorely disappointed. Crumm's Danny walks with a swagger and is obnoxious and mischievous, but shows more moments of teenage insecurity and sensitivity. It is a credit to Crumm's enormous likeability factor that even when Danny is a jerk and acts obnoxious, we still accept that he is a character of great humanity, and we understand why (and how) a girl like Sandy could fall for a guy like him. While some critics have pointed out that Crumm's nerd looks would detract from his Danny, I find it's actually the opposite. Danny, as the leader of the pack, doesn't have to be the best looking guy in school. Were the popular boys at your high school always the best looking? Not necessarily. They were popular because of the way they carried themselves and commanded attention. Crumm acts as if he's the best looking and smoothest guy in school, and it works. Osnes does as much as she can with Sandy, especially given that the character's not even onstage that much. Her "Hopelessly Devoted to You" rendition is beautiful, and her eyes instantly well up with emotion. Her one downfall is her physical slightness; she's a tiny woman and sometimes gets overpowered in her scenes with the Pink Ladies, especially Jenny Powers. Crumm and Osnes play off each other well; their chemistry is not smoldering; it is more lighthearted and sweet. It's really up to personal preference what kind of Danny and Sandy you prefer--sexually charged or intoxicated with first love.


The Pink Ladies and the Burger Palace Boys lend a good dose of comedy. Jenny Powers is fantastic; she stands out and makes Rizzo a tough, cynical, guarded girl simmering with sexual energy. Her passionate rendition of "There Are Worse Things I Could Do" is brilliant, revealing, and dramatically involving. Matthew Saldivar, most recently seen in The Wedding Singer understands that Kenickie is not a one-note character. Oozing with machismo, Kenickie is a little boy in a man's body. He is eager to be an adult and have sex, but is unprepared for the ramifications of his actions.

Rounding out the gang are Ryan Patrick Binder as Doody, Daniel Everidge as Roger, Jose Restrepo as Sonny, Robyn Hurder as Marty, Kirsten Wyatt as Frenchie, and Lindsay Mendez as Jan. Each actor makes an important contribution--Hurder's Marty emulates Marilyn Monroe, Wyatt brings a cute girlishness to Frenchie, and Mendez makes pudgy Jan, a role fairly boring in the film version, interesting. Of everyone, Restrepo lands his punchlines the best and Binder is especially good at recalling teenage insecurity. However, the real scene stealer here is Daniel Everidge who whoops, hollers, and sings like nobody's business. Who knew a ballad titled "Mooning" could be so fantastic? The actors are perfectly cast according to acting ability; unfortunately, with the exception of Binder, Crumm, and Osnes, they all look way too old to be in high school. This is the era of Spring Awakening, which features actual teenagers. It's not as easy to get away with casting 20 and 30 somethings as 15 year olds anymore.

With the exception of Teen Angel Stephen Buntrock, the bit players are unremarkable. Allison Fischer, who made an impressive debut as Claudia in the ill conceived stinker Lestat deserves better than the material she's given to work with as Patty Simcox, and to be perfectly frank, Jamison Scott is just too attractive and put together to be Eugene.

For a revival that cost 10 million plus, it does not show. The sets are cheesy, sparse, and ugly, and the costumes are horrendous. The one positive is the clever car transformation in "Greased Lightnin."

This production is also the first to include "Grease," ballads "Hopelessly Devoted to You" and "Sandy" and puts "You're the One That I Want" in the place of "All Choked Up." Though I love Barry Gibb's "Grease," it comes off as too disco when grouped with the rest of the songs. However, I did appreciate the new arrangements of the other three songs.

So Grease sounds like it was pretty good, right? Well...yes and no. The cast is overall strong and the music is dynamite. So what's the problem? The problem is surprising: Kathleen Marshall's directing. Lauded for her impressive mounting of The Pajama Game, I expected her to be the glue that kept this production together. Instead, her poor direction is what threatens it. Grease, when it was first produced, was a rowdy, raw show that took a look at how rock and roll changed sex in America, the cultural shift between the 50s and the 60s. It was also a nostalgic piece and originally featured a prologue where all the characters were reuniting after many years apart. The 1994 revival was very tongue in cheek, a goofy romp, a caricature of the times. This revival is none of these--it's too clean cut, too straight forward, and the social commentary of the period is completely overlooked. Grease has lost its spice--what's left is a sugar coated skeleton of what it once was.

Don't get me wrong; if you go, you'll have fun, you'll laugh, you'll dance in your seat. That much hasn't changed. But the message behind the music has.



Opening Night