Positives: 1. Less thinking. More Smiling. Fun ensemble. Lots of opportunities for people to shine. The song and dance numbers are structured in a way that the choreographic can be as elaborate or as simple as needed. It’s a good way to get everyone on stage and in the audience enthusiastic about the performance. 2. Hey, I Know That One! Musical numbers that the audience will recognize. “Summer Loving,” “We Go Together,” “Greased Lightning” provide audience engagement and will help them immediately connect with the story in some way. Many audience members will know what is coming next, but it is an expectation that can be used to help the performance. 3. America the Great A look back at a different time that was seemingly more carefree. Although not very realistic for all people, Grease paints a pretty picture that everything will be all right. This could give people a release from current societal pressures even if it comes from a source of fictitious history. 4. Lonely, So Lonely. Can help connect with those who may feel like an outsider. Like most teenagers, most adults still experience loneliness and feeling as if they don’t belong. Sandy the new girl, Rizzo the bad girl, and Danny the victim of peer pressure, all provide examples for people to possibly see themselves in. Negatives: 1. Male Writers Doing Male Writer Things. All the greatest consequences are with the female characters. Sandy is left hanging by Danny who has all the power in their potential relationship and is pressured by him to have sex. Rizzo is faced with the fear of possibly being pregnant, but Kenickie (who may have gotten her pregnant) is not. The girls are faced with choices such as to choose an education or a career in cosmetology (they can’t have both). The boys deal with issues such as making the track team and borrowing a car. 2. Men Doing Men Things. The male characters are pretty awful to the female characters. Kenickie basically tosses Rizzo aside after having sex with her. Danny pressures Sandy for sex and is rude to her when she declines. Even the fantasy Teen Angel comes down and calls Frenchy stupid 3. What Year Is This? A lot of the language is pretty dated stylistically. “She’s a real honey wagon” (24) “She goes all tutti-frutti” (31) are a couple of the phrases and terms that really show this is a different time in history. Making sure those lines are delivered properly will be important. 4. Just Like That, Huh? The transitions are pretty bad. Many of the scenes such as 2 and 3 end in weak dialogue that is very anti-climactic. There are also numerous scene changes that may make set design and scene change a little difficult. The scenes go from: Act 1: Inside the school > Outside the school > Marty’s bedroom> A Garage> Outside the school. Act 2: Inside the school> Outside the school> Burger Place> Drive-in movie> Garage> Outside of school. Depending on the size of our space, we may need to use moving set pieces and/or backdrops, which could take away from the realism effect of the play (if that’s what we’re going for). Questions: 1. How creepy do we make the men? They treat the Pink Ladies pretty terribly overall so do we play that up and show just how misogynistic and predator-like they are? It’s dangerous to just portray them with the standard “boys being boys.” 2. How do we stage the fight between Sandy and Rizzo? While isolated it could be focused as just a silly moment, but in the middle of a play paints women in such a bad light with so many characters being two-dimensional, we want to be careful to not stage a “sexy girl fight” that will further degrade our female characters and actors. No pillow fights! 3. While I feel strongly all the characters should be white, how do cast/do makeup with hair color and body types? And if we don’t cast all white actors, who do we cast as people of color? Are there any characters who we would like to be people of color? Furthermore, is Sandy going to be the typical skinny blonde? Doing a play during our current climate about a bunch of carefree white kids in the 50’s sends a message with every casting choice. We should be very aware of that. 3 ½. A cross-gender Grease? Think about it, then judge. 4. How do we deal with the names of the past audiences may not be familiar with? The ones the stood out to me the most were Ricky Nelson and Shelley Farbares (29). Are we worried about that at all? Do we use projections and make our production a history lesson/sing-along? 4 ½. A sing-along Grease? Think about it, then judge. Crack/Thread: 1. Although, not an immediately positive one, the pressure the female characters undergo is an ongoing theme that kept me engaged throughout the play. I was expecting it to be completely problematic, but it can actually be used to show audiences exactly how women were treated and mistreated and how it is still happening in the exact same ways as the Pink Ladies. Concretes: 1. Sandra’s robe. Because Rizzo puts it on and dances around, mocking Sandra in it, the robe is going to need to be one that figuratively fits Sandra so well it calls out to Rizzo as something to use as a costume piece. Plus, with Sandra being an “outsider” it should really look like something specifically for her; something none of the Pink Ladies would wear. Something Catholic-looking (if such a thing exists). 2. The car used for Grease Lightning. Because it is described in such detail, the car is going to have to be utilized in some way even if purely for audience expectations. It needs to be something fitting of the times yet with a modern feel. It doesn’t need to be something that women would find attractive as much it needs to be something teenage boys would think women will find attractive. We should consider avoiding any use of lightning bolt decals or paint designs. Audio/Visual: Audio: 1. “Look At Me, I’m Sandra Dee.” While it may not be the most popular song, it is a pivotal point in the song as the lead female character is mocked and degraded by Rizzo while the other Pink Ladies laugh (or do they? Hmm. Director choice?) It is shown here how much jealousy and disdain Rizzo has for Sandra while also providing an opportunity to reveal some of Rizzo’s own insecurities. 2. “Beauty School Dropout.” A very degrading song that doesn’t try to disguise itself as anything else, “Beauty School Dropout” is a very problematic moment. While the fantastical Teen Angel helps convince Frenchy of the wise choice to go back to high school, the advice is given in an extremely demeaning and disrespectful manner. The lyrics call her a “ne’er do well” and mention she hasn’t been the same since getting her nose “fixed up.” The melody is pleasant, but it is definitely a moment that can go very wrong if not staged properly. Visual: 1. “Alma Mater.” The moment when we meet most of the main players and well as some from the previous class. This makes it a changing-of-the-guard kind of moment. The song is cheesy enough for anyone who has ever had to sing their high school alma mater can relate to, making an immediate connection with the audience in the first musical number. 2. Rizzo dancing as Sandra Dee. Rizzo, who has the much more serious storyline steals the spotlight from the female lead, shifting the story slightly in a more serious direction in a playful way. I envisioned the other Pink Ladies just watching Rizzo perform, but if they join in it could make a particular statement. 3. Rizzo revealing she is not pregnant. Again, the focus shifts back to Rizzo whose news can allow the audience to release from their remaining tension and join in with the fun those who were unaware of the dilemma. It’s treated like a secondary story throughout, but it is easily the most serious plot point due to all she would be facing as a pregnant teenager during this time. It is a plot point that needs to be happily resolved and it is. E/R/R: The constant barrage of misogynistic lines kept standing out to me. Here are some of them: “He keeps making passes at the girls” (Marty, 9). “Did she put up a fight” (Kenickie, 14). “I think she’s got eyes for me. Did you notice” (Roger, 17). “The chicks’ll cream/scream” (Kenickie, 24). “You haven’t got the ‘equipment’ like hers” (Roger, 29). “I hear she’s a real bombshell” (Kenickie, 33). RIZZO: Hey, Danny, will you be my partner for the dance contest? DANNY: Maybe, if nothing better comes along (35). “Hey, weren’t you a contestant in the Miss Rock and Roll Universe Pageant, too” (said by an older man to a high school student) (Vince, 36). Why This Play Now: The historic popularity of Grease will always make it a popular draw. The familiarity with the story and the songs have proven to have a staying power will likely always exist. Even some of the songs and lines which now feel slightly (if not completely) inappropriate will give audiences a look at what was commonplace and even seen as a necessity. I feel it is important to cast this show the way it was written, meaning an all-white cast, but that intentional lack of diversity can show audiences the misconception of the time when America was thought of as being “great.” A story that is deeply void of any characters of color and is demeaning to its female characters will show audiences a different perspective of what happiness is and who is allowed to pursue it. Furthermore, doing this production allows us to delve into a text and a story that lacks diversity and is not even that complex or well-crafted of a script and examine why it has remained popular for as long as it has in a world that has constantly become more diverse around it. There is an opportunity to dig into a text and story and how has reflected and continues to reflect cultural values of a society that needs assistance in seeing its shortcomings and fallacies. |