THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 11, 1996 TAG: 9610110035
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E13 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Theater Review
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
LENGTH: 76 lines
EXPLAINING the sustained appeal of ``Grease'' is a bit tricky, if not puzzling. A modest little spoof of 1950s lowlifes rather than typical '50s teen-agers, it has nonetheless become something of a symbol for the very era it negates. Despite all the darkness and smutty vulgarity it suggests, two generations of theatergoers have steadfastly hailed it as ``nostalgia'' - as if it was a hymn to the simple life.
After opening on Broadway in 1972, ``Grease!'' was the longest running musical in Broadway history until ``A Chorus Line'' topped it. The 1978 movie version, with John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, still reigns as the biggest money-making movie musical ever.
The present Broadway revival, sparked by song-and-dance promoter Tommy Tune, has become the longest-running revival in Broadway history and, in casting moves that seemed to use revolving doors, has featured everyone from Brooke Shields to Rosie O'Donnell and Chubby Checker. It remains one of the fastest-selling tickets on Broadway.
The touring version at Chrysler Hall through Wednesday, as choreographed and directed by Jeff Calhoun, is more hoot than howl. It pokes fun at the '50s era rather than idealizing it.
The Pink Ladies and the Palace Burger Boys, when you think about it, are a pretty surly lot, but we are still prone to look at them fondly. Perhaps, after all, it is nostalgic to think of an era when sneaking a cigarette or stealing a hubcap was a major crime.
Calhoun's staging, while not emphasizing dance as much as we'd like, has added energy and gusto. The fact that it is purposefully performed by some of the world's oldest living teen-agers is, one supposes, just an added note of fun.
Adrian Zmed, who appeared in the original Broadway production more than 20 years ago, as well as in the movie ``Grease 2,'' plays Danny Zucko, the love-smitten Burger Boy who swaggers about, macho-style, to meet peer pressure. Christiane Noll, who was on this stage previously as the nicer girlfriend of ``Jekyll and Hyde,'' is Sandy Dumbrowski, a Sandra Dee type. Tracy Nelson, the daughter of authentic '50s legend Ricky Nelson, is the tough, gum-smacking Rizzo. Don Most, whose '50s identity comes from TV's ``Happy Days,'' is Vince Fontaine, the disc jockey who fancies himself a major star. He has fun with the bit, even coming out to dance with one member of the audience.
The adorable Sally Struthers has an all-too-brief bit as Miss Lynch, that formidable teacher we all once had. She's strict and fussily imposing until she gets tipsy on the punch and goes a bit wild. The audience clearly wanted more of her.
The songs are the spark, though, each touching a bit of '50s past that the script lacks. ``Beauty School Dropout'' is performed by a male chorus rather than the traditional chorus in curlers. ``It's Raining on Prom Night'' is a lament to lost love. ``Born to Hand Jive'' and ``Mooning'' are tributes to almost-lost arts. ``Freddy, My Love'' and ``We Get Together'' have the relentless, standard beat.
Local ticket sales have been so brisk that three extra performances have been added, Monday through Wednesday. The show's bent for nostalgia is an unprecedented case of audiences contributing more feeling, and warmth, than the show really supports - or merits.
When you think about it, and you probably shouldn't, the plot concerns one girl who faces the throes of unwanted pregnancy. The heroine, in fact, is a nice girl who, in the final scene, turns into a sleazy slut. This is a happy ending? ILLUSTRATION: THEATER REVIEW
What: ``Grease!''
Where: Chrysler Hall in Norfolk
Who: Adrian Zmed, Christiane Noll, Tracy Nelson, Sally Struthers,
Don Most, choreographed and directed by Jeff Calhoun
When: 8 tonight, 2 and 9 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, 8
p.m. Monday through Wednesday.
Tickets: $27.50 - $42.50. Available at the box office (weekdays,
10 a.m. to 5:30. p.m.), at Ticketmaster outlets or charge by phone
at 671-8100
Call: (757) 622-0288 by CNB