Interview: Carole Demas of SONGS FROM THE HEART by Live From Skylight Run

The LIVE FROM SKYLIGHT RUN series debuted in October to great response, something that Carole Demas and Stuart Allyn hoped for, but didn't plan on, since the business of show can be temperamental of nature. Now, four shows later, Ms. Demas has special plans for her February show, set for the 5th at 7:30 pm EDT, plans that will be of particular interest to fans of one of the most popular musicals in the history of Broadway.

SONGS FROM THE HEART is a Valentine's Day show that Carole Demas had been planning with her longtime musical director Ian Herman; together the duo put together a setlist of melodies designed for a perfect night of Valentine's entertainment. They curated a collection of pop music, Broadway tunes, folk numbers, The Great American Songbook classics, and even some rock & roll. They were all set to go... until Demas heard that voice in her head, the one that you always listen to, and decided to change things up a bit, to honor a memorable date in the history of Broadway and in the history of Carole Demas.

February of 2021 will mark the 49-year anniversary of the opening of GREASE on Broadway. As the original Sandy, it simply would not be possible for Carole Demas to make any kind of public performance appearance without acknowledging the occasion - so Carole and Ian went right to work, adding musical numbers and reminiscences to the virtual reality program and now, with the show set to kick off in two days, they are ready to roll. Carole is quick to point out, though, that the look back at Grease is only a portion of the evening - SONGS FROM THE HEART is still a Valentine's Day show (Tickets HERE), so there will be something for the theater buffs, as well as all the happy couples. In the Grease segment of the show, which Carole describes as "definitely a heartfelt, intimate memory and a strong feature", she plans to recount, in words and music, the experience of auditioning for, and landing, the role of Sandy.

Naturally interested in learning more, especially about Show Business history, I emailed Carole with a few questions and she, happily, wrote back immediately.

This interview was conducted digitally and is reproduced with minimal edits.

So, Carole - forty-nine years later - how has your relationship with the musical Grease and the character of Sandy changed?

Most of us in the original Broadway Grease company, as we approached our opening night on Valentine's Day, 1972, were in the usual state of a Broadway cast at that point in the life of a show. We were nervous, excited, hopeful, fearful- We loved the show and knew it was something very different. Preview audience reactions ranged from thumbs down to wildly ecstatic! The many changes during previews kept us awake at night. We leaned on each other a lot, just as the characters did. Our relationships with each other became a living part of the energy and love we brought onstage. All these years later we are proud to be part of the huge success it became and to see it described as "a global phenomenon", still going strong. The original characters, from a 1971 community theater production, were rough kids, sporting bravado and needing each other. The original Broadway production held on to much of the earlier "grit", but with Broadway appeal.

The Danny/Sandy romance was embraced by audiences and has become more important over time. The film emphasized that part of the story. For me, being the "original Sandy" gave me a sweet, special place in the Broadway firmament. We always hope to be in a show that runs. We truly didn't imagine where we were headed and we are all very grateful.

A Book Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Grease is due to be released on February 14th, 2022. Contributions have been written by entire Grease companies, from the beginning through 1981, covering the whole Broadway run and all of the stage productions produced by the original team: Produced by Ken Waissman & Maxine Fox, Directed by Tom Moore, Choreographed by Pat Birch, including three Guber Gross tours and the Coconut Grove production- as all those companies used the original staging and were licensed by W&F. Cast and Crew members, Musicians, Musical Directors, Designers, Assistants, Press Representatives, Ushers, Company Managers, Stage Managers- all have been invited to contribute their memories to what is hopefully destined to be a must-have/must-read volume of theater history.

Writing my own portions of this project took time and love, some pain, some tears, a lot of joy, and intense remembering. I'm sure that is true of many of us. Tom Moore, Adrienne Barbeau, and Ken Waissman are spending two years of their lives editing and assembling what may be hundreds and hundreds of stories.

You asked if my relationship to the musical and Sandy have changed. I would say yes- but more specifically, my relationship has grown, because Grease has grown. All of that is something not imagined when I began, with my first professional job- the one for which I was actually paid, with The Champlain Shakespeare Festival, way back in 1960, when I was 20 and still in college. Three years later, I landed Off-Broadway and got my Equity Card as the ingenue lead in Fred Ebb's first book musical, Morning Sun (music by Paul Klein). It was an amazing start for me, but a harsh dose of reality. It closed quite quickly. I thought two years as Luisa in The Fantasticks at The Sullivan Street Playhouse (I played her from 1966-68) might be the "big experience" for me. It was a major highlight and I learned so much- but who could think that something as huge as Grease at that point? It's been a long career, of many triumphs and losses. Still, Grease remains the most professionally positive and meaningful stage experience of my life.

I was 32 when I played Sandy. I had actually been in high school in the 1950s. I KNEW that girl - I was that girl. My goal with her was to give her some truly deep and hidden passion for Danny and some glimpses of her fire within, to explain the ending and to help the audience understand why Danny, who could have any girl he wanted, wanted this one so different from the others he knew, even enough to risk his reputation with his world and his friends. Barry Bostwick, as the incredible Danny he was, gave me a lot. I describe this in the upcoming Grease book.

Have other actresses who have played Sandy reached out to connect with you over the years?

Other actresses who have played Sandy have not reached out to me - at least not with questions regarding the role. As comrades in arms, perhaps a little. It doesn't surprise me. I think I'm pretty accessible, but I also understand that when we take on a role that has been created by another person, we want to bring our own skills and understandings to the character. For instance, while I did want to learn and I watched other actors play Luisa (they were all different and mostly very good) I felt bonded to her in my own proprietary time with her during the years that I played the role, Off-Broadway, or at ACT in Seattle and also at what is now the Milwaukee Rep. I don't mean to say that strong relationships aren't formed with other actors who play the roles you treasure professionally. Subsequently, Broadway Star Sarah Rice, who played Luisa Off-Broadway in the '70s, and I have become close friends and won a Bistro together for our tribute to Jones & Schmidt a few years ago. (Sarah joined me for my live-streamed musae in December and will be with me again for the March 5th live-stream).

As for Sandy, I go back to her all over again during those times when I work a bit with high school Grease productions. This has kept my Broadway memories stirred up. If a genuine high school girl who is playing Sandy (this can be quite amazing!) wants to know more about her, we can spend some special time. I hope this helps them to find their own inner glow- that compelling, blooming power Sandy can have even though the character's hurt and disappointment- and of course, her triumph. For my part, she is a character who has the potential to be more than meets the eye.

Have you stayed in touch with the cast over the years and will you all be meeting via Zoom to honor the anniversary?

The original Broadway Grease cast has stayed quite close over these going-on 50 years. Working together, it was so good to become one of those families that often develop in close-knit long run shows - but I think for those bonds to extend over 5 decades is probably unusual. I still feel close to everyone in that original company and several people in the cast (Joy Rinaldi and Ilene Kristen) have remained my closest friends, second only to my 3 siblings and my dear Paula Janis, my friend since 1954 and co-star on TV's The Magic Garden. (Paula will also join me in a musae.me live-stream later this year. The Magic Garden was shot on Mondays, my one day off, each week, also during 1972, so that anniversary is coming up as well.)

Almost all of the living members of The original Grease cast, including producer Ken Waissman, Director Tom Moore, and Choreographer Pat Birch, joined in a Zoom early in 2020. It was a young cast back in 1972, so most of us are, thankfully, still living. Our Zoom time together felt as if no time had passed. We went on talking and laughing for quite a while - we didn't want to let go. A bigger scale Feb. 14th Zoom is planned and I hope to jump in.

Songs From The Heart debuts on Feb 5th. 7:30 pm EST For information and tickets visit the Musae/Live From Skylight Run link HERE

The cast of GREASE celebrating the 40-year anniversary of the show with a fifteen-minute opening number in the GYPSY OF THE YEAR show at the New Amsterdam Theater:

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