BWW Reviews: GREASE is Slick Work at Gettysburg Community Theatre

Summer must be approaching: the air is warming, the skies are blue, and there's a production of GREASE in the area. And not one of those things is bad. If there's a popular musical that everyone loves, that's relatively clean, with a happy ending and an entire list of hummable songs, it's GREASE, which opened on Broadway in 1972 and apparently hasn't been off stage somewhere in the world at any time since then. Therefore, let us rejoice that Gettysburg Community Theatre is producing GREASE at this very moment, and with four of the movie version's favorite songs incorporated into it (as per the 2007 Broadway revival). This is a student/junior production at GCT, directed by Chad-Alan Carr, the company's artistic director, but with some of the best choreography (by Carr and by Bridgid Wills) seen recently in the area.

The Jim Jacobs/Warren Casey book, music, and lyrics are given their due with a minimalist set but with delightful costuming by Renea Schroeder, down to pink satin jackets, a myriad of poodle skirts, and plenty of Keds. Those costumes are on a large crowd of energetic cast members, both leads and ensemble members.

As to those leads, Joshua Adams as Danny Zuko (originally played on Broadway by Barry Bostwick) is a find; he's a triple threat, with some fine dance moves as well as being able to act and sing. Also showing promise is Camden Selby as Danny's buddy Kenickie, whose lead on "Greased Lightning" is worth the price of admission. Brody Gipe as both singer Johnny Casino and the infamous Teen Angel delivers a fine performance as both - his body language is exceptional, and his pantomimed scene with Pink Lady Marty at the dance is a delight. Kudos for casting and training, incidentally, must go to whoever managed to assemble as many young males as this production has who can sing and dance and will do so on stage.

The Pink Ladies are a fine quartet, all with real stage skills. Chief among them may be Marilyn Lopes playing Marty, whose "Freddy, My Love" is an excellent rendition, and whose acting skills are evident; it is to be hoped that she plans to go further with her theatre studies. Frenchy, played by Jennie Dell, is an adorable nitwit, torn between leaving high school for beauty school and... well, not being very competent at beauty school. Dell makes her friendly, outgoing, and clueless, exactly as required. Jessi Gillingham, playing Jan, is a fine dancer, while Abbie Mummert plays Rizzo. Although Mummert took a while to warm into her part, her "Look At Me, I'm Sandra Dee" in the first act is well worth it, and her "There Are Worse Things I Could Do" in the second act reveals her as a real belter, with some serious lungs behind her. As an aside, a salute must go to director Carr for leaving in Rizzo's pregnancy scare and this particularly fine number, which many productions involving teens feel the need to eliminate. The material is not obscene and is worthy of being seen and understood by young people and their families - cutting it removes much of the vitality of the second act.

Shannon Hutchinson as Sandy Dumbrowski epitomizes the Nice Girl both in appearance and in delivery. She's clearly talented - if only she would sing out more, she would be a truly fine Sandy. But her reprise of "Sandra Dee" is a power number, and her performance with Adams in the finale is fine indeed.

The ensemble for the show is mostly slightly younger, and heavily and cheerfully poodle-skirted. Two worthy of attention are the smallest bobby-soxers, Julianna Hazlett and Brenna Yingling, who may be young but who have some serious presence. Yingling can also dance well, and has already learned how to command attention on the stage. And the ensemble is not afraid to sing out, as well as to put energy into their dancing. Especially recommended is the rousing "Hand Jive" scene at the dance, which is both nicely choreographed by Wills and beautifully performed by the entire cast.

Through May 19 at Gettysburg Community Theatre, and worth it for anyone who is a fan of the ever-popular music from this show. Call 866-967-8167 or visit www.gettysburgcommunitytheatre.org for tickets.

Photo courtesy of Gettysburg Community Theatre.

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