BWW Reviews: YLT GREASE is No 'Greasy Kid Stuff' -- It's a Fresh Take

In the 1970's, we were warned to avoid that "greasy kid stuff," but in the world of Rydell High SSchool, Brycream still hasn't made a dent. Jim Jacobs' and Warren Casey's GREASE will never leave 1959, to the delight of all of its fans. Young and old alike shove each other out of the way to grab seats, and since 1971 it's played every theatre from Broadway's former Broadhurst to most of the high schools in America. It's been whitewashed since its first Chicago and Broadway runs, with the original grit, dirt, and rawness removed, but it's still a fascinating portrait of an era suffused with class consciousness, religious consciousness, the first stirrings of the sexual revolution, and the start of rock and roll. Currently at York Little Theatre, directed by Rene Staub, it's once again asking if nice kids finish last.

Sandy and Danny, the star-crossed summer lovers who find their social worlds at Sandy's new school conflict wildly with each other's, are played by Jordann Smith-Kingston and Patrick Douglas. Smith-Kingston's dance talent makes one wish there were more choreography for Sandy, but she also has a fine voice - don't miss her "Raining on Prom Night" in Act Two. Douglas has the moves down pat; he's as greasy as a greaser gets. He lessened his opening-night "goombah" accent considerably by the end of the first weekend, which was wise, as it made him far more audible and seem less South Jersey Italian kid and more purely greaser.

But GREASE is a show heavily dependent on its secondary couple, Kenickie and Rizzo, and in this production, they're outstanding. Dalton Deatrick's Kenickie is direly torn between the opposite sex and the wonder of cars, and the cars give the girls a real run for the money; his "Greased Lightning" is a joy (and so is the actual vehicle, nicely turned out on the YLT stage). Amanda Viands' Rizzo comes out on stage looking like a junior Jackie Kennedy, and sounding like a million dollars. This is a production that definitely has the audience rooting for Rizzo with Viands' performance. Her "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee" and her eleven o'clock "There Are Worse Things I Could Do" are show-stoppingly wonderful.

Of note are "Teen Angel" Ryan Joshua Henson, whose "Beauty School Dropout" revue is delightfully staged; radio DJ Vince Fontaine, played by Christopher Quigley, and the fiendish Miss Lynch, Connie Stell.

Also worthy of note? Get to the show early, and cut intermission short; director Staub has on screens a riotously funny collection of 1950's movie trailers (as well as a Brylcream commercial or two) for B-movie science fiction classics - yes, you can thrill once again to THE BLOB - and some Sandra Dee flicks. They're so much fun that they're almost worth coming just for the trailer collection that celebrates the drive-in scene in the show. The show's set, also designed by Staub, is impressive, especially the façade of Rydell High.

Yes, the movie songs have been incorporated into the show - they're more familiar to many people than the original songs from the play, and were nice work by Barry Gibb, and you'll get to hear "Hopelessly Devoted to You" once again.

Staub's direction does a very fine job of pulling the ending out of the usual appearance of "Sandy changing herself just to get a boy" - here, she's clearly breaking free of parental and Catholic restraint to be less of a forced "good girl" rather than just doing what she thinks Danny wants. Danny's response is equally impressive; it's obvious in this production that Danny likes girls who think for themselves and who are independent. His reaction when the "new" Sandy arrives is proof of that. Seeing Sandy as a young woman who's able to use her own mind rather than continue following everyone else's orders is as great for the audience as it is for Danny.

The production is stylish and modern without being revisionist; if anything, it's a recollection of when GREASE was a much more freewheeling, grittier, and harder-hitting show than it usually is now. And it does that without coming off as offensive either to more conservative or very young sensibilities. This may be one of Rene Staub's best productions yet; it's well thought-out and nicely handled. And for a show about which this reviewer often moans "not again," the response this time was "twice in three days? Why not?" The fresh take on it and the talent in it do play that well.

At York Little Theatre through October 5, followed by an Agatha Christie mystery, SPIDER'S WEB. Call YLT at 717-854-5715 or visit www.ylt.org for tickets and information.

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