Comparing the stage "Grease" with the film version
When a filmmaker takes a stage show and creates a movie, it "opens up" the show, allowing for much more flexibility in how the story is told. In the film version of "Grease," this means there are scenes like the race on Thunder Road that have been added to create more visual drama.
Characters can also be added, or dropped, along the way. For example, there is only one teacher in the show (Miss Lynch) compared to several school staff which were added in the film version. And although we were able to include several songs written for the film, you will also hear numbers that never made it into the movie but which fit better into the storytelling on the stage.
We hope you enjoy comparing the two versions of this iconic musical, and thank you for supporting the students of Jordan-Matthews!
The experience of live theater
For the safety of our actors, and the enjoyment of everyone in the audience, please remember these courtesies of attending a live theater performance:
• Absolutely no flash photography--it is not safe for the actors.
• Please turn off cell phones. No calls, or texting--it is very distracting to everyone around you. During intermission is a wonderful time to post how awesome the show is on social media.
• If you can hear the actors, they can hear you. Please save comments to your neighbors for the applause breaks or intermission.
• If you must leave your seat, wait until the applause at the end of a musical number unless it is an emergency.
• Our students are excited, and a little nervous. Please do not call out to them when they are on the stage. It will make it harder for them to give a good performance.
A note from the director
In the summer of 1978, my family took our only BIG family vacation. We traveled from Missouri through Iowa, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska and back to good ol’ Missouri. I had no idea that after seeing the Corn Palace, Wall Drug Store, Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone National Park, the Teton Mountains, and Old Faithful Geyser, that my life was about to change forever, from something most people would find trivial…a movie. When we arrived in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, my brother and I didn’t want to do the “fun” grown-up vacation activities with mom and dad, so luckily, they allowed us to go to the movies. We decided on Grease, because we recognized John Travolta as Vinny Barbarino from Welcome Back, Kotter on TV, and let’s face it…Olivia Newton-John was “hot.” In the first few minutes of the show, I was worried we had made a mistake, but when the bass line of “Summer Nights’ started, my whole world changed. I realized, for the first time, that it was okay to be a dude and sing. John Travolta’s macho attitude and talent in singing and dancing made me know it was pretty cool to be able to do those things. The next month, I went to high school, joined the chorus, and the rest, as they say, is history. I am so excited to share my love of music and theatre with these kids…and they are excited too, as you will see.
