Grease is the word!
One of my earliest memories is seeing Grease at a drive-in movie theatre near where I grew up in New Jersey. I couldn’t have been more than 4 or 5, but I remember Danny and Sandy singing "Summer Nights" up on the big screen. The songs & dances in that movie were infectious - high school looked like it was going to be so much fun!
Fast forward 20 or so years, and I was playing the role of Roger in a professional production of Grease in Virginia. I enjoyed the experience, but remember being a little let down. Where were John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John? The stage version of Grease was raunchier, grittier, and had all these different songs I didn’t know. It just seemed so alien to the movie I loved growing up.
So when the opportunity came around to produce Grease at Rye Neck, the challenge was clear: how could we create a version of the show that is not only true to its original Broadway roots, but would please the fans of the movie as well? Certainly, the film was a worldwide phenomenon, virtually everyone saw Grease when I was growing up. I assumed our audiences would be expecting to hear “You’re The One That I Want”, “Sandy”, “Grease Is The Word” and “Hopelessly Devoted to You” - all songs written for the film adaptation of the musical, and not part of the original show.
Fortunately, we were able to license those extra movie songs. And with the help of our wonderful music director Kathryn Krull (whose arrangements are so vital), we’ve been able to create the version of the show you’re seeing here. While we in no way wanted to try to recreate the movie onstage (that would be impossible and pointless - theatre is LIVE), we did want to give our production that authentic Grease movie flavor.
And the students have really loved working on the show! No matter how tired they've been at our countless rehearsals, whenever “We Go Together” or “Born To Hand Jive” starts up, the kids kick off the cobwebs and jump right in, singing and dancing to these wonderful songs. It’s impossible not to smile and tap your feet when you hear them, the musical is almost genetically-encoded for fun! So I hope you’ll have as much enjoyment watching it as we did making it!
Equally important to the success of our show is the hard work of our crew. Compared with past years, this year’s crew is meaner, leaner, and incredibly efficient. Every single set piece was beautifully painted and decorated by our Art Crew, and the hard-working Stage Crew is really giving it their all getting everything out on stage seamlessly. Our amazing Props crew found every single item you’ll see onstage - talk about going above and beyond! I could single out each department, but I think you get the idea - it’s a huge team effort and every student involved in the show was incredibly helpful.
I’d like to thank all of my returning collaborators this year: Kathryn, Fran DeAngelo, Katie Jo Flanagan, Ned Hatton, and Lizzie Mahoney - the same gang from last year’s Damn Yankees. It’s been such a pleasure working with you all again! And thanks to Anne Reiser who's been such a help throughout this process. And to the parents of the cast and crew, who have consistently supported their children’s interest in the musical.
And most of all, thanks to the students, who since mid-November have given up their free time to rehearse, learn their songs and choreography, and put so much energy and humor into this production. I love what we’ve done with the show, I hope you will too.
So welcome to the 1950s, and enjoy Grease!
Scott Harris
