I'd been looking forward to the opening night of
Grease at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres for weeks, months even. It's always the best press night in town - free food and drinks, a welcoming and celebratory atmosphere, the bloggers are seated at a table together, and it's always a high quality production - and
Grease is a classic and always fun show. But everything changed two days before opening when it was announced that Michael Brindisi, longtime Artistic Director and co-owner since 2010, died suddenly after a brief illness. It's a devastating loss for his family (including wife
Michelle Barber, daughter
Cat Brindisi, and son-in-law
David Darrow, all of whom are talented and beloved members of the #TCTheater community in their own right), the people he's worked alongside of for decades, artists he's mentored and to whom he's given life-changing opportunities, and those of us in the larger community who know him mostly through his work. But it's eerily fitting that he died doing what he loved - directing a musical that meant so much to him, that started his career when he was cast in a tour in the 70s. And it also felt appropriate that while that grief and shock is fresh in all of our minds and hearts, we were able to gather in a room and be together, laugh together, cry together, celebrate his life and legacy together.
Grease is scheduled to run through early October, followed by a remount of
White Christmas which he directed just previous to this show, so whatever the future of Chanhassen Dinner Theatres looks like, his work will live on on that stage for the next year through these shows, and forever in the community that he created and the culture he fostered (which by all accounts is welcoming and respectful and supportive) and the artists he inspired. I can't imagine what it was like for the cast to go on and perform this show the night that they heard their leader was gone, and the next night, and the next. But rest assured that this cast is giving their whole hearts, souls, gorgeous voices, comedic chops, and hand-jiving bodies to this show to make their leader proud, and I know he is.
And now, on to the show.
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| we'll always be together (photo by Dan Norman) |
If you're only familiar with the movie, the stage version (which came first, as it usually does) is a little different. The songs are slightly rearranged, a few minor plot points differ, and Sandy is not from Australia. However, this production does include two of the songs written for the movie - "Hopelessly Devoted" and "You're the One That I Want." We follow this loveable band of misfit teenagers as they try to fit in, find love and friendship, and figure out who they are and what they want in life, just like we all did (and do). Yes, the show is a little dated; I wish there weren't so many (or any) fat jokes, or bullying jokes, and the phrase "did she put up a fight" and jokes about putting pills in a girl's drink are problematic in the post #MeToo era. But it's a product of its time. And perhaps the possibly un-feminist ending is less about Sandy changing who she is to win a guy and more about allowing herself to be more than what society and her parents expect her to be. It is almost the 1960s after all, and the 1950s "Sandra Dee" persona is a limiting and unachievable ideal.
Grease was written in the early '70s looking back on 1959, and perhaps Sandy represents the transition between the 1950s ideal of womanhood to the freedoms begun to be achieved by women during the sexual revolution and women's liberation movements of the '60s. It's clear that in the final song, Sandy is in charge, and Danny, who has also tried to change for Sandy, "better shape up" and be worthy of Sandy, full of newfound strength and confidence.*
This is the third time Michael Brindisi has directed
Grease on the Chanhassen stage,
most recently in 2017. A half dozen or so actors reprise their roles from that production, as does much of the creative team. But it's not just a simple remount; everything has been refreshed and rethought in a shiny new production that that gets to the heart of the piece (growing up is hard, and you need support from your people) while emphasizing the humor and nostalgia. Nayna Ramey's set design has a '50s TV feel, including photos of '50s icons displayed in TV screens, and "hints of space exploration, for this was a time of optimism, a time of discovery and dreams of what existed beyond the stars" (as Michael wrote in his final Director's Note). It has a fun far-out feel, aided by Sue Ellen Berger's lighting design that highlights areas of the set, with those cozy twinkly house lights. Rich Hamson's costumes are recycled and refreshed for this cast, with some changes like a pop of red in the final number. Our gang is dressed in those iconic '50s looks - leather jackets, full skirts, and bobby socks, but Rizzo has the best wardrobe because she's cooler than everyone else and ahead of her time, looking forward to the more streamlined silhouettes of the '60s.
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Danny (Sam Stoll) and Sandy (Dayle Theisen) reunite
while the Pink Ladies look on (photo by Dan Norman) |
This all-star cast is led by a strong couple at its center. After several years of supporting and ensemble roles, Dayle Theisen is playing her first lead role on #TCTheater stages, and is a natural as Sandy. Her voice on these iconic songs like "Hopelessly Devoted to You" is effortless, and she perfectly embodies the sweet and innocent Sandy and her transformation into a more confident version of herself. She's well matched in Sam Stoll, a fixture at CDT the last few years, first coming to attention as one of the four
Jersey Boys in 2023. He's a great Danny, with smooth vocals and a tough bravado covering a tender heart, his hair darkened and greased into that perfect Danny 'do. In fact CDT must have a crack barber on standby, most of the boys are sporting sharp '50s ducktail hairdos that make me wish they were back in style.
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| Go, Greased Lightnin'! (photo by Dan Norman) |
There really are too many gems in this ensemble to mention, each with a song or a dance or a moment to shine. Reprising their roles from the 2017 production we have Alan Bach as Sonny, Evan Tyler Wilson "mooning" as Roger, Renee Guittar as good girl Patty, Maureen Sherman-Mendez coming in like a whirling dervish in Act II as Cha Cha (follow this dynamic duo
@pattyandchacha on Instagram), Tony Vierling as Johnny Casino (whom he also played in the 2006 production), and last but not least, Kasano Mwanza bringing the house down in his one scene as the Teen Angel, entering through the audience, perfectly delivering this hilarious song, and making everybody swoon (with a post-curtain call encore). New to this production, Rush Benson and Anna Hashizume are fantastic as the tortured couple Kenickie and Rizzo, the former wowing with his dance skills on "Greased Lighting," the latter making her CDT debut, bringing a lot of sass and hidden vulnerability to the role, and proving that you can transition from classical opera to classic musical theater. Also great are KateMarie Andrews as the sweet and slightly ditzy Frenchy, Angela Steele as the worldly Marty, Adam Moen as the guitar-playing Doody, Suzie Juul as the comic relief Jan "mooning" over Roger (who I wish had more to do), Eric Romero as the adorkable Eugene, Michael Gruber as the smooth-voiced but creepy Vince Fontaine, and the always hilarious Kim Kivens as the stern teacher Miss Lynch who also gets a chance to break out and hand jive.
Every song in this score is so much fun to listen to, and it's hard to sit still while doing so, they're so infectious. They sound great under Music Director Andy Kust conducting the ten-piece orchestra seated in their usual spot behind and above the stage behind a scrim. Tamara Kangas Erickson's fun, fresh, fifties-inspired choreography is also infectious and makes you want to jump up and join in.
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| the cast of Grease (photo by Dan Norman) |
