‘Grease’ @ Casa Mañana
—Hannah Kneen
Grease is the word right now at Casa Mañana in Fort Worth’s Arts District—and it’s a short run ending June 9. If you’re up for a school dance and a ‘50s teen romance…better get your tickets soon.
Based on the 1978 film of the same name, Grease follows the stories of the T-Birds and the Pink Ladies, two groups of teens at Rydell High in the late 1950s. On the first day of school, their group dynamics are in for some changes with the introduction of “new girl” Sandy Dumbrowski (Emily J. Pace). She moved to town over the summer, but already has had an exciting fling with T-Bird’s chief greaser, Danny Zuko (Jeff Sullivan).
Grease is a classic for a reason. It subverts a lot of the common tropes of its time and deals with some difficult subject matter, all the while highlighting the excitement and rock-and-roll energy of adolescence. To top that off, it mixes in a bit of ‘50’s nostalgia and a lot of leather for flavor.
In this production, Pace and Sullivan show off some nice vocals in the Sandy/Danny duet “Summer Nights” and keep it up throughout the show. They’re a good duo for these roles and are all-around quite charming. The more comedic roles, from Roger “Rump” (Braxton O. Johnson), who really knows how to hit a high note, to Frenchy (Mia Dorsett) the “Beauty School Dropout,” to the Teen Angel (Hailey Thomas) who serenades Frenchy with advice, every role is satisfying to watch. This show really has a great cast for parts both big and small.
Casa Mañana also is welcoming back singer Adrianna Hicks as Rizzo. She is known for her part in Broadway’s Six, where she originated the role of Catherine of Aragon—and she won a Grammy for her role as Sugar in the recent Broadway revival of Some Like It Hot. Rizzo is a character who makes a splash. Tough and cynical, she is a direct contrast to Sandy’s gentle innocence. Rizzo’s slow, stride-tempo song “There Are Worse Things I Could Do” gives us a deeper perspective on her attitude and emotions than one might expect.
The show is staged in a thrust configuration and the set has two levels; he top one hosts the live band, conducted by Matthew Stern. Most set changes (scenic design by Mike Sabourin) are accomplished by moving either of the two rolling staircases and/or rolling on whatever else is necessary to indicate a scene, including the iconic car Greased Lightnin’ —which rolls onto center stage when it’s time for Kenickie (Jack Cahill-Lemme) to perform his classic song. Technical director AJ Kellison and all the designers have created a smooth and good-looking show.
There were a few moments that felt a bit abrupt, but this production definitely hit all the high notes of Grease. However, I have to admit my favorite part of the show was the English teacher Miss Lynch, played by BJ Cleveland. All the way through the show, he never failed to put a smile on my face.
If you’re keen on this show please be aware that parking spaces in the Casa lot go quickly; I’d recommend arriving early. Also, be warned that if you’re not prepared to hand-jive to the music, you may be given detention. Don’t worry, Miss Lynch teaches all the choreography in the intermission so you won’t go unrehearsed.
WHEN: June 1-9, 2024
WHERE: Casa Manana, 3101 W Lancaster Ave, Fort Worth
WEB: casamanana.org
