Grease
May 1989
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The Show
Before the 1977 film version made international household names of it's stars, John Travolta and Olivia Newton John, this 1950s rock and roll musical was wowing audiences in the theatres. It's a case of love at first sight when Danny Zuko, meets new-girl-in-town Sandy during the Summer vacation. However, when she turns up as a pupil back at Rydell High School, it's a different story.
Danny is the leader of the Burger Palace Boys, a super-cool D.A.-haired, hard looking group of high school wheeler-dealers (or so they think). The gang consists of Kenickie, his tough-looking, surly, second-in-command, Doody a young guitar-playing boy, who hero-worships the rest of the gang, Roger an anything-for-a-laugh clown, and Sonny a braggart who thinks he's a real lady-killer. So, Danny has his reputation to think of and acts decidedly cool towards Sandy.
Nor does she get a warm welcome from some of the girls at school. Especially from the Pink Ladies, a club-jacketed, gum-chewing, hip-swinging girls' gang that hangs around with the boys, comprised of Frenchy, a dreamer and would-be beautician, Marty a pseudo-sophisticated "looker", Jan a pushy but boy-shy compulsive over-eater, and their leader, the tough, sarcastic, outspoken, but vulnerable Rizzo.
Needless to say, the path of true love doesn't run smoothly for Danny & Sandy. Not that they're the only ones with problems to worry about. Rizzo and Kenickie fall out, and have a pregnancy scare, whilst Frenchy quits high school, before she flunks again, to go to beauty school, only to find she flunks there too.
With a great 50s inspired score, including now-famous favourites such as "Summer Nights", "Greased Lightnin' ", "Beauty School Drop Out", "There are Worse Things I Could Do", and "We Go Together", this musical really rocked and rolled.
