The musical “Grease” continues to be popular among audiences around the world because of songs such as “Summer Nights,” “Beauty School Dropout,” “You’re the One That I Want,” “Greased Lightnin’,” “We Got Together,” “Born to Hand Jive” and “Look at Me I’m Sandra Dee.”
The musical, which features music and lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, staged 3,000 performances on Broadway, won multiple Tony Awards and inspired a 1978 film starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.
TheaterWorks will stage “Grease” from Friday, July 12, to Sunday, July 28. The show will kick off the theater company’s 2024-25 mainstage season.
On Saturday, July 20, the show will have a “Sock Hop Night,” when audiences are encouraged to dress in 1950s attire. There will be a classic car photo op, themed drink specials and prizes for the best dressed woman and man.
Based in 1950s Chicago, at fictional Rydell High School, “Grease” explores themes of love, romance, community, bullying, rejection, posturing, social conformity, peer pressure and friendship.
The show centers around the Burger Palace Boys and Pink Ladies. Similar to the film, the central relationship is between greaser Danny and new girl Sandy. The show also explores romances between secondary characters such as Doody and Frenchie, Rizzo and Kenickie, Roger and Jan, and Sonny and Marty.
The TheaterWorks production is directed by Chanel Bragg, who served as associate artistic director for Arizona Theatre Company from 2020 to 2023 and founded the United Colours of Arizona Theatre.
With “Grease,” Bragg has reached for the show’s ultimate theme: rebellion.
“At the time, 1958, at the height of racism in our country, the idea of the nuclear family was you had one mother and one father, your standard boy and girl,” Bragg said.
“And then there were these really big societal constructs of how women were supposed to behave and men were supposed to behave. … The Burger Palace Boys are greasers through and through. They are your rebels.
“The rebellion was against the nuclear family. … A lot of greasers came from blue-collar, working-class homes. A lot of the families were not really well off, mostly middle class or less. In terms of the sexual revolution, a lot of women were pushing their autonomy to have sex and be able to make those decisions for themselves.”
Bragg said the show also explores group dynamics, especially how the characters fit into certain roles within their social circles. During rehearsals, the cast studied their relationships to other characters and positions within their social group.
“Grease” is well known and the characters are ultimately relatable, Bragg explained.
“Even the noncommon theatergoer knows ‘Summer Nights,’ she said.
“You go to a children’s recital, they’re probably singing ‘Grease songs.’ I used to be a karaoke DJ. ‘Summer Nights’ was almost on a banned list for me because of the way that people would belt ‘Summer Nights’ and butcher that song. And also, the movie, it’s iconic. … I just feel like it’s a timeless classic that has been revolutionized over and over again, but it really is a show about joy.”
Bragg said the “Grease” estate is strict about adhering to the storyline. They had to get permission to add songs such as “Grease,” “Hopelessly Devoted to You” and “Sandy,” which weren’t in the original theater production’s script.
The production will also include the ballad that was originally in the show instead of “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” which is called “It’s Raining on Prom Night.”
Bragg said in this part of the show and others, she wanted to bring a dream-like quality to the staging.
“I decided to go into a dream sequence with her and have her physically at the dance with everybody, but she’s still in her room,” Bragg said.
“She’s in her pajamas. The bed rolls out on the stage, and the couples are dancing all around her. … I want her to walk around the empty room, just navigating her feelings for Danny in that space.”
In the show, the hairstyles and costumes will bring the 1950s to life. The show’s hair designer has especially been busy with Pink Lady Frenchie, who will wear a variety of wigs in nearly every scene.
“He is going to explore her really trying her hand at different hairstyles and different hair colors and continuously trying to reach for that perfection of being a beautician, which she doesn’t quite seem to get to, which will aid her in ‘Beauty School Dropout,’” she said.
“Yes, there will be pink hair somewhere, but there won’t be pink hair the entire time.”
The set was designed to look like a giant jukebox.
“The jukebox will narrate where we are next in the story,” Bragg said.
“So, people don’t have to look down at their programs to know ‘Those Magic Changes’ is coming up. … I wanted it to feel like we were choosing selections at a jukebox. I collect vinyl, so I love records, and I love that whole idea.”
The show’s choreography reflects the 1950s, as it references pop culture stars like the Temptations.
“If you love that era of music, and you love that era of choreography, it’s right in that pocket,” Bragg said.
Casting was key to bringing “Grease” to life. More than 160 people auditioned for the show, and 90 were called back. Considering it’s summer, Bragg had access to actors from ASU, other schools and TheaterWorks alumni.
“Whatever I do to it, I’m tampering with something that some people hold very close to them,” Bragg said.
“My biggest thing is I always cast, in my heart of hearts, the right people for the jobs. It’s never that I’m trying to make some sort of statement. … It’s actually always I assess the talent that comes, and then I place them appropriately and color-consciously into the text.”
The case is diverse, with performers of all shapes, races, ethnicities and gender identities.
“My Sandy is biracial and nonbinary,” she said.
“The majority of my Pink Ladies are BIPOC, which was extremely important to me, but they were just the right fit for the role. … I have body diversity as well on my stage. … Also with the greasers and male ensemble, we have representation across the spectrum, from BIPOC and non. I also have actors who identify on the spectrum.”
