River Ridge gets in gear for 'Grease'

The timeless good-girl-meets-bad- boy story comes to life next weekend.

By BARBARA L. FREDRICKSEN, Arts and Entertainment
Published October 26, 2007

Sandy (Briana Suojanen) and Danny (Brandon Mauro) are at the drive-in in a scene from Grease.
	[Zach Boyden-Holmes | Times]

ADVERTISEMENT [Zach Boyden-Holmes | Times] From left, Nick Boucher as Kenickie, Brittany Mattix as Cha Cha, Brandon Mauro as Danny and Jenna Tagliapietra as Stacy rehearse the "hand jive" number.

The musical Grease hit Broadway in 1972 and was an instant smash. It ran for years, was made into a movie, rolled out several national tours and remains a favorite on stages large and small.

River Ridge drama students field their version of Grease on Nov. 2, 3 and 4.

"We're having a lot of fun with this," said director Diana Rogers, a veteran of the Broadway stage, who will soon be seen in Hats! at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center and was most recently seen at that venue in Menopause, the Musical.

Grease is set in the mythical 1950s Rydell High in Chicago, where the Burger Palace Boys and the Pink Ladies rule. Though giddy and lighthearted on the surface, the show takes a serious look at teen pregnancy, gang violence, teenage rebellion and sexual exploitation.

The action starts when the prim and proper Sandy Dumbrowski (Briana Suojanen) enrolls as the new girl in school and immediately spots her summer love, the ever-so-cool Danny Zuko (Brandon Mauro, Banjo in The Man Who Came to Dinner), leader of the guys.

Sandy sees the relationship as having been sweet and innocent (which it was), but Danny brags to his buddies that it went a lot further than that, singing longingly about their lusty Summer Nights.

The kids are admonished about their tacky behavior by everyone's favorite (NOT!) teacher, the crabby Miss Lynch (Julianna Kaufman). Even so, the tough and cool Rizzo (Meaghan Jameson) teases Danny about his crush on the wide-eyed Sandy, singing Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee, a reference to the squeaky-clean movie queen of the era.

Sandy, feeling ostracized, misses the high school prom, while Danny and his gang live it up to Born to Hand Jive.

There are side stories of a high school dropout who is also the Beauty School Dropout, and, on a serious note, Rizzo's fear that she's pregnant.

The overriding question, though, remains which way romance will take Danny and Sandy: Will Danny turn square or will Sandy turn greaser?

Whichever way it goes, the theme for everyone is We Go Together.

The stars who have appeared in Grease over the years read like the Hollywood Walk of Fame: Brooke Shields and Rosie O'Donnell have played Rizzo.

Sally Struthers (All in the Family) toured with the show for four years, including a stop at TBPAC in 1995, as Miss Lynch.

The Monkees' Mickey Dolenz once played Vince, the slimy DJ. Megan Mullally (Will and Grace) played Pink Lady Marty.

John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John were the quintessential Danny and Sandy in the 1978 movie.

IF YOU GO

'Grease'

Where: Center for the Arts at River Ridge, Town Center Road, New Port Richey

When: 7 p.m. Nov. 2; 2 and 7 p.m. Nov. 3; and2 p.m. Nov. 4

Ticket: $10, reserved seating. The 2 p.m. show Nov. 3 is $6. Call (727) 372-9361.

[Last modified October 25, 2007, 20:31:21]