Ruby Lewis and cast in “Grease” at Mountain View Mausoleum (Photo – Abel Armas Photography)
“GREASE is the WORD!” a local man remembers his young niece announcing back in the ’80s. That seems like an auspicious (and Biblical) thought: “In the beginning was the Word.”
By Marilyn Fuss
It should be observed that the Altadena Music Theatre’s production of GREASE is a human miracle, a Phoenix risen from its burned original theatre, transplanted for now to a field by Mountain View Mausoleum. As producer-directors Sarah and Oliver Azcarate announced sequentially at the opening, this presentation emanates from the dedication of hundreds of artists, volunteers, donors, sponsors, and community members. The 55-year-old musical itself—the initial word—also has the resilience that Ms. Azcarate says is what theater is really all about.
When contributors to an art form include Warner Bros. Discovery, the California Arts Council, and LA County Arts & Culture, the bar is elevated in every department and every element. It’s for Altadena—the name, setting, and recent history call for that lift. And its own Music Theatre comes through.
The sets by Andrew Hull are artful and original temporary architecture. There are several of them, the central one featuring beautifully designed school lockers flanked by double doors, and a second floor with a large open window exposing the exceptional, interactive band. Each giant piece of scenery is well crafted and kept this audience member agog simply while waiting for the play to start.
The story of teenage angst, sex, and romance, treated satirically in mid-20th-century America, is decidedly simple on its own. Its continuous success seems to have relied over the years on strong and talented casting, directing, conducting, and choreography, all present here. Yet there is something more to credit the original authors with: nostalgia.
When first presented in 1971, this play’s events were represented as barely more than a decade before, but the era had changed. The counterculture of the late ’60s, the Vietnam War, and the great push against it made the American climate a different and more turbulent one. Many looked back tenderly at their earlier years. Children like the niece mentioned above took easily to the music, the style, and the beautiful teenagers who inhabited a world that had already disappeared. They made it their own, confusing time-wise as that may have been. It’s part of the charm of nostalgia.
Colloquial and cultural details of midcentury America abound in the lyrics and conversations of the young folks—“she might be PG (pregnant)”; “What a dipstick!” There was the exhibitionistic offense of “mooning” to learn about (perhaps less graphically), and the idea, once widely believed, that mixing aspirin and Coca-Cola could be used to make a girl unconscious and vulnerable. Listening carefully (the sound system works), one will pick up more ways people expressed themselves and thought differently almost a lifetime ago.
The singer-actors are deft in their ability to maintain banter, parrying witty wisecracks. Their singing voices are noteworthy, with Jalen Friday as the head Teen Angel, Ruby Lewis as Sandy, Eric Stanton Betts as Danny, Romy Evans as Rizzo, and Cheyenne Isabel as Marty, all fitting comfortably into their larger roles.
Choreography by Melissa Schade and Mackenzie Franklin is utterly elegant in its compatibility with the refined movement of so many dancers. It appeared to be not so much precision as unanimous rhythm. The flow wasn’t lost when dancers moved to another set and back. So many individuals moving smoothly from spoken word to song to dance left this viewer with an awed admiration.
GREASE At Mountain View Mausoleum 2300 N. Marengo Ave. Altadena Through Aug. 14 8:00 pm shows Thursday – Sunday Buy tickets at this link.
The Grease ensemble at Altadena Music Theatre Photo – Abel Armas Photography)
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