'Grease' captures 1950s flair

THEATER REVIEW
Wednesday, June 15, 2005

BY DAVID N. DUNKLE
Of The Patriot-News  

The word for this "Grease" is energy.

An effusive cast twists and shouts with abandon in Theatre Harrisburg's version of the stalwart musical, now playing at Whitaker Center.

Although not without flaws, the production zings along on the happy feet of great '50s-style songs and snappy dialogue as the gang at Rydell High wrestles with love and friendship.

In the lead roles as mismatched sweethearts Danny Zuko and Sandy Dumbrowski, Michael Masorti and Anika Vervecken capture the ridiculous depths of angst that only lovesick teenagers can attain.

Vervecken, a Belgian making her American theater debut, has the sort of sweet innocence that makes Sandy's last-act transformation into a red-hot babe worth the wait.

But through much of the play, the pair are so mopish that they become at times uninteresting, which opens the door for some of the secondary characters to shine.

Enter Callie Anne Alvanitakis in the role of sultry, brassy and insecure Betty Rizzo, leader of the notorious Pink Ladies. Alvanitakis, who has performed in previous Theatre Harrisburg productions of "Pippin" and "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," creates a Rizzo who is overbearing and alluring yet slightly winsome.

Other highlights include a fabulous rendition of "Beauty School Dropout," featuring Dennis Norton and a chorus of girls in pink robes and hair curlers, and a dynamic version of "Freddy My Love" featuring Courtney Shane Van Dyke as an avaricious Pink Lady named Marty.

The ultimate test for any production of "Grease" is its ability to evoke -- and gently parody -- the 1950s, an overly romanticized period when rock was new and young people hung out at the drive-in and danced at sock hops.

Theatre Harrisburg passes the test with a simple yet functional set, excellent costuming, a solid yet unobtrusive orchestra and several good sets of pipes among the cast. It's enough to forgive the fact that some cast members seem a bit old to play teenagers.

"Grease" also must hone in on the universality of the high school experience. These teens may come wrapped in leather jackets and poodle skirts, but they are wrestling with the same issues as high schoolers of any era.

Director Thomas G. Hostetter does a fine job of eliciting that superheated teen experience, where the most trivial event can take on operatic dimensions.

Energy levels dropped off a couple of times during Saturday night's performance, perhaps because cast members were gasping from all the cigarettes they were smoking on stage. Glowing ashes are a constant in the two-act play.

Two scenes had more fizzle than sizzle, the first when the Burger Palace Boys reluctantly gather for a rumble with another gang, the second an encounter at the drive-in between Sandy and Danny. Neither generated much heat.

Despite occasional lapses, the lingering memory from the production is of choreographer Judy Williams Henry's well-constructed ensemble dances to "We Go Together," "All Choked Up" and "Born to Hand Jive."

"Grease," written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, features some mild profanity and suggestive sexual content.

Saturday night's audience got added value in the form of songstress Jocelyn Proctor, who performed five songs, including two she wrote or co-wrote, before the curtain went up on "Grease." Proctor earned the opportunity to perform by winning an "American Idol"-style talent competition organized by Theatre Harrisburg in January.