GREASE 🤩

As most of you know, I was a theatre arts teacher for over thirty years in Phoenix, Arizona. I was in charge of not only teaching five classes of theatre each day, but also being the Thespian sponsor, the Mime club coach, head of the school Improv team, producer of the Faculty Follies and the holiday Celebration of the Arts. I created an evening of monologues and dialogues with my advanced students for their parents to enjoy. I started a yearly school-wide Renaissance Fair and an afternoon original show for all the kindergarten children from our four feeder primary schools. I always believed it was never too soon to hook a child into loving the magic of the stage. I also served on Arizona’s Thespian Board of Directors in charge of coordinating forty or so workshops for our yearly state conference, and each spring I would lead a tour of forty students and parents to a different city across the country for five theatre-filled days of professional experiences. We traveled to New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Chicago. On top of all of this, I was the director for my school’s fall play and spring musical. My plate was so full. I am not complaining or whining. I felt so lucky and blessed. I used to compare my school year to a train pulling into a station. Once I got on, there was no stopping, going back, or getting off. You can imagine how exhausted I was every summer, but then I had to work to keep up my certificate by taking classes and working summer district workshops. I often wonder how I survived, slept, and was a single parent of two children who also needed my time and attention as well.

Each summer was my time to choose and begin creating the following year’s productions. It was a huge task and responsibility. I had to consider my available talent and hope for some spontaneous surprises. It was also imperative for my department to turn a profit so the cycle could continue and grow larger each year. The arts were never supported with a yearly budget like sports. Go figure…don’t get me started. At the end of May, my students would often vocalize their thoughts and suggestions to me for consideration. First and foremost on their list was the mighty, money-maker, musical, GREASE. Every year, I would shake my head and say not a chance. I was determined not to choose a musical with a basic plot line about whether or not a girl gets her period, ending up not being pregnant, and a story about a young girl and boy who fall for each other, yet have to change who they were at their core. I mean, we were living in the final years of the 20th century. I did not want to revisit 1958… right?

Over the years, my students wore me down, and after saying no so many times, I finally said maybe. This was the year I knew I had an abundance of talent perfect for casting, including enough guys, but I had to do it on my grandiose terms. I wanted to bring the film version to life on my stage. I thought the film was stronger, had more popular appeal, and would bring the house down both financially and artistically.

One detail of the film had to be included on my stage. We had to show the opening beach sequence to introduce Sandy and Danny’s innocence and SUMMER LOVE backstory by creating our own five-minute film that would be shown before the curtain even opened. This piece of celluloid would explain to the audience more about the first day of school while dancing on those precarious bleachers. This meant I was driving my Sandy, Danny, and a camera guy to the beaches of San Diego traveling back and forth in one day. A piece of cake since it was a five-hour trip just one way. I decided to take my teenage son, Aaron, who had completed video film classes at his school and could operate and borrow the necessary equipment. Looking back now, I don’t know how many school rules I violated by taking two students across state lines, even though I had their parents’ permission to do so. I figured at least my camera guy was legal.

I decided Imperial Beach was the perfect spot since it had a wide-open beach area and a large pier with similar pylons as seen in the original film. This would allow my Sandy and Danny to write their names in the sand while splashing in the beautiful ocean location. It was amazing. We got every shot that we needed and then some. We laughed and ate pizza on the beach before we traveled back. It was a glorious, long day that I shared with my son and two very special students. It was meant to be a moment that surprised and mesmerized audiences each night as we showed the film. I was so proud of Aaron for his work creating and editing something very special for hundreds of people to see and enjoy.

Directing GREASE became one of the highlights of my Theatre career. It changed my perspective. I witnessed the pure joy my students and audiences felt each performance, and as an additional bonus, my daughter, Ilisa Rae, auditioned and was cast for the role of Jan. She was hilarious and wonderful as a Pink Lady. It is a memory I cherish always. On top of all this, we sold out every performance. My students were right all along. They knew GREASE is the word.

GREASE only received one Oscar nomination for Best Original Song (HOPELESSLY DEVOTED TO YOU). It did not win, but GREASE was the highest-grossing film for 1978. The budget was tapped at $6 million, but its worldwide profit was just under $400 million. The movie was a runaway smash the moment it hit the screens. GREASE actually started on Broadway, boasting over 3000 performances in 1972, and then twice again in early 2000. GREASE also had a long run in London’s West End. Several of the original Broadway songs never made it into the film version, but the big production numbers found their place in history. GREASE was supposed to take place in 1959, when Elvis was King. Actually, the BEAUTY SCHOOL DROPOUT song emulated Elvis as the Angel. Elvis was offered the part, but he passed on the offer. Frankie Avalon, another current singing teen idol, took it on.

The chemistry between a young John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John was insanely magical. Their different looks and musicality fit and were tightly in sync. Travolta as Danny played the Italian, dark-haired, hot, sexy stud. Newton-John, by contrast, was the blonde, angelic girl next door every boy dreams about. Their vocal range complemented each other as well as their powerful dancing moves. Each of them could command audiences’ attention every single second. They were decked out in costumes that further defined their characters. Pretty pink pastels vs. a black T-shirt and leather jacket was clear as a bell. Their back-and-forth emotional arcs hit a nerve among teenagers’ growing pains. These two extremely talented actors had audiences in the palm of their hands, waiting for the next dreamy stare or huge musical number. They were mesmerizing.

Jeff Conway as Kenickie and Stockard Channing as Rizzo were the total opposite. Bad boy and girl come together for good times and wild make-out sessions that led to the inevitable question…is she or isn’t she? These two were all about the cars, the passionate kisses, and the hickeys. As a side note, Conway wanted those hickeys to be realistic, so he coveted Channing’s neck in authentic hickey spots. What a generous acting choice.

It was the T-Birds and the Pink Ladies who ruled Rydell High School. The characters who were gang members were unforgettable. They included Sonny, Doody, Frenchie, Marty, and Jan. These characters filled in all the empty spaces creating multi-layered, funny, quirky individuals who made the frustrations and joys of young adulthood explode on screen. GREASE also gave several comedic legends an opportunity to do their hilarious schtick. This included Sid Caesar, Eve Arden, Joan Blondell, Edd Byrnes, Alice Ghostley, Dody Goodman, and Sha-Na-Na. No one will ever be able to forget their physical comedy sprinkled heavily between those deadpan facial expressions. Seeing the incomparable Sid Caesar and Eve Arden together again was truly iconic.

I feel compelled to list the five most memorable moments:

1. The car and that fabulous, energetic dance number GREASED LIGHTNING
2. The drive-in theater sequence complete with Travolta singing his angst-driven song, SANDY, opposite a hot dog and bun cartoon commercial. Travolta hated the final note and frame when the hot dog jumped into the open bun. He thought it took away from the lyrics of the song. I don’t think so. But it did make everyone chuckle out loud.
3. The big finale carnival scene was filmed at a real carnival location that just happened to be in town. It featured a silly, huge conclusion to the movie, although driving off into the sky was definitely way over the top. But it did encourage audiences to leave the theater humming along to YOU’RE THE ONE THAT I WANT while doing gyrating, crazy dance moves.
4. The dance competition in the high school gymnasium was phenomenal. Most people don’t know that all the extras in the film were winners in a nationwide contest to be in this scene.
5. The opening song and production number were choreographed on school bleachers with a cut screen featuring the female and male point of view.

Okay, I must share two extra secret gems about GREASE. Travolta’s hair was not dark black enough for his character. So every day, the makeup artist had to pencil in any lighter hairs or roots using black color markers. Newton-John’s leather pants in the final scene had to be sewn on her because there was no room for a zipper or button. They were just as tight as they looked. I wonder what happened when she needed a potty break.

Anyone who has seen GREASE knows the exact moment when they were first hooked. Most know how old they were and even realize intuitively that GREASE was not the best movie of all time. I believe we can all agree the script was not masterfully written nor did it contain deep, soul-searching monologues or dialogues. It really was a fluke that this caliber of a film could be considered a classic, but indeed it is. GREASE is a jump in time when our society and social structure were so different. It shined a light on some social norms that are antiquated fluff, as well as pointing out what true friendship means between both genders and when those lines are blurred. GREASE in its own unique way shouted to audiences that it was okay to be yourself and believe in yourself. It reinforced the importance of finishing your education while still following your dreams for the future. And most importantly, it created fireworks about finding love. Not everything has to be permanent, but for today, everyone can revel and feel pure joy. This is a humongous feat.

GREASE oozes nostalgia and high-spirited passion. In the end, it is a timeless classic. For me personally, it marks a milestone when both my children shared my life’s work in the same moment. I see Aaron, smiling, pondering, focused as we drove to California, and in my memory box, there is Ilisa Rae gloriously belting out her solo song. Her face radiating light, intention, and joy. Perhaps a mere blip in time, but GREASE is forever.

GREASE is available to rent