The rehearsals are going very well.

cpathens wrote:

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The rehearsals are going very well.

Been talking to some little birds???

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      Yea? Please tell us how you know the rehearsals are going well? Maybe a little more detail than going well too, if you are in a position to know whats up.

Great!  We'd like to hear more about the rest of the cast.  There just hasn't been much said, so please feel free to talk about the other cast members.  This is a Grease board!    Right now we only know of the ones that were announced (without their names) on the show. 

You're right... there are many people in the cast and we only a know who most of the main players are.

GG

who's doody? lol

DogsandBirds wrote:

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My son in law was on the final show and introduced with the rest of the "known" cast. His name is Jose Restrepo and he plays Sonny.

I don't have much more to say about the rehearsals as I haven't spoken to him since started they started rehearsing, but I have asked my daughter and she says he reports that things are going well and that means good things for everyone involved.

I suppose when the producers want people to who fills what role, they will announce it.

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That is very cool. Thanks for letting us know. Has he been in a Broadway show before? I'd love to hear tidbits about any cast members or anything about the  show. I think most of the posters here came from forums discussing the TV show so it's easy to see why the focus until now has been on Max and Laura.

DogsandBirds, I saw you posted a link to the cast list in another thread. If you know anything about the background of the other cast members, maybe you could post it there.

who's doody? lol
karidaberixx, Doody is the youngest greaser in the play and sings Magic Changes, one of the best songs. It's a really good role. Don't know if there's any truth to it, but there were rumors on some of the Broadway boards that the role would have been offered to Max if he didn't win. Many seemed to think he was a natural for that part.

 

-- Edited by cpathens at 23:21, 2007-06-14

Congratulations on your son-in-laws accomplishment. It had to have been a blast seeing him on the finale. I watch it over from time to time and am always amazed at how good the Grease Cast was at portraying their characters in about 4 1/2 seconds, and without saying a word. I thought they all looked perfect for their parts. I am really glad to hear rehearsals are going well because I am going to the first preview and I want to be well entertained ))

I got news from Laura that the first week of rehearsals was great fun from her perspective.  She said they spent the first couple days singing a lot with the vocal director. She said she is the same woman who vocally directed "Spring Awakenings" the musical that took home several of the Tony's this year.  Laura says she's wonderfully vivacious and has a very energetic way of bringing out the best in everyone vocally. Singing with all the Broadway quality voices in the cast has been great fun for Laura all by itself. It's pretty thrilling to hear just how much can be done with a song with that level of talent! Laura says they're also beginning to work on scenes from the show and that she's getting to know the "pink ladies" the best as she does the most scene work with them.  She says she and Max are having a lot of fun doing scenes together too. She joked that no one has eaten her yet for breakfast! And it appears there's plenty of mutual respect all the way around among the cast so as to not be concerned with anything like that.  I think Laura and Max realize they're the new kids on the block and have great respect for how hard the other actors have worked to get there, and I think the other actors probably feel too like Max and Laura had to endure the longest, most difficult Broadway audition of all time too to get their parts and they deserve them too! Laura has always felt a tremendous amount of comaraderie develops in a cast from all the work they do together--and I think this experience will be just the same way.  Laura lives very close to the rehearsal space so if she is not needed for a couple hours she is able to zip home or connect up with her husband for a little while. Of course, she and Nate are still adapting to the huge amount of change in their lives so that is nice for them.  They're loving New York, love their apartment, and feel they're on an adventure of a lifetime so this is a pretty remarkable start for them!  Laura's had a sore throat the last couple days which seems to be going around out there, but she also had a couple days where she wasn't needed much at rehearsal so has had a chance to rest too. My thought is, "Get it over now and stay healthy the whole run of the show!"  She's generally very healthy so I wouldn't expect any challenges to linger. I don't know much more news but will try to keep you posted when Laura shares more with me!

Jane, Laura's Mom

Thanks for the udate i must say that is very kind of you. Maybe Laura just has a litle allergy going on, it is allergy season out here. Anyway I wish her the best, can't wait to her and Max on broadway...and she did really well on her Grease commercial. They looked exactly like a couple of high school kids getting ready for a great adventure.

Laura Mom wrote:

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I got news from Laura that the first week of rehearsals was great fun from her perspective. She said they spent the first couple days singing a lot with the vocal director. She said she is the same woman who vocally directed "Spring Awakenings" the musical that took home several of the Tony's this year. Laura says she's wonderfully vivacious and has a very energetic way of bringing out the best in everyone vocally. Singing with all the Broadway quality voices in the cast has been great fun for Laura all by itself. It's pretty thrilling to hear just how much can be done with a song with that level of talent! Laura says they're also beginning to work on scenes from the show and that she's getting to know the "pink ladies" the best as she does the most scene work with them. She says she and Max are having a lot of fun doing scenes together too. She joked that no one has eaten her yet for breakfast! And it appears there's plenty of mutual respect all the way around among the cast so as to not be concerned with anything like that. I think Laura and Max realize they're the new kids on the block and have great respect for how hard the other actors have worked to get there, and I think the other actors probably feel too like Max and Laura had to endure the longest, most difficult Broadway audition of all time too to get their parts and they deserve them too! Laura has always felt a tremendous amount of comaraderie develops in a cast from all the work they do together--and I think this experience will be just the same way. Laura lives very close to the rehearsal space so if she is not needed for a couple hours she is able to zip home or connect up with her husband for a little while. Of course, she and Nate are still adapting to the huge amount of change in their lives so that is nice for them. They're loving New York, love their apartment, and feel they're on an adventure of a lifetime so this is a pretty remarkable start for them! Laura's had a sore throat the last couple days which seems to be going around out there, but she also had a couple days where she wasn't needed much at rehearsal so has had a chance to rest too. My thought is, "Get it over now and stay healthy the whole run of the show!" She's generally very healthy so I wouldn't expect any challenges to linger. I don't know much more news but will try to keep you posted when Laura shares more with me!

Jane, Laura's Mom

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        Jane,
 
    Once again thank you for taking the time to post and keep us updated as to whats happening. I couldn't be more excited or happier that the rehearsals are going so well, and Laura and Max are fitting right in and having fun. Hopefully you're right and Laura's sore throat wont become anything more than that, and if she is going to get sick, better to get it over with now than later. Of course being able to relax a little with not being needed the whole time at rehearsals, will help kick whatever it is that much quicker. (She will continue to be in my prayers as always.) I may be a little older than Laura and Max (32), but when I was young I too had been 'bitten' by the theater bug as Laura had put it, and couln't get enough of being a part of theater magic. I ended up hurting my back and knee and slowly droped out of the theater sene, because dancing wasn't as easy any more as singing and acting. That is what has been the amazing thing about watching Laura and Max, and seeing them take the journey they have taken. The absolute passion and love they each have for the theater has rekindled the spark I once had to be a part of it my self. It was a great reminder and kick in the butt, when you talked about good theater not only being in New York and you should take advantage of whats available in your area where ever you are. (thank you!) I'm also glad to hear she and Nate have gotten more settled in and enjoying every minute of being in the big apple and their new life together. I didn't get to ask in my other posting, but I wanted to ask what the name of the local T.V. station was that covered her singing the National Antheme at the Twins game? I wanted to look it up on their site to see it again (I had barely gotten to see it once, when it got taken off the 'Grease' show boards, and I don't remember the name of the station). What do you think the chances are of her posting a picture of her and Nate at their wedding? I'm sure I'm not the only one who would love to see it. Of course it's completley understandable if she chooses not to post one. I just thought, it never hurts to ask, right? All someone can do is say no. Thanks again for your time and insight. God bless!

 

Laura Mom wrote:

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The TV station in Minneapolis that carried the most news on Laura was our NBC affiliate station, which can be accessed at www.kare11.com.  Ironically, the National Anthem isn't usually televised on live TV but I know it was available elsewhere as I also saw it through a link on YouTube.

Laura and Nate don't yet have their wedding pictures from their photographer but I think I can talk her into letting me post a couple things here when they get them.  They have a fantastic musical video of their day and as much as I'd like to share that, she has asked us not to share it publically. In my opinion, their videographer deserves the publicity as he did just a superb job. What a beautiful video!

Again, I'll try to pass on a couple wedding photos when we get them.

Jane

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        Jane, 

     Thank you for your response, hopefully they will be ok with posting a picture or two once they get them. It is understandable about the video. Please be sure to thank them for being willing to share if they agree; understandably it may not exactly be an easy thing to do. It's amazing how generious and understading Laura and Max have been with their fans, and hope they know how appreciative we are. Has she happened to mention anything about her experience of attending the Tony awards? I bet she and Max had the time of their life(next to being named Sandy and Danny). Again, can't thank you enough for your time. Can't wait to get to New York, as I'm sure you can't either. God bless! 

Welcome, Rachel. I've certainly enjoyed hearing about the "Grease" experience from Jane Clark's rightfully-proud-mom perspective and look forward to future Max-ified posts from you. As the mom of four young adults ages 29 to 19 myself, I know how exciting it can be to see our offspring achieve their dreams. All best to Max and Laura and their families!

You know, there's a lot of nice people in the world and it really is very humbling to think people are so interested in our children.  I want all you other mothers (and fathers) to know that there are many wonderful children who may not become famous but who would be equally wonderful to know if we could get a chance to meet them and know about them.  I have a son, for example, who has a "regular job" in finance at a "regular company" who is learning to be such a great husband and provider for his family. I'd actually love to hear about YOUR children! Whatever their area of interest or talent, the key thing is helping them develop those abilities over the years of their childhood as well as helping them gain the confidence to then use them and let them shine! I bet Rachel would say, like I would, that that truly took Max and Laura's entire childhood to build. And building talent is easier than building confidence!  I distinctly remember about 3 long years where Laura had such fear about solo singing that her heart would race, her mouth dry up, she'd swallow constantly, and couldn't sing a whole song without at least one throat tightening "gulp."  And she certainly had fabulous singing talent even at a very early age. She could read and dance without fear but singing...that was another story. But we kept at it, we made working through fear an adventure to overcome, and eventually she made it.  My son was much more shy all his life and pretty nervous to try new things. Building his confidence was definitely something we emphasized almost daily it seems, in his childhood.  But now here he is--doing so super.  THAT is why it is so rewarding as a parent to see these kids succeeding at whatever it is they're doing.  We know what hard work and constant effort we all put into getting here.  And now God has blessed our efforts and how thankful we are!

Jane

I agree with Jane in that all of our children have their gifts and wonderfully bless the world too.  Max and Laura are public figures now and everyone knows that they are great young people that are sincere and real.
Our daughter Janelle is 25 and has a 4 1/2 month old daughter and I will tell you that my joy overflows daily when I see what an incredible mother she is.  She also has a beautiful voice and incredible stage presence.  She and Max grew up on a theatre stage with us and did not know anything different.  They used to think that all kids parents had real jobs during the day and then had rehearsal at night and performances on the weekend.  Jack has been such a blessing to our family so late in life, but he has taught all of us to love so much more deeply.  He currently is struggling with his career choices of Power Ranger (the red one) and a plumber like Super Mario brothers.
Our lives are full and God is good all the time.

oo I love all this motherly insight. Eventhough I have a while to go before I have kids, I love reading this stuff. Experience just oozes from every post lol Keep them coming :)

grannygreaser wrote:

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Glad to see Rachel posting here also.  I love reading the posts from both moms.  I never had any children, but if I had, I would have been thrilled to have them turn out the good people that Max and Laura are.  Thank you for sharing your stories and letting us know your kids better.

And I do encourage other friends and family of the other cast members to let us know more about them as well.  It looks like a great cast and I can hardly wait until September to see them on that Broadway stage!

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         You took the words out of my mouth grannygreaser. It's been incredible and humbling to read the insights and thoughts of Jane and a few other cast members family's, and now Rachel (THANK YOU!). I may not be a mother (yet), but I can honestly say this has been an amazing learning experience and I look forward to one day using all these tips and insights in raising my own childeren. I don't think its a seeking out or a focused intention of "only" talking about Max and Laura. Unfortunetley it's easier for that to happen because of having gotten to know them through the show, and not knowing much about the rest of the cast members, as of yet. It would be great for that to change by having more family and friends of other cast members post; allowing insight. It really is the whole cast and crew "together", that is going to make it one amazing show. CAN'T WAIT! God bless! 

Yes! I'm glad we're getting to hear from folks who know the other cast members, too. They all seemed so vivacious on YTOTIW finale night! Can't wait to see ALL of them on Broadway.

To Rachel,
When my youngest was three, she said she wanted to be a grasshopper. We like to remind her of that now that she's eleven and considering a career in architecture. (They grow up too fast, as well you know.)

Thanks to anyone who hears updates and shares them.  I struggle a little at this time in my life in "letting go" of Laura and allowing her lots of space to develop her new life with her husband and her new life in New York and still wanting to be her "mommy" who knows everything about her and everything that's going on.  I'm granting Laura that new space she rightfully deserves and is appropriate but I sure miss hearing every detail of what's going on.  Any "empty nester" Moms know what I'm talking about?  So I appreciate as much as anyone else when someone shares news!

Jane, Laura's Mom

Hi Rachel,
I hope that I am correct that you are Max's mom? I want to tell you that I think that your son is a wonderfully caring,sensitive and extremely gifted young man. I loved watching him on the Grease TV show. I was so blown away by how much I saw him grow before my very eyes. He managed to convince everyone that he was Danny Zuko. Can I tell you that right before they announced the winner I was pacing the floor praying for him. I sensed that he had been raised to love and fear God and when I heard your comment on the finale about God's favor being on your family it really confirmed that. I really believe that Max and Laura got the roles of Danny and Sandy because they are incredibly gifted, wonderful people and because it is part of God's plan for them to do this play. I am so excited to know that they are in a place where they can positively impact a lot of lives with their stand for God. I was also excited to find you on this board so that I could send you a message personally. You are a wonderful mom and I know from watching Max that Jack will be every bit as wonderuful. Max is in my prayers daily as is Laura.
God bless and have a wonderful day!

Thank you all for the encouraging words about Max and the wonderful young man that he has become.  I am proud to share him with the world, but share in Jane's feelings about letting go and waiting on them to call and give information.  I miss him desperately and so does the rest of the family.  I think that the group of kids that were brought together in the show and in the new cast was part of an overall plan.  We pray for the entire cast each day, but do give a special one for Max and Laura and Nathan.
Unlike Jane, it will be a long time before I am an empty nester.  Hehehehehe!!

If you go to the cast section of this site, you can find all the cast and the ensemble with their pictures.  Power of prayer is awesome.

Thanks,
I'll do just that. And you're right prayer is powerful! If Max and Laura can feel all of the prayers sent their way then I know they have to be filled with joy and peace and tons of energy. How exciting for them to have this opportunity so early in life! I will pray for the rest of the cast as well and I look for God to do big things in their lives as well.
God Bless!

This is fun! I'm excited for "Grease" to hit broadway. Thanks so much to the mothers for sharing fun information with us!

I'll bet Max is a lot of fun. I hope to find out first hand. My budget is pretty tight but I would love to see Max and Laura and the rest of the cast in Grease. God will make a way!
God Bless,
Renie Fran

Maxismylove wrote:

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I can see that there are 13 guests viewing this right now as we are on here!  Sign up and come talk with the rest of the folks!!!

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Hi, Rachel! We are looking forward to seeing Grease in 23 days. It is good to hear that Max and Laura are doing well. A certain super someone in my house will love the update, as will his sisters. The days can't go by fast enough.  God bless Max, Laura, and the whole group as they prepare.