Just saw the first preview! Have a lot of work to get done before I go to bed, so this will be a somewhat abbreviated review, with more details tomorrow when I have more time.

First off, big congrats to the cast and crew - it's clear a lot of hard work has been put into this show, and it will only get better as the things that need fixing are fixed in the coming weeks before opening night.

So of course, everyone is dying to know whether Laura and Max pulled it off - and the answer is yes, both of them have the singing and dancing chops to fit on Broadway. Laura gets to sing more than Max in the show, while Max gets to dance more than Laura...and interestingly enough, from the TV show, I didn't consider dancing as either of their strongest points, but with the souped up choreography, they really got to show off their skills. Max in particular, for those who doubted his dancing skills, was actually one of the best dancers in the show. Both of them had excellent vocals as expected and were among the strongest voices, along with Stephen Buntrock (teen angel), Jenny Powers(Rizzo), and actually Daniel Everidge (Roger). The acting was pretty good, but I would say almost all of the cast members need some more time to adjust to their lines, including Max and Laura...a few lines fell flat for almost each performer - on the other hand, that could just be a fault of the script (which was never the show's strong point anyway). Stephen and Daniel, and Natalie Hill as Cha-Cha really camp up their characters and do a fantastic job...to be honest, two of the other T-birds need some work with getting into their characters, and oddly enough, they were among the ones with the most Broadway experience. The newbies including Daniel and Jose Restrepo (Sonny) were a lot more exuberant (perhaps naturally) and it showed. Will go more into that tomorrow. But as far as mannerisms and body language, Max and Laura have pretty much transformed into their characters (Max does a Zuko accent for this show btw)

More tomorrow on individual numbers, but suffice it to say Greased Lightning was great, Hand Jive was great, Raining on Prom Night was great....and I thought We Go Together would be great too, but the choreography and staging in the first act was clunky, and the transition into it was so-so (the reprise was much better). Ditto on You're the One that I Want...it's almost like the stage is too small for either of these songs. Kathleen Marshall probably has the most work to do in the coming days out of all the people involved in the show. Max and Laura sing Sandy and Hopelessly Devoted slightly differently from the way they sang them on TV (an improvement in my opinion).

There were a few minor audio problems with mics, an uncooperative hub cap on the car, but otherwise, the show went off without any of the major problems that plagued the first show of Andrew Lloyd Weber's Joseph production a few weeks ago.

Biggest problem with the show - transitions into songs and between scenes and staging. But that's probably to be expected at this point in the production - still many shows to go before opening night.

So in short, Bravo to the cast, and a special congrats to Max and Laura who have shown they are definitely Broadway-caliber performers. Kathleen Marshall, get to work!

-- Edited by NYC9758 at 05:34, 2007-07-25

NYC9758, great review! Thanks for posting. It seems like staging, choreography, and the like are what most people are noting. And not in a good way. Looking forward to hearing more tomorrow.

Now is this thread limited to member and professional reviews? I don't know if everyone frequents Broadway message boards, but I've read a few other personal reviews. I wasn't sure if I should post them here. What do you all think?

-- Edited by Paikea at 05:48, 2007-07-25

I saw the show tonight and I mostly agree with you. Everidge as Rodger was great. Funny, sang well, alot of energy went into his performance. Restrepo as Sonny was the comedian in the crew. He delivered his lines as well as any comedian i have seen. He uses his facial gestures and body movements extremely well. Kinickie sang GL really well, but was mostly a non entity in the production. I also initially thought  that the choreograhy might have been a little lacking but maybe it was just different. There was a lot of it, and maybe in the last number there ws too much running around.  The guys were sweating up a storm. They did do Sandy and HDTY differently. I personally did not like the changes. Maybe because I heard it the TV way 1000 or so times, but this new version did not do it for me. Laura and Max sang it well though.  Laura did a fantastic job. sang well, acted well. She seemed a natural, very comfortable onstage. She is a tiny thing though. Max hit all his notes but to me he needs to be a bit more powerful. I always get yelled at for saying that but that's what I think. He of course acted out everything he said and sang, as well as everything anyone else said or sang. He'd be great at charades. He has a sweet voice, and somewhat gentle personality...that came out in the play and was a little different than the JT interpretation. Davis Ian was there. He was stunning. He also looked very happy with the way things were going. He was laughing and smiling up a storm with his friends. The audience of course loved the show. Max got the greatest amount of applause, followed by Laura and then the actress playing Rizzo whose name escapes me. There was of course a standing ovation at the end lasting a few minutes. Though not perfect the show was very, very fun and we were appreciative of that.  

The dancing seemed very strenous, alot of moving around and singing. I think the show could flow a little more logically, it is a little chopy. But it is so entertaining that that does not matter so much. As far as looks go Laura was very innocent and sweet looking, very pretty, very small, and looks only 21. And actually to my surprise Max is quite good looking in person. I guess the other guys were so supergood-looking  that some felt he didn't compare. But that boy does not need a bag over his head. At the stage door he was very neat, no cap, hair was cut a little longer than when he got that first haircaut and was combed just how I like it.

-- Edited by greatwhiteway at 14:32, 2007-07-25

Paikea wrote:

---

Now is this thread limited to member and professional reviews? I don't know if everyone frequents Broadway message boards, but I've read a few other personal reviews. I wasn't sure if I should post them here. What do you all think?

Reply:

I initiated the topic and personally do not have any feelings that comments such as you mention should be excluded from this topic. However I wonder if it would make it easier to sort reactions out if the professional critics and the private party comments could be easily separated. 

This could be done by a separate topic but just as well I guess by tagging each of the postings with something like "Professional Critic"  or "Individual comment"  or anything similar that makes the nature of the source clear.

I think it is very interesting to hear both kinds.

Stan/gramps

-- Edited by Gramps at 16:02, 2007-07-25

Thanks for such a detailed report.

Stan/gramps

I think that it's okay to post personal and professional reviews in the same place with just a mere notation that it is a personal reveiw or that it is a professional review. I was really hoping to find some professional reviews somewhere but haven't found any yet.

Okay, some personal reviews from the Talkin' Broadway message boards...

First preview of Grease tonight...
Big LOUD crowd in the theatre.

The show is... well it's Grease.

The film songs seem to fit in well, and they're what much of the audience seemed to know so well.

Max is adorable, if not a tad unsure of himself at this point.

Laura was wonderful. Everything I would want a Sandy to be. She sings beautifully.

The rest of the cast (with one or two exceptions) does quite well.

I was UNDERwhelmed by the production. Choreography was fun to watch. I wanted the band to fly in a la Movin Out. lol.

If the show bores you (and it does in spots) watch Kim Grigsby conduct. She's got energy alright!

I wanted more scenery. lol.

It's really fun, only runs about 2:15, and given the "star" power - should run for a while.

I'm not sure it will get any good reviews, but really who cares right?


My opinion of Grease, not that anyone asked...
First of all I thought Sandy and Danny were fine. But that's the best I can give them..."fine". There was very little chemistry there and I don't think it was their fault. The stage seems too small for this show and that throws me off a bit. During Summer Nights I thought it certain that we would find the cast bumping into each other all over the place. Also I found myself nervous every time someone jumped on a piece of the set ( The stairs outside the school, the lunch table, the bleachers...) Maybe it was because i was sitting so close but those sets literally shook. Also, Max and Laura looked SOO young compared to some of their cast mates. Some of the songs seemed a little out of place and because we had to combine the musical and the movie we lost a lot of the book. At the end I could care less if Danny and Sandy end up together. I kept asking myself "why am I supposed to care about these people" and the fact was that I didn't.

It isn't all bad. I really feel like ALL of the actors gave it their best. They put as must energy as they could into their performances and I applaud them for that. I hope each of them have long careers here on Broadway.

Again, just my opinion....

Some personal reviews from the Broadway World message boards...

First off, no one can outdo Billy Porter's BEAUTY SCHOOL DROPOUT. That number wasn't great in this revival, but who can judge it compared to Porter's?
I felt the book scenes were painful, the jokes not funny (not the delivery, but the jokes) and the acting wooden. The musical numbers were, on the contrary, full of life and brought the house down.

I think Max Crumm did a fantastic job - he has a great voice and can dance exceptionally well. Laura Osnes is beautiful in person but did not leave much of a lasting mark in her small amount of stage time. She was great and I'm glad she won (and I am doubtful any of the other Sandy's could do a better job).

The real star, here, is Jenny Powers who brought the house down with THERE ARE WORSE THINGS I COULD DO.

Robyn Hurder (Marty) is HOT HOT HOT!

I have never seen an audience so energetic and, despite any shortcomings of the production, I had a complete blast at the show.

ETA: The final moment where we get Sexy Sandy was so awkwardly staged no one knew how to react. And the audience had trouble deciding how to react as well.


I hate to say this, but as much as I love Kathleen Marshall, I blame her for this amateur production. The choreography was HORRIBLE...nothing original, nothing difficult, nothing even fun to watch...I absolutely adored her choreography in The Pajama Game, but this was a total disappointment...and her direction was so bland as well.

Laura was fine as Sandy (though I thought I would enjoy her performance more than I did). I loved her "Hopelessly Devoted To You" and a few more of her solos, but some of her line deliveries need serious work. And yes, she did have surprisingly little stage time.

Max, in my eyes, is not a Danny Zuko. He doesn't have the look, the attitude, the voice, the acting chops. He wasn't a complete disgrace, but I think the part should have gone to someone else.

Jenny Powers stole the show. I loved her Rizzo. Definitely the most professional actor up on that stage. Congrats to her.

Also nice to see Allison Fischer (Lestat), Kristen Wyatt (High Fidelity) and Jeb Brown (High Fidelity, Ring of Fire, Bring Back Birdie) up there. The ensemble, as a whole though, was bland too.

To sum up, there is really one person to blame for this show (and it pains me to say this) and that person is Kathleen Marshall. I expected a lot more from her.

The stage door was a complete mob scene with little girls pushing and shoving their way in front. There were barricades, but they weren't set up properly and it was pretty much a huge mosh pit. I did manage to get out quickly enough to get in the front, but it was still one of the worst stage door experiences I've had. The cast was extremely nice and they were glad that the audience reacted so positively to their first preview (the audience as a whole loved it).



Well, I guess I was at a different show. I REALLY enjoyed it. I thought it was fun, funny, and the cast was incredible. Laura seemed a bit nervous to me, but I'm sure she'll be better once she gets a bit more comfortable. Max definitely surprised me, he was pretty darn good. My favorites were definitely Kirsten Wyatt as Frenchy and Jenny Powers as Rizzo. Both of them were completely spot on and fabulous. Triple threats, both of them. Too bad Kirsten doesn't get a lot of a chance to sing, because her voice is great.

Mad props. Sure, there's still things to be worked on, but they're in previews, I have faith that by opening night, it'll be tight and even better than what I saw tonight.


I saw the preview tonight, and had a great time. I paid my 111 dollars, as well as the 111 dollars for my 2 kids going into it knowing I was there for fun, and I was not disappointed. While she was excellent Jenny Powers nowhere stole the show. She had a large contigent of fans there as was evidenced by the loud applause she got before she spoke more than a line or two. The actors playing Roger and Sonny were outstanding. Everidge's "Mooning" was especially entertaining,and Restrapo was very funny with excellent timing and delivery. I also thought the choreography could be a bit more interesting, but it was good and there was plenty of it. That's where I think the guys sweat came from. I saw a couple of them discretely wipe their brows when they were in the background. The musical director was great, Anyone who could make Grease sound new and exciting like she did deserves a Tony. Regardless of how Max got the lead role the audience loved him and the show. The show was fun and left most people with a great feeling. I think that's why the actors got a standing ovation at the end.


Overall, it is a preview, and I hope that there is more to come. I agree with WAT. Marshalls choreography had me so giddy in Pajama Game, but this production, thus far, did not. I did however go in with an open mind and enjoy it.

Laura.. good for you! You were so sweet and engaging on stage. I wish you the best. As far as Max goes, I thought he did a fine job as Danny. We knew months ago that he was not the best Danny for the job, but neither was Austin. (It is the pink ladies not the pink danny.. we gotta believe that Danny wants Dandy not Doody).

I agree Powers was directed to play Rizzo a little too dyke for me. I like the girl, but this was not a Rizzo I cared about. She did stand out in talent, though sadly misdirected. The ensemble was just...ok. I just was underwhelmed. I hope that there are many revisions before the opening.

I missed Sam Harris, actually, I missed any guy who can sing "Those Magic Changes" well. I really love that number and...it was not there tonight. The sets were there, but seemed too large for the space. I liked the idea, but it just did not seem to make sense.

I will see this show again once it opens, but thus far... needs work. It will play, if not on name and popularity alone. I look forward to the changes and hope to be impressed with them. As far as the TV side of it... Well, let's just hope that this show will be the stepping block to some young children, to inspire them to watch theatre the way that we all once did. We gotta start somewhere!

-- Edited by Paikea at 19:49, 2007-07-25

I saw the first preview show last night of Grease!. Was it a show that I enjoyed personally? Let me first introduce myself as having seen many professional and amateur stage productions of Grease over the years starting with the 1994 revival which had Rosie O'Donnell and about 14 other times with other revolving cast members that came and left that production.


I have to admit when I saw the 1994 production, I was taken away with the energy of the cast, and the musical arrangements at the helm of John McDaniel which had a high useage of a brass section which made the music bright and vibrant.

Watching the new production of Grease, there were 2 things that stood out in my mind automatically. The first is will Max and Laura fit in on Broadway? The second was, how will this production compare to other productions on a professional level?

To answer the first question, I will have to say that for the first time in my Grease fandom, Danny and Sandy looked liked high school students rather than full grown adults playing teenagers. Is that a good thing? Definitely. Its supposed to be a musical about high school students and their relationships. When you see a Zuko with rippling muscles as I have seen in many productions including the former revival from 1994, it tends to be more of eye candy than a believable rendition of the aforementioned scenario. Max and Laura get my applause for their renditions of the characters and their performances, but together as an on stage couple; there wasn't that spark that lets you know that it's real. Let me remind you that even with seasoned actors, that certain spark that makes a Danny and Sandy couple relies on a spark that comes naturally. It's what America voted for, so that's what we got. They are 2 very talented people and I don't think it will end with Grease for either of them.

As for the second question comparing it to other productions, I will have to fill you in a bit on some of the history that actually led up to this production of Grease. After the 1994 revival ended it's run on Broadway, the rights became available for anyone willing to buy them up. This is when Troika Productions scooped them up and ran a national tour for 3 years with non union actors. I have seen the Troika production 5 times during it's national run ranging from small theaters, a theater in the round that was split in half cutting down it's potential seating capacity (the former Westbury Music Fair in Westbury, NY), The Tropicana theater stage in Atlantic City, and it's more glamorous stage choice, the NJ Performing Arts Center. Troika Productions also spawned off Grease on Ice which originally starred Nancy Kerrigan in the role of Sandy. That was a production I have seen also 5 times. Both these productions kept true to the original tradition of Grease and kept all the original stage version songs in play, leaving any traces of the movie behind (with the exception of grease on ice referring to the guys as the T-birds).

Now I am a bit unclear on this next point but basically this is how it goes. Troika Productions either teamed up with Phoenix Productions, Troika became Phoenix Productions or Phoenix took over Troika.
Grease by Troika ended it's 3 year national tour and Phoenix Productions revamped the show and began auditions here in NYC back in 2002, a production I actually auditioned for. Phoenix added a surprise to their production by actually having Frankie Avalon revive his movie role as Teen Angel in their production. At first his presence in the show went unadvertised and his name only appeared in reviews, but soon after the tour launched, his name was attached to the marquee as a star of the show. The songs Sandy, You're the One That I Want and Hopelessly Devoted to You were added to this production and Alone at the Drive-In and All Choked up were removed.

The Phoenix tour went on for another 3 years and gathered up another cast to star in an Asian tour if Grease, which if I am not mistaken is still currently on tour.

A desire to bring Grease back to Broadway brought David Ian and Phoenix Productions to the bargaining table and a deal was made.  Now why did I bother with the history lesson? With how Grease has evolved through the production companies and finally arriving on Broadway.


In my personal opinion, Grease has been torn from it's original roots of innocence in an effort to bring to the stage more of the movie image rather than it's original intent. After all, it is a business and people will pay to hear these songs they know that were major hits such as Sandy, You're the one that I want and Hopelessly Devoted to You which was added to this current production. The song GREASE was also added to the intro replacing the original Alma Mater and It's Parody.

The stages in many of the venues I have seen the touring companies were much bigger than this current version. I had high hopes for this production being that it had evolved and I would have liked to see Grease get a stage fiting for all that could be done for the numbers and sets that could have made the production much bigger than what it actually is right now. It's one thing to add something to a play to make it more complete, it's another thing to rip out the heart of some living thing and replace it with a pacemaker.

I am not at all being critical of the production itself, but rather the lack of quality treatment that has been forgotten in reviving a play that has made history in so many ways and has touched the lives in the most people more than any other play in history of theater.
Most people identify with the movie and it's understandable that the producers want to deliver a piece of that movie in a live production, but this is a form of de-evolution. Movie versions of theater are changed in a way so that the main point is kept in  the storyline, but changes made to not reflect the play exactly. Grease has now gone back and made these changes based on changes made FOR the movie.

 

Where is the original? Will we ever get to see Grease with it's original script and songs without having to go to a high school production to do so? Let's preserve Grease for what it was meant to be and stick with Jacobs and Casey's original vision. Casey may be dead, but his dream lives on, lets not kill it.

Welcome back:

I think it is too bad that you had to read some of the negative things even if you were realistic about it. Being a parent, especially of those out of the nest, is especially hard because our wings don't stretch far enough to cuddle when cuddling may help (either them or us).

It was you I thought of first when I saw some of the more difficult comments, but very quickly I thought about Laura and Max and reflected on my own children.

I can't father them any more like I used to even though I want to and by and large, probably as much or more than most, they manage just fine...well, maybe not as well as they might have if Mom and Dad had been there, but....

Well you know what I mean. We know they can and will persevere but we would sometimes like to soften the blows as much to our own hearts as theirs.

I cannot realistically expect that there will be no hurt for Laura, even as strong as she is. I can only trust that her strengths will help her win her worldly battles and and strengthen her own internal strengths.

Break a leg!

Stan

OK! Work done, now for the extended review, in chronological order. I've never actually seen a show at the BAT, and it felt like a rather small theater for a musical - seems much better suited for regular plays. The plus is that every seat is a fantastic seat, so even those of you who got nosebleed seats will be closer to the stage than you'd be in many orchestra seats at bigger theaters. The downside is I felt the stage may have been a little too crowded for a show that calls for really big numbers. This might account for some of the occasionally awkward staging, which having slept on it overnight, I still think was probably the weak point of the show, if I had to pick one.

So, the show opens with the sunset beach scene - and my first thought was, did they replace Max? This was mainly because he has adopted a "Danny wannabe tough guy voice" and accent for the show, and all you can see in the opening scene are Laura and Max's sillhouettes. If any of you saw those behind the scene YouTube clips from the TV show, you might remember the one with Kathleen and Max speaking in British accents - so yes, Max can do voices well enough that you might not recognize who it is if you were to just listen to the voice. It works very well for the character, cuz he pours it on thick whenever the character calls for acting tough (like when Sandy comes on to ruin his tough guy image), and then he reverts to a sensitive guy voice when it's just him and Sandy sharing a moment on stage.

"Grease" got huge cheers from the audience, and you could almost sense everyone wanting to sing along. But when Laura and Max walked on, the applause was almost as deafening as at the curtain calls. "Summer Nights" was sung well, but again, the staging felt slightly crowded. The first few scenes go by very quickly, and don't drag at all. If anything, I was surprised at how fast the story was moving along.

"Those Magic Changes" was something of a letdown - I was expecting this song to be a big showstopper like in the old '94 revival (which I've only seen on YouTube so take that with a grain of salt). This version was very low key, but on the plus side, there was a bit of humor in the way it was done that hasn't been emphasized in previous versions of the song, especially with the T-birds camping up the 1950's oooeeeoohs and wawawaaas as back-up singers. To be honest, I wasn't particularly impressed with Ryan Patrick Binder as Doody, both in terms of acting and singing.

"Freddy My Love" was also sung quite well - I thought all of the pink ladies had nice voices in this show, and they were all really into their characters.

"Greased Lightin" was one of the big highlights of the show, with some of the best choreography. The transformation of the car was done superbly, even though Max had to struggle with an uncooperative hubcap, which I'm sure set design will fix immediately. I'm going to have to give Matthew Saldivar mixed reviews as well, which like I said before surprised me as he and Binder have both had Broadway experience. He seemed to do a lot of squinting, and was not as believable as the other T-birds as a high schooler.

And yes! Many of the actors and actresses actually pulled off talking and acting like real high schoolers - Laura, Max, Lindsay Mendez (Jan), Dan Everidge (Roger), Jose Restrepo (Sonny) in particular were very believable as high schoolers, which is very different and a welcome change from previous productions and the movie.

"Mooning" was done very well - in fact, Roger and Jan almost out-cute Danny and Sandy.

Jenny Powers was great, but not really convincing as a high schooler - this is probably just the nature of the part though, since Rizzo is supposed to act a lot older than she's supposed to be. Vocally, she's superb, and she has a natural ease on stage that's just great to watch. Of her two songs, There Are Worse Things I Could Do was probably the better one, though Kathleen Marshall really should do some staging work on that one - Rizzo just stands there and sings, with Sandy off to the side standing and watching.

"We Go Together" lacked a little energy in my opinion, and again, this could just be a problem with the stage feeling a little too small for a number that ought to be really BIG.

Act II opens with a big bang, and things pick up quickly again with a good dance sequence, although I think the scene leading up to Hand Jive with all that dialogue seemed a little too slow. It's Raining on Prom Night was done very well, with Jan singing the song in a kind of happy way, and Sandy on the side singing it with real emotion inside her mini-bedroom. Laura does a superb job with this number. I wasn't sure how they were going to work in Hopelessly Devoted, but they fit it in perfectly after the dance. Laura showed once again what a beautiful voice she has.

Beauty School Dropout - three words: ice cream cone. You'll get it when you see it, but I think this song was done with just the right amount of campy humor.

The car scene at the drive in was adorable - loved the lighting and props on this one. It was great to finally see Max and Laura do this scene together, and their facial expressions were priceless.

Max starts off "Sandy" with a bit of humor too, which the audience really dug - He sings the line "Stranded at the drive in" with a sort of paranoid "oh this is so embarassing" kind of face that any guy who has been dumped by a girl in public could identify with. Then the tone of the song changes and he sings it very wistfully and longingly - fantastic voice, warm vibrato and a billion times better than the movie original. Let's face it, Travolta just wasn't all that good of a tenor.

"Rock and Roll Party Queen" was somewhat of a letdown again - and again, I just wasn't all that impressed with Doody. The number just didn't have much energy. Laura wraps up the scene with the reprise of Sandra Dee after Rizzo finishes her number.

Then it kind of magically changes into You're the One that I Want. This sudden transition felt forced and choppy - to be fair, it's the same way in the movie, and is really a problem with the story more than anything. But it just felt too abrupt. And YTOTIW needs some staging work - Laura and Max do all the dance action while the rest of the cast kind of just watches from the side, and it just seemed kind of awkward. I think I'd rather have the whole cast involved. The reprise for We Go Together was done better than the end of Act I.

As for the technical stuff - lighting was pretty good, costumes were really outstanding (with the glaring exceptions of Sandy's "sexy" outfit at the end - I don't think anyone in the audience liked her wig, and maybe Vince Fontaine's weird pink tigerprint jacket was too over the top). I think some of the guys stuff could actually be worn on the street and look trendy-retro, and the guys suits for the dance were spiffy. Make-up was good - Laura looks really young, and rightly so. Audio had a few minor mic glitches, but those should be easy to fix. The band was good, and was interestingly located above the stage.

It'll be really interesting to see how the show evolves in the coming weeks, and it'll be great to see the final product. Kathleen Marshall is going to be kept busy cleaning up the transitions, and I would say the performances for Doody and Kenickie might have to be beefed up a little. Aside from YTOTIW, there's a scene in the street corner that is really awkward, when the cast is just milling about listening to the radio announcer for what seems like an interminable amount of time. I would get rid of that immediately.

Laura and Max - fantastic singing, and outstanding dancing. Really, neither of them got to show off how well they could dance on the simplified numbers done on the TV show, and it's great to see them move like this. Max in particular has many physically grueling numbers in the show, involving splits, lifts, slides, and even a bit of calisthenics.

Keep an eye out for Laura's cheerleading scene, she's hilarious. And keep an eye out for Max's track scene - priceless.

-- Edited by NYC9758 at 03:00, 2007-07-26

-- Edited by NYC9758 at 03:07, 2007-07-26

I know your message was directed to Jane but I wanted to say that it was very sweet of you to encourage and comfort. Isn't it strange how many different points of view are represented with the play and stage door experience? I wasn't there but I know how I am and I care so much about Max and Laura that I would have looked for all of the good and wonderful things they accomplished during their first Broadway preview. I have every confidence that Kathleen Marshall will do what she needs to do on her end of things and I'm proud of Max and Laura that they have their first performance under their belts and I know they will only get better as time passes

Act II opens with a big bang, and things pick up quickly again with a good dance sequence, although I think the scene leading up to Hand Jive with all that dialogue seemed a little too slow.
That's one of the many problems with Grease.  The second act opener is DEADLY.

The only distraction would be the very talented Kim Grigsby...terrific conductor and musical director, even better dancer.

Grigsby is situated with the band, but she has a history of wacky conducting methods, including using her body as a metronone. I don't know if you saw the Tony Awards, but Grigsby was the spirited conductor (and musical director) of Spring Awakening.

A few summers ago, she conducted Two Gentlemen of Verona the Musical in Central Park (also under the direction of Kathy Marshall, who loves to reuse the same people in her creative team). Again, the band was perched above the stage. Grigsby wore a backless shirt (that made her look topless from the back) and a long flowing skirt. I'll just say that she was singled out in nearly every one of the reviews.

Oh, thank you, NYC, for the detailed review. Yours is the best I've read.

Jane,

Thank you.  Yours is a perspective we couldn't get from anyone else (except maybe Rachel) since the moms of the other cast members aren't posting.  We're all so happy for both Laura and Max, and delighted that others recognize their talent too.

Thanks so much for all who have taken the time to post your reviews. We are in Ohio and leave tomorrow (Friday) for the big city. We are attending the Sunday, 7/29 show. Your reviews have us so excited.  I bought six pairs of tickets, so we could sit closer, but now I am a bit nervous. One set is Row A center aisle. I have promised my son who has special needs that he would sit there with me. Will that be too overwhelming? He is a huge Max fan and I don't want to disappoint him.  My girls will be in Row G and hubby and aunt in Row K, all center aisle. For those who were there, what do you think? I don't want to get into his issues on a public forum, but he can get sensory overload but also has poor vision. He loves musical theater and this will be his (and all of ours) first Broadway experience. Your reviews are awesome to read. I really appreciate the time you took to write them.  Thanks for any advice you can give.

Also, the stage door experiences have me a little worried. My kids are all expecting to go back there. My son would be heartbroken if we did not go to the stage door. It is all he can talk about.  I want to manage his and my girls' expectations (wish me luck on that one). I appreciate the feedback you have all given on your experience.  I just don't know how fast we can get there because we will be separated and we can only move so fast because of my son. We have to be careful we don't lose him in a crowd as he will just keep going.  Your firsthand input would be awesome. Is it just too crazy?

We totally can't wait to go!! I am so glad to hear Max and Laura are the shining stars we all thought they were.

I really enjoy reading all of these reviews...it's great to see so many people interested in the show! And everyone does have their opinion...it is very easy to look down on Grease as bad theater, but the show is what it always has been-a lot of fun songs linked together by a semblance of a plot. You'll either love this type of show or hate it, and while a director may have an effect on the visual aspects of the show, Grease is Grease. One thing I really like is that so many comments are honest, but many are taking into account the cast is still in previews for a show which did not play out of town first, and the show still has four weeks until it opens.

The reason I am writing is that I have a message for Laura's Mom. It is one thing for everyone to put in their two cents about everyone's performance on these boards, as is absolutely their right to do. But at this point, with only three days in front of an audience, and as you said, with many characters being portrayed not as caricatures but as flesh and blood characters, it is unprofessional and irresponsible to call out another performer in your own daughter's cast and say that you liked another performer in some production in Minnesota better, especially without giving the actors the chance to find their way, which is what previews are for. Not that you are not entitled to your opinion, but since your name is attached to your post, and with friends and family of every cast member checking these boards, do you think it is actually possible that your comment will not get back to the cast and their friends and family, whom you have to associate with for possibly the next year? I am a friend to several cast members, and while I also agree the show has areas where it needs work, it was a relief to me to not see all of the characters played as one dimensional stereotypes, and since the show seems to be written with the characters AS charicatures, it is expected it will take a while for people to find ther way. The show does not open for four weeks...if the press can wait a month to make a judgement, I would think that the mother of the girl with possibly the least amount of stage experience in the cast (but quite good in the role) could make the same concession. Truth be told, everyone was slightly shaky on the preview and opening nights, as should be expected for a new take on Grease. I don't write this out of anger, but simply out of the fact that with all of the criticism this show is bound to get from theater folks, shouldn't everyone involved with the cast at least attempt to seem on the same side? I sincerly doubt you will find other family members of the cast criticising other cast member's performances, even if they have the criticism to give, because how could you do that without being hurtful? If this gets back to the cast, how awkward will that between your daughter and the cast member in question? Or the cast member and you? Again, I'm not angry, I just ask you to be a little more cautious before making postings with your name attached, because now when we meet in the next month, which we very likely will, your comment will always be in the back of my mind. And while I won't be mentioning this post, how do you think the person playing Jan will feel when seeing you the next time if she hears about this? I imagine your intent was not hurtful, but how could that comment NOT be hurtful to the cast member mentioned? All of that being said, I do want to say congratulations on your daughter's debut...I think your daughter is beautiful in the role, and has possibly the best voice of anyone I have seen play Sandy. I look forward to seeing her grow into the role as well.

It's currently 3:11pm and I'm sitting in our room at the Milford Plaza... on 47th street in NEW YORK! I'm here!! Less than 5 hours until I see the show! I'm SOOOOOOOOO excited!

musikguy24601 -

Bravo! You took the words right out of my mouth. Very eloquently stated.

Whomever wrote

"Max, in my eyes, is not a Danny Zuko. He doesn't have the look, the attitude, the voice, the acting chops. He wasn't a complete disgrace, but I think the part should have gone to someone else"

Whomever wrote this is completely delusional. I can't imagine anyone else from the NBC show being as good as Max was yesterday.

While the stage door does get a bit crowded, it is a pretty well controlled group and if you wish to wait, it's a lot of fun, watching not only the cast come out of the stage door, but watching the crowd as well.

Nothing like NYC for people watching!

musikguy24601 wrote:

---

The reason I am writing is that I have a message for Laura's Mom. It is one thing for everyone to put in their two cents about everyone's performance on these boards, as is absolutely their right to do. But at this point, with only three days in front of an audience, and as you said, with many characters being portrayed not as caricatures but as flesh and blood characters, it is unprofessional and irresponsible to call out another performer in your own daughter's cast and say that you liked another performer in some production in Minnesota better, especially without giving the actors the chance to find their way, which is what previews are for.

Not that you are not entitled to your opinion, but since your name is attached to your post, and with friends and family of every cast member checking these boards, do you think it is actually possible that your comment will not get back to the cast and their friends and family, whom you have to associate with for possibly the next year?

Methinks you're off base here, bub. Jane wasn't calling anyone out or being mean to Jan. All she said was she remembered an endearing quality about the Minnesota Jan. She wasn't mean at all. Just my 2 cents. And for the record, you're the one who's out of line calling Laura's mom unproffesional and irresponsible. I'd have PMed this to you, but you made your post public instead of private.....