Grease on Broadway--PREVIEWS reviews and comments

Kait · Senior Member

Grease on Broadway--PREVIEWS reviews and comments

Laura Mom · Senior Member

You know, we are never too old to learn. I stand corrected on a small comment that caused unnecessary hurt. Thanks for helping me learn and thanks for forgiveness. I do not feel awkward to see or speak to anyone because someone made their feelings known to me. On the contrary, I appreciate the chance to learn. If you're wrong, you're wrong, and my comment just wasn't necessary and not well thought out. I've started a worthy thread on "opinion etiquette" that might be good for all of us to read. There are many sides to every coin and this is true on this topic as well. We must be careful posters but we also must be careful to not take every opinion as a personal attack. There are good lessons here for all of us.

Jane

musikguy24601 · Member

I didn't mean to cause such a stir, and this probably should have been a private post. I really do love to see people so excited about the show, and I am excited to see family members posting about this experience. The point was never that someone can't post their opinion...these boards are a haven for people gunning to dog on a show to post their opinions, which is why, being someone in this business, I usually tend to never read mesage boards! : ) To be honest, other than new theater peeps who are excited to be involved in the process, these boards tend on the whole to be very negative, although this board has been more positive than most. I was simply saying that if you attach your name to a post, with as many people reading this post as there are, you are essentially saying your comment to that person because it is almost impossible for word not to spread, and as much as I know every person has very strong opinions, you would likely never go up to someone you know and tell them you liked someone else better in the role, espeically after two shots at it in front of an audience. My post was never meant as an attack, but simply to make people aware of what they say, because we all have those certain criticisms that we hear in our careers that don't ever leave us. I love reading Laura's mother's posts, truly wish her daughter the best, and think the world of Laura's performance.

And as far as what professionals do, professionals do not note other actors in their own cast, it is not their job, and if they do, an actor will not go up to them and ask them what they could do better, because firstly, who is to say the critic's opinion is correct, and secondly, a lot of their performance has little to do with their own choices but rather the vision of the director. This production has removed a lot of the over the top performances in all of the characters, and in the case of Jan, has removed all of her fat jokes and food "schtick". What you are left with are real people in a show with not that deep of a plot (not being mean, but let's be honest!), and possibly less opportunities for humor. Whether that is a good choice is a matter of opinion, but is certainly not the choice or responsibility of the actors to change, especially based on the opinion of any one audience member. I'm sorry to have taken so much space on this thread talking off topic, and look forward to reading more reviews!

Paikea · Veteran Member

DogsandBirds wrote:

Without offending you Paikea, sorry to say I do mind! Please quote me whenever you like, respond to what I may say, but don't misquote me or write things that may be attributed to me. Your words might have a way of having a life of their own; be misquoted and attributed to me. I prefer to comment on things on my own. Thank you.

DogsandBirds, I apologize. It was just meant to be an example, but as I explained, I know there is always the possibility for people to misunderstand. I should have just erred on the side of caution. I've edited my post accordingly. smile

(Oh, and no offense taken!)

-- Edited by Paikea at 20:10, 2007-07-27

Laura4Broadway · Veteran Member

Wow, loving all the comments. Now heres my take on the show. I really loved the beginning with Grease. It reminded me a lot of the locker scene from the tv show, which was really cute in my opinion. So good move there.

All the actors were amazing, especially the one who played Marty. I thought she was exceptional. Rizzo was also phenomenal. Although I thought she got too much stage time and seemed to upstage everyone but thats the script and well get into that later...

Max was very charming. Totally believable. My mom, who is not one for musicals (still can't understand how you could not love them... weirdface

) LOVED Max. She wants to go again just for him lol Even though he wasnt my pick from the show, he really grew on me.

None of the other guys stood out for me except Roger. He was great. Sonny he could have been great, he probably was for some people, but I dont know. Something didnt click with me.

As for the Pink Ladies Loved Marty as I said. Loved Frenchy, she was adorable in this show. Bravo to casting there. Jan was a little disappointing she didnt have that that. Well, whatever Jan has lol Her song with Roger was adorable though. Could have been just because I loved Roger lol. I dont know.

Now for the best part. Laura. Oh my goodness! She was brilliant. Although the one complaint I did have, which I have to agree with Jane, is that she didnt have much stage time at all. I was surprised. She was kind of out of the loop the whole time.. and never really got into the loop until the very end which seemed kind of random. And the whole story seemed kind of jumpy also, but thats not Lauras fault, its the scripts. The one thing I was looking forward to more than anything at this show was to hear Laura sing live. She was amazing on TV and I just couldnt wait to hear her live. She certainly didnt disappoint. I just adore her voice. Its so smooth and clear. Her vibrato is wonderful. I just wish she had more songs. Im glad they added hopelessly devoted to the mix. Did she even have any other solos besides the Sandra Dee song towards the end? None the less, I LOVED her performance. The cheerleading scene was so funny! She was just so adorable in this whole production I am officially a "Laura Supporta" for life !!!!

One of the other disappointments I had was the Hand Jive scene. That whole dance contest scene. The whole thing either seemed too rushed or too slow. It didnt flow well for me. But Im sure its just one of the few bugs needing work.

Loved Grease Lightening and the car, great effect there.

The ending was great. I liked how they used some of the choreography from the TV show for We Go Together and also for Hand Jive. But as I mentioned above, and as someone else I think mentioned, Youre The One That I Want just kind of popped out at you randomly. I wasnt expecting it there. But thats how its written, cant complain.

Also, I agree that Laura's wig at the end wasn't that good. 10 million dollar production... couldn't they have gotten a better wig?

Other than some script issues and a few minor bugs here and there this being one of first shows in previews it was just perfect. Everyone had their own spin on their charter and it added to each performance. Max and Laura definitely
have what it takes to make it on Broadway. Were there any doubts?

As of now, Im trying to find good tickets so I can see it again! biggrin

Laura Mom wrote:

They were not prepared for this the first preview night, but I believe have made plans to better handle this now. I believe they are going to block off the street and also arrange for a limo to escort Max and Laura away from the theatre after some appointed time each night. The first night they signed autographs etc. for more than a half hour and they both were just wiped!

I have to say Max and Laura were VEY generous with their time afterwards. I was very surprised! I figured they would be really tired, sign as much as they can, take a few pictures and leave, but nope. I stayed for a pretty long while after I got a pic and my playbill signed and they were STILL there signing and posing. They must have been there for about 30-45 minutes. Well it seemed like it to me anyway lol I was waiting for them to leave so I could leave, but they weren't budging, so me and my mom gave up waiting and left and they were STILL signing with just as much energy as ever. Very impressive!

-- Edited by Laura4Broadway at 20:22, 2007-07-27

reniefran · Senior Member

Since I didn't see the show I just wanted to tell you hello Rachel and tell you that I'm so glad you enjoyed yourself. How could you not when it involves your wonderful son and his lovely co-star. It's so good just to hear some normal conversation about things. You and Jane both have expressed that you miss your kids. It's super to know that Max and Laura both have families that love them and care so much about them and want to be with them. Family is a blessing that we should never take for granted that's for sure. I am still praying for Max and Laura and the rest of the cast. I am sure things will only get better and better! God bless! aww

Broadway26 · Member

I saw a preview of the show this week and the production as a whole is an absolute nightmare. If you want to see a quality production of GREASE, look no further than your local high school drama club. The fact that this garbage is taking up space in a Broadway house is an absolute shame.

I see several Broadway shows a week, and this production is hands down the least inspired, most mundane mounting in recent memory.

Expect the critics to tear this show to shreds. And don't even think of any Tony Award nominations. The thought of that is a laugh.

The most painful part of all is that I dropped $111.50 to sit through a musical revival lacking astute direction, challenging choreography, fresh production value, and zeroes all around on talent.

It is an excrutiating evening at the theatre, and let's hope it comes and goes swiftly and is replaced with a production worthy of the Broadway name.

themusicman · Veteran Member

Broadway26 wrote:

I saw a preview of the show this week and the production as a whole is an absolute nightmare. If you want to see a quality production of GREASE, look no further than your local high school drama club. The fact that this garbage is taking up space in a Broadway house is an absolute shame.

I see several Broadway shows a week, and this production is hands down the least inspired, most mundane mounting in recent memory.

Expect the critics to tear this show to shreds. And don't even think of any Tony Award nominations. The thought of that is a laugh.

The most painful part of all is that I dropped $111.50 to sit through a musical revival lacking astute direction, challenging choreography, fresh production value, and zeroes all around on talent.

It is an excrutiating evening at the theatre, and let's hope it comes and goes swiftly and is replaced with a production worthy of the Broadway name.

You're a piece of work. Zeroes all around in talent? Local High Schools being able to do better than this?

You're unfairly negatively biased. idea

musikguy24601 · Member

For the past few nights, literally hundreds of people have been waiting for the autographs of the leads....so I guess they must have hated the horrible show?!?

I have read Grey Gardens (which I love) is closing without making back a penny of its original investment, as many shows do these days.

Almost as many people watched the TV show as the entire audience of the Tony Awards.

Grease is on Broadway, is actually attracting a national audience, likely many of whom are not already Broadway fans, is sold out for months, and has 14 million dollars in advanced ticket sales. It is also making a form of entertainment which becomes more elitist and less profitable each year relevant to the general public. If it weren't for shows like Grease, there would be no Broadway left to give us shows like Piazza. I think that is worthy of the title of a Broadway show, whether you like it or not.

greatwhiteway · Senior Member

Seems like everbody's a critic around here

) ...even me ..... So now I want to just be a fan. I saw the show Tuesday night. It was great! My kids went with me and loved it too. It was better than we expected it to be. We talk about people having charisma, well the show has charisma. I am not educated enough to know what was "technically" good or not. I don't really care when it comes down to it, ...but like the saying goes about art...I know what I like. This show left us feeling very happy, very warm inside and with big smiles on our faces. What more could I ask for, for my kids and myself when we want to share a good time together. I would highly recommend it to anyone, and yes, we going to go again.

-- Edited by greatwhiteway at 11:22, 2007-07-28

DogsandBirds · Guru

Put reviews by individuals in prospective. Grease is not everyone's cup of tea, now or in any of it's previous incarnations. Many of us here are "shills," that is we want to the show to succeed and have a positive bias towards the everything about the show. There are always people who don't like a particular show, no matter how popular the show may be.

What I find interesting is that the naysayers feel the need to come here and express those negative opinions. Broadway26 has posted once before he posted that review. Did he join this board for the express purpose of reviewing the show and giving feedback, with a possible negative bias before he had even seen it? Why did he buy the ticket you may ask? I wish I could understand the motives of others, why they do what they do. I would write a book about it, go on Dr. Phil and Oprah and make millions of dollars.

Remember, a large grain of salt must be consumed with any of these reviews.
I saw it and I loved it. Can't wait to see it again (going twice more as of this writing!)

-- Edited by DogsandBirds at 13:03, 2007-07-28

juniper01 · Member

WOW, I wonder who the negative naysayers are? Are they wanna be cast members that got turned away? It makes me think that they are people so far out touch with what we (middle America) want to see. Who am I? Just a middle American person who watched the show on TV and decided that I wanted to see the show live with Laura and Max, and share it with family. Here was my response the day after seeing the show:

7/26
RE: Preview Review of 7/25/07 2PM

I was at the 2:00 P.M. performance yesterday, I am wet behind the ears when it comes to Broadway productions (have been to three others) and I have to say that it was a totally enjoyable experience. The audience was alive and enjoying themselves, the excitement was catching. There was not a bad seat in the house, cool and comfortable. I did however comment that sitting in the first few rows did not seem the place I would want to be, (too close and I felt that I would miss seeing a broader scope). I enjoyed the view from the first balcony. Looking down on it all was wonderful.

If I had to find anything negative about it was that I thought the last act when "sexy Sandy" presents herself was a little anti climatic, not too much of a response from Maxx about her change, and I thought it should have been a bigger response both from him and the audience. (I don't think it was too big a WOW!) I thought it funny when he wiped the kiss off after she kissed him (too wet Laura?) I did not really think there was too much change in her hair, something else needs to be done to dramatize the "new Sandy" hairwise, along with a more shocked and pleased Danny. His response needs to be thought out more . I agree with the last poster as to the feelings that somehow taking away the Sandra Dee portion of her personality and having her turn sexy is really too bad, but that is however the whole context of the play, so play it up!

The costuming was gorgeous, the cast was "pretty", and I commented that I thought the props were simple, uncomplicated and well presented. I was impressed with them, it totally got the point across as to where they were and what they were doing. Kudos from me for costuming and props.

I thought it was wonderful...........would I recommend it? Absolutely! It made me happy, it made me smile, it was what it is supposed to be....a great play to share with friends and family.
________________________

I stood in line with people from Ohio, California, and Canada. We were all excited and everyone was buzzing. Yes, I will agree, none of us looked like hard core theater going "in the know" "Broadwayers", but we certainly enjoyed the show. It was everything we thought it would be. Anyone that thinks that grease is going to be hardcore Broadway does not understand the play. It is playful, light, fun and makes you forget life for a couple of hours. That's it. If you looked around, middle aged adults, grandparents and young children between the ages of 10-15 made up the audience. Little girls sitting there with Pink Lady jackets and posters to be signed after the show, parents grinning from ear to ear seeing the joy of family members together enjoying a day out. Anyone that goes there trying to read "high brow" production with champagne and caviar afterwards will be disappointed..........but if they put on a pair of blue jeans and let their hair down for two hours, they will be delightfully pleased to share some fun time with middle America. I have a feeling that families will go home and tell family and friends what a good time they had..................much to the disappointment of "hard core" theater goers, me thinks that "Grease" is going to enjoy a good run with us Middle Americans enjoying it.

__________________________________________________________________

Hello799 · Senior Member

Not to get off the subject. But someone posted before on an issue that I have been so curious to know.

This is the first week of preview shows. How did you find a ticket for $111.50. I have been looking for months, I could not find any tickets on ticketmaster. I had to purchase through a different website and I payed a pretty good penny for the seats.

Laura4Broadway · Veteran Member

We paid $111.50 for center orchestra row N and we made our reservations through ticket master on March 24. As of now I'm trying to find good seats like those again for that same price and I'm not succeeding. hmm So, I'm guessing ticket master is sold out for those seats and you have to resort to the other.. more expensive... sites, sadly.

MaxFan · Veteran Member

juniper01 wrote:

I stood in line with people from Ohio, California, and Canada. We were all excited and everyone was buzzing. Yes, I will agree, none of us looked like hard core theater going "in the know" "Broadwayers", but we certainly enjoyed the show. It was everything we thought it would be. Anyone that thinks that grease is going to be hardcore Broadway does not understand the play. It is playful, light, fun and makes you forget life for a couple of hours. That's it. If you looked around, middle aged adults, grandparents and young children between the ages of 10-15 made up the audience. Little girls sitting there with Pink Lady jackets and posters to be signed after the show, parents grinning from ear to ear seeing the joy of family members together enjoying a day out. Anyone that goes there trying to read "high brow" production with champagne and caviar afterwards will be disappointed..........but if they put on a pair of blue jeans and let their hair down for two hours, they will be delightfully pleased to share some fun time with middle America. I have a feeling that families will go home and tell family and friends what a good time they had..................much to the disappointment of "hard core" theater goers, me thinks that "Grease" is going to enjoy a good run with us Middle Americans enjoying it.

__________________________________________________________________

Tomorrow my family and I will be people from Ohio in that line. It will be our first Broadway show and I know it will be an awesome experience. Naysayers can and will say what they want, but it won't stop the talent and spirit of the cast nor the joy of the show. I am looking forward to posting my review. To think, after years of begging me to take him to Broadway, it was a TV show that finally gave me the incentive to grant my son's wish. He is our biggest Max fan of the family and tomorrow will go down as one of his best days ever.

juniper01 · Member

MaxFan wrote:

__________________________________________________________________

Tomorrow my family and I will be people from Ohio in that line. It will be our first Broadway show and I know it will be an awesome experience. Naysayers can and will say what they want, but it won't stop the talent and spirit of the cast nor the joy of the show. I am looking forward to posting my review. To think, after years of begging me to take him to Broadway, it was a TV show that finally gave me the incentive to grant my son's wish. He is our biggest Max fan of the family and tomorrow will go down as one of his best days ever.

Have a great time! Try to have dinner at Carmines! Great family place to eat!!! aww

greatwhiteway · Senior Member

Have a great time. If you can let us know how you and the family enjoyed the show when you get back home.

Paikea · Veteran Member

One more from BWW...

Wednesday Evening: Grease - Front Mezzanine

Walking up to the Brooks-Atkinson was INSANE. I read someones post on here from the night before regarding the large amount of tourists, this night was no exception. I felt Max and Laura put in a great effort (I think they have loads of talent personally) and did well with what they were handed. The fellow casting (Pink Ladies mostly) lent itself to Laura's role, making her younger image reflect her naive nature. The T-Birds (which I thought they were going to be the Burger Palace Boys?) were overall good. Ryan Binder as Doody gave me chills in "Magic Changes." Daniel Everidge (Roger) had a voice that beautifully blended with Binder's. Saldivar wasn't anything special unfortunately. Jenny Powers seemed bored herself in the first act but really picked it up encompassing all that is Rizzo in the second act (great "Worse things I could Do"!). None of the others really stood out but did their part and were believable. In the reviews from the first night someone said it was choreography 101 and I couldn't agree more. I was disappointed with Kathleen's choreography, recognizing many moves from the TV show (yes...i saw it). I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND THIS IS ONLY IN PREVIEWS. I'm not trying to bash the show before it gets a chance. I just thought some individual talent was exceptional, but overall the show was not fantastic (not bad...but not great). The mob scene outside the stagedoor was insane. Max and Laura were incredibly grateful for everyone coming and took the time to sign many many playbills in addition to taking pictures. What I thought would be a horrid stage door experience wasn't too bad after all.

AZN Danny · Veteran Member

Hello799 wrote:

Not to get off the subject. But someone posted before on an issue that I have been so curious to know.

This is the first week of preview shows. How did you find a ticket for $111.50. I have been looking for months, I could not find any tickets on ticketmaster. I had to purchase through a different website and I payed a pretty good penny for the seats.

My ticket was the same price, but I bought it back in March. They probably did too.

Hello799 · Senior Member

Thank you for the responses. It must be because of what Laure4Broadway stated. Those of you that purchased as early as March, received the proper price. I waited until after April's vacation to decide to go to NYC. In May, all of Tue. shows for Aug. were sold out on Ticketmaster. I had to search elsewhere. Unfortunately. Nevertheless, for a chance of a lifetime to see this show, I would have even paid double of what I did. Good or Bad, it will be worth it.

DogsandBirds · Guru

It is good and you will love it. Have a great time!!

Dad2jjh · Newbie

My wife and I saw the matinee performance on Saturday, July 28th. We entered the performance with high hopes, but left the show quite disappointed. Here is one opinion of the show.

Laura was quite good. She is a beautiful young lady with an impressive voice. She was perfect as the innocent Sandy, though she was not very believable as the not so innocent Sandy. Her performance of Hopelessly Devoted to You was good, but not great. Her voice seemed overpowered by the room.

Watching the show, I thought that Max was a terrible choice as Danny. His performance did nothing to make me change my mind. His voice is average and his stage presence was worse. Max seemed, quite frankly, like he was way out of his league.

Overall, the casting was a mixed bag of hits and misses. Robyn Hurder (Marty), Lindsay Mendez (Jan), and Daniel Everidge (Roger) were all excellent choices. Daniel was particularly good. In many ways, this group carried the show. In contrast, Jenny Powers (Rizzo), Kirsten Wyatt (Frenchy) and Jeb Brown (Vince) were terrible picks. Powers and Wyatt each sing beautifully, but they looked out of place compared to the youthful Max and Laura. Jeb was not very good.

Compounding the talent/casting issues was the poor production quality. The set appeared to have been built by the local high school drama club. The props were pitifully conceived and constructed. The costumes were worse. Sandys costume for the finale looked like; again, it had been borrowed from the local high school productions wardrobe department.

As a fan of the previous productions of Grease, I entered this performance hopeful of a great performance. Unfortunately, there was nothing great about it. If this production is to survive, there is a lot of work to be done. If not, this might very well close before the end of the year.

Kait · Senior Member

I hope not, as I can't get to NYC until 2008. If you return, Dad2, tell us what you thought of the crowd's response. Was it as enthusiastic as I've heard reported from all sources?

Ray · Senior Member

From Dad's review, I would presume that the audience was equally glum, that there was scant applause at the end as people scurried up the aisles, and that there were a few lost souls at the stage door hoping to meet Teen Angel.

Hello799 · Senior Member

I do hope that everyone realizes that this forum is turning into completely the opposite of what the BWW is. It seems as whenever someone gets on this forum to post a negative review, the poster is treated with disrespect and should be tarred and feathered.

Everyone has a right to there opinion. As long as they are respectful in giving it and they are honest about it, I would only hope that they still post.

I only hope that I have a different opinion that Dad2jjh did. I paid good money for these tickets and I too have high expectations. I can only hope that I see the show differently.

One question though, Dad2jjh, You are the only person that has given Jenny Powers (Rizzo) a negative review. Quoted as saying a "terrible pick." Why did you think that?

Kait · Senior Member

Hello Hello!
Now, I don't think we are QUITE the opposite. On BWW, people post their opinions and others respond. Some posters support their viewpoints with facts; others don't. Which is what we're doing. Dad2 wrote an articulate post and I am respectful of his views -- but I am interested in hearing about the crowd's response on the night he attended. Even if some portion of the audience does hate the production, if enough others love it, the show will not close early. (And if the show is going to close early, I'm going to rearrange my life to get to NYC earlier than I anticipated.)

IMO, Ray's post, after mine, simply infused a touch of humor into a thread that had become depressing. I believe that fans have as much right to post their thoughts as anyone.

MrE1111 · Guru

That's why I plan on posting my thoughts about the production in a new thread entirely. If I like the show, then I'd expect it to be it's on self-contained area of positivity. If I don't like the show, then it can turn into the area of negativity.

Regarding closing early, chances are with a reported $14 million advance, if the show gets positive reviews, it'll run at least through Max and Laura's contracts. If it gets negative reviews, the sales dry up, and they begin eating through the advance, then yes, I'm sure they'll close early to cut their losses.

snickers · Veteran Member

MrE1111 wrote:

Regarding closing early, chances are with a reported $14 million advance, if the show gets positive reviews, it'll run at least through Max and Laura's contracts. If it gets negative reviews, the sales dry up, and they begin eating through the advance, then yes, I'm sure they'll close early to cut their losses.

Just curious.... which reviews are the ones that determine this? Which critics/publications seem to have the most credibility in the public eye?

MrE1111 · Guru

Despite reviews from ever NY paper (as well as USA Today), the New York Times' is single-handedly considered to be the "make or break" review. Back in the 'day,' the Times review could close a show on Opening Night. That's not true anymore, as theatrical press representatives have gotten more creative with finding "pull quotes." They can find even the slightest bit of positivity in the worst reviews.

The Times has two theater critics now, Ben Brantley and Charles Isherwood. Brantley is the first string critc (considered the man with the poison pen), so he's most likely to be the one who reviews Grease. He's notoriously hard to impress (he was the sole NY critic who gave Patti LuPone a bad review in her recent production of Gypsy), but when he likes someone, he goes all out to compliment them. Those are considered to be his love-letters, and they're usually to Broadway's gorgeous leading ladies (despite the fact that he's openly gay).

Of course, the reviews from all the other newspapers (NY Post, Daily News, Newsday, USA Today) matter, but never as much as the Times.

-- Edited by MrE1111 at 19:13, 2007-07-30

Hello799 · Senior Member

Well said Kait. Just to clarify myself. This thread has not been the only thread to where a poster has been bashed for a negative review.

If I had taken a post incorrectly, I will apologize. I truely believe that the post from Ray was sarcastic not humorous.

reniefran · Senior Member

While I agree that everyone has a right to post their opinion whether positive or negative I think it would be nice if they stated themselves in an articulate and objective fashion. I don't think it is necessary to bash the actors or the play to express what you feel. I think Dad2jjh did a fine job. Opinions are opinions because they are each person's own viewpoint of what they have seen. They aren't right or wrong they are just that opinions. It's obvious from the posts in this thread that everyone sees it totally differently! Some folks loved everything about Grease, some liked some things about it and not others and some people didn't like any part of it at all. I bet if we were to take a poll right now we would find that opinions are pretty evenly divided pro and con. I think it's really too early to tell if Grease will be a success or not but advance box office says there's good possibility. I have adopted a wait and see attitude and of course hope that it will be a smashing success but even if it isn't I still wish everyone in the cast well and hope they will be successful in all of their future ventures. Since I don't know if I'll get to see it or not I'm kinda seeing it through the eyes of those who have gone to see it. Anyway have a great day everyone! smile

hunter97 · Newbie

AZN Danny wrote:

Laura has to wear a wig? Why?

You are so very right!!!!! First of all, it may just be I expected her to be blonde. But something about the whole look is off with this character.

Ray · Senior Member

hunter97 wrote:

You are so very right!!!! First of all, it may just be I expected her to be blonde. But something about the whole look is off with this character.

This is the first blonde post I've seen, and now that it's here, I think it's worth addressing........
Laura wears wigs throughout the show to preserve her hair (teasing and such), so they could certainly be blond, but it would send the wrong message.
The idea that a dumb character like Sandy has to be a blonde was acceptable in the 70s, but is politically incorrect today....and it would be particularly offensive since everybody knows that Laura is a brunette.

I haven't seen the show yet, but I've seen Laura on tv enough to assess that she is an intelligent, sophistocated young lady who would not be an obvious choice for Sandy. Her singing was so good that she could not be denied the win. According to most of the posts I've read, she's doing very well.

ddktt · Veteran Member

I watched ALL the t.v. shows and went to 2 of the tapings (Matt & the purple outfit girl and Chad & Allie eliminations). My family actually used the show as an excuse to go to New York (for the first time) to see some shows and the sights. In that respect Grease acheived it's goal for sure. Our son is an actor and we have seen a lot of professional shows over the years from London to L.A.

Besides the 2nd preview day matinee of Grease we saw Jersey Boys, Gypsy, Putnam County Spelling Bee, and Mary Poppins. Grease was far below any of those in quality. While all the fans of Max & Laura will have a GREAT time, all the actors were working hard, and the show was cute, there was nothing about it to knock your socks off. It was like very good dinner or college theatre. I would not recommend it to anyone just randomly looking to see a Broadway show--too expensive for what it was.

I was expecting MUCH more, and I was disappointed. Several of the singing and dancing numbers on the t.v. show had more WOW factor. I'm sure they will tighten it up some, but I think what they have at this point will satisfy the fan base and nothing more.

I think the producers and director let the cast and the audience down. I don't know why they decided to leave out almost all the plot and make it a series of song showcases (that were done well), but that's what it was. My son said that it wasn't cohesive. It was just actor's doing their solos. I think the talent is there, but it isn't being utilized.

I did not get the connection between Danny and Sandy at all. It wasn't built up properly. As another reviewer stated the Roger/Jan relationship was stronger.

I totally believed the 20 somethings in Spelling Bee were middle schoolers, but the cast of Grease was not believable as teens or peers. Rizzo was a knockout in her costumes, but it looked like she was 30 and walked in from another show and era.

I had a blast watching the t.v. show. I wish all the contenders and present cast members much success!!!!

P.S. Sandy needs a bit more makeup on in the first part--too mousy looking compared to the other girls. She doesn't look wholesome she looks washed out. Also fix the red zipper in the back of Greaser Sandy's pants. It should be black. You know if I'm noticing this stuff I am not caught up in the show.

MrE1111 · Guru

ddktt - I'm glad that you enjoyed your trip to NYC (I assume you did). It's a great place and I'm proud to call it my home.

Regarding your quibbles with the show -

I don't know why they decided to leave out almost all the plot and make it a series of song showcases (that were done well), but that's what it was.
I don't know how familiar you are with the stage version, but your statement describes what ALWAYS has been the problem with Grease. It's almost like a vaudeville, songs with connecting dialogue and a story that isn't the strongest. It's the movie that added an actual "plot."

Another one of the problems with the show itself you pinpointed, as well -

I did not get the connection between Danny and Sandy at all. It wasn't built up properly. As another reviewer stated the Roger/Jan relationship was stronger.
Sandy is very much a secondary character in the stage show. She has very little stage time and there's very little character development. All of the other character relationships are stronger than Danny and Sandy's, which is, of course, bizarre as they're considered the leads. It's somewhat fixable, if the direction and acting is strong enough.

I haven't seen this production yet (Wednesday, I am), so I can't judge. Yet.

Note: All of these statements apply to Jacobs and Casey's original test.

hunter97 · Newbie

Just wanted to add that I was there on Sunday and the host of the TV show was sitting a few chairs over from me. The poor guy could hardly watch the show though as everyone was slipping him items to sign. But I guess the price you pay for being famous biggrin

ddktt · Veteran Member

MrE1111 - Yes, I loved New York. I was very impressed with the city all around. It was a wonderful trip--we did a ton of stuff. It was very exciting to see places you have read about and seen in movies your whole life. I recommend it to anyone who has not visited. Besides the shows the highlights for me were the boat around the whole island on a PEFECT weather day and the Metropolitan Museum which was superb.

You make a very good point about the original show being vignettes. I had forgotten that as I have seen it. It gives the creative team a big dilemma because the movie is SO well known. I was so distracted that Sandy was not at the dance. I don't know how you could communicate to the audience that it was a different thing than the film especially as sold via the t.v. casting show. If I had been more mentally prepared for that aspect I probably would have appreciated it more. Another dilemma is with the vignette thing is that the perfomers have to be off the charts to really make it work. I've seen clips of Barry Bostwick, Carol Haney, and Sam Harris in Grease and they could really sell the characters/songs even in a Youtube clip so it a challenge with a less seasoned cast.

Actually Putnam County Spelling Bee and Jersey Boys are both set up with little vignettes as part of a whole and it worked beautifully. The character development was there. You knew "who" the kids in Spelling Bee were right away from the costumes to the actor's abilities. Same with Frankie Valli and 'da boys. Maybe the original Grease is too dated now. Not to mention the acting and singing which were fabulous in both Bee & Jersey Boys. Of the five shows we saw Jersey Boys topped my list. When those trumpets came out on that catwalk... Patti Lapone belting out Everything's Coming up Roses was pretty powerful too.

What a wonderful week we had! I actually owe it all to the Grease show which got me to pick up the phone and book the trip. Thanks!

Ray · Senior Member

ddktt wrote:

..... If I had been more mentally prepared for that aspect I probably would have appreciated it more.....

I'm grateful for your two posts, as they have given me information that I knew nothing about.
I have never seen the show in any form whatsoever, only the movie, and I've been expecting a story, such as it is.
According to other posts, the audiences have loved it, so I guess they knew what to expect.
I'll be seeing it on August 19, and now I have some idea of what to expect.
Thanks for posting.

DogsandBirds · Guru

You're going to opening night? See you there, you and about 1000 other people lol!!

Enjoy!! It will be a great show and a very pretty audience.

MrE1111 · Guru

I could discuss the thrill of the trumpets in Jersey Boys and LuPone from now until next week!

I can imagine how confusing the stage version would be to someone who's so used to the movie, especially since a) Sandy's not a main character and b) there's no huge car chase at the end.

The show is absolutely not plot driven, you're right, it's sold by the actors. The last revival was so successful because they pumped in random b-list celebrities (Rosie O'Donnell, Maureen McCormick, Linda Blair, etc.) as Rizzo, despite getting mixed-to-negative reviews. The problem the NY Times had was that Tommy Tune and Jeff Calhoun (who were at the helm of the production) was that they turned the show from good-natured send-up to a Tommy-like overamplified rock musical, killing the "good-natured" aspect.

Marshall's production, I've heard, with her "let's make them REAL people" concept, also kills the "send-up."

As I said, Wednesday we'll hear what I think.

-- Edited by MrE1111 at 03:58, 2007-07-31

Dad2jjh · Newbie

Thanks to the many of you that have defended my right to post a critical review of the production. My intent was to offer one theatre fan's opinion of the show. Like many of you, my discretionary dollars are precious and, as a consequence, I like to make as informed a decision as possible about where to spend them. I only offer my opinion to help those of you in the same situation make the best decision possible.

Several of you have asked about the crowd reaction. It was, quite simply, okay. There were the typical rounds of applause after each of the "big" numbers, but nothing I would characterize as raucous. I would call it politely enthusiastic. By contrast, Sunday's performance of "The Color Purple" was spectacular - the crowd was wildly responsive with several standing ovations and a, in my wife's case, several tears shed.

I have always thought the best gauge of a production's impact on the audience is the conversation in the aisles just after the conclusion of the show. At "Wicked" people raved, at "Phantom" I heard people making plans to come back, and at "The Color Purple" I saw teary eyes. The reaction leaving Grease was just nowhere near that level.

As to the question about Rizzo, Ms. Powers has a beautiful voice, but was out of place with the youthful cast. She was simply not believable as a high school student. Again, she is very talented but an awkward selection when placed between Sandy and Jan.

All that being said, I do wish the cast and crew well.

-- Edited by Dad2jjh at 04:03, 2007-07-31

greatwhiteway · Senior Member

Aw geez, I could go point by point but lets get this over with easy. Grease is for people who just wanna have fun. Everbody else...go get teary-eyed to The Color Purple. ( then see Grease to recover :)

BTW I have to totally disagree about the audience reaction. There was a very palpable feeling of excitement and comradarie at Grease. People were hooting and hollering after some of the more rousing numbers. Perhaps if you did not like the show it seemed gratuitous. But it was very real for me. Even some of the naysayers at BWW had to admit the audience loved the show.

Kait · Senior Member

Dad2, thanks for answering our questions. Since I've never seen a Broadway show, I'll go to Grease for the fun (and to see Max and Laura and the cast) and go to one or two other shows to round out the experience. Perhaps I can relate this to my viewing of the NBC show-- I really didn't want to watch another reality show at all and found parts of it displeasing (hated the sing-offs) but something about those kids kept me watching. I like Kathleen Marshall, and believe that she and the cast can pull it together.

Hello, no need to apologize. I know I rush to defend Grease and Max and Laura, as well as other cast members I actually know little about. I do WANT this show to succeed. I'm invested emotionally. Perhaps we are the opposite of BroadwayWorld in that way.

This thread is fun and informative. I have seen ONLY the movie, and actually didn't 'get' that Sandy was supposed to be dumb. (Despite Sandy's Dumbrowski surname in the play.) Olivia played her as naive, but not unintelligent. Danny's the one who came across that way in the movie.

MrE1111 · Guru

The "Dumbrowski" is specific to the Polish population that Chicago had and still has. It's kinda the stereotypical polish name (same way that Olssen was the stereotypical Aussie name in the film).

Sandy isn't supposed to be dumb, just naive, as you said. She's an innocent who doesn't know any better.

Ray · Senior Member

MrE1111 wrote:

....Sandy isn't supposed to be dumb, just naive, as you said. She's an innocent who doesn't know any better.

At the end of the silly, exhilarating movie, they ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after....yeah, right.
I can imagine her six months later, desperately exclaiming "What have I done??!!".

MrE1111 · Guru

Yes, exactly!

greatwhiteway · Senior Member

But oh! Those six months biggrin

phillyeagle111 · Member

I attended the Saturday matinee on July 28 and I LOVED it. Sorry it took so long for me to tell about it, but I have been very busy these past few days. I thought that the theater employees were a little rude, as some people have said. The poster I bought for the cast to sign was also a little bit expensive, being 20 dollars, but it is NYC so I guess I cant complain.

About the actual show (this is whats actually important I guesshaha) The songs, lighting, props, scenery and costumes all for me were VERY good, and I have seen MANY Broadway shows in the past. Max and Laura were outstanding at this show, and you would never be able to guess that it was their Broadway debut. The orchestra was very neatly placed, and I NEVER got tired of watching Kimberly Grigsby conduct. She was a riot! My three favorite numbers from the show had to be Greased Lightning, We Go Together, and Born to Hand Jive. Contrary to prior complaints, I really thought the chorography was amazing, and it was NOTHING worse than you would find at any Broadway show. I thought that Jenny Powers as Rizzo definitely stood out as one of the stronger actresses. She played the part perfectly.

The stage door was an AMAZING experience. It was packed, and we waited a good 30-45 minutes for Max and Laura to come out but it was WELL worth it! I had been lucky enough to talk to Max back and forth every once in a while since around March, and was excited to finally meet him after all of these months of talking via online messages. As soon as he saw me, he said my name without me having to say ANYTHING, and remembered the subject of the first message that he sent back to from March. It was amazing, and totally unexpected. I felt really bad because I was so in awe and shy that I couldnt say anything, and he was asking all these questions and trying to talk. One of the ladies behind us was like He knows Max! and then asked me if I was his brother. I thought that it was hilarious. That day was something that I will never forget.

Overall the experience was unforgettable, and I will most definitely be making a trip back to see Grease in the near future.

reniefran · Senior Member

Thanks for the great review. I must say that I am slightly jealous. I've been sending Max online messages for a long time and not one has been answered but I understand that he is very busy so I'll continue to write them anyway since I know he probably does read at least some of them. Anyway thanks again for your review. smile

greatwhiteway · Senior Member

What a great review and so good to hear. That is so exciting that he spoke to you. I can imagine how hard it would be to talk to him but he is such a great people person I am sure he knew just how you felt.

I remember watching them dance so fast and being afraid Max would miss a step or something because he supposedly was not a trained dancer...but he was excellent and looked like the pro he is. Laura looks so much younger in person, both on stage where she looked 17, and at the stage door. We had a really nice stage door experience too. Seems like he relaxed a little by the time you saw him. He seemed a little tense, or maybe just exhausted in the beginning of the week. Laura was all smiles.