The Re-Casting of Danny and Sandy

FonZuko · Veteran Member

The Re-Casting of Danny and Sandy

Eris · Guru

I don't think anyone would really audition for another Grease reality show where the prize is to replace the current leads. I'm sure the producers have a plan already sewn up and perhaps Max and Laura's understudies will move into the roles. That tends to happen a lot on Broadway. You start out as an understudy and somewhere down the line you're given the opportunity to step into role once the current leads leave.

I have a feeling, if they plan on keeping the show open past Max and Laura, they'll do what they did before. Have a line of celebrity revolving Rizzos. No one even can remember who played Sandy in the last revival. But most people know that Rosie O'Donnell, Lucy Lawless, Brooke Shields, Linda Blair, Debby Boone, Sheena Easton, Joely Fisher, Deborah "Debbie" Gibson, Jasmine Guy, Tracey Nelson, Jody Watley, Mackenzie Phillips, and Maureen McCormick (Marcia Brady) all filled Rizzos shoes at various times.

The only "name" to ever play Sandy in the last revival was Sutton Foster and back then she wasn't a name.

"Names" who filled other roles during the run are:

Chubby Checker - Teen Angel, Dominique Dawes - Patty, Mickey Dolenz - Vince Fontane, Al Jarreau - Teen Angel, Darlene Love - Teen Angel, Joe Piscopo - Vince Fontane, Jon Secada - Danny, Sally Struthers - Miss Lynch, Jo Anne Worley - Miss Lynch, and Adrian Zmed - Danny.

This really goes to show who the "stars" were really dying to play. I suspect the same will happen now.

And, in my opinion anyway, the show has little merit on which to sell itself. The songs are fun but the plot is silly and full of holes. It's a show that celebrates giving into peer pressure and that's something today's audiences really don't go for. It's not one of my favorites for that very reason.

-- Edited by Eris at 04:47, 2007-09-19

Max Star · Veteran Member

Grease is about nostalgia. For an era long gone. It simply reflects the attitudes and culture of its time. There is no endorsement to return nor a validation of what was.

In the 50's and 60's (70's?) things were different for girls. You did what you needed to do to "get your guy". Because what else was there? (I slugged it out, working full time, while going full time to state college since all the family's resources were devoted to my brother's Stanford education. (Just had to get that in there.)) And so Grease reflects the attitudes of the times.

By liking the show, we are not endorsing the attitudes that prevailed then. (This irked me when many of the critic's brought up the "problems with the story line and the need to conform"--this is a look back at a snippet of the past, nothing more, and it needs to be kept in perspective. Conformity ruled.) And, you know, it's great to look back and see how far we have come.

I think that the reason that many of us just love Max's Danny is because he portrays a sweeter and more vulnerable side (and yet he is HOT!). (Or maybe we just like Max period.)

It will be interesting to see what happens to Grease after Max and Laura are gone. But still we should not ask Grease to be more than what it can be, a fun look into the past.

Eris · Guru

Max Star wrote:
By liking the show, we are not endorsing the attitudes that prevailed then. (This irked me when many of the critic's brought up the "problems with the story line and the need to conform"--this is a look back at a snippet of the past, nothing more, and it needs to be kept in perspective. Conformity ruled.) And, you know, it's great to look back and see how far we have come.

I don't mean to suggest that those who enjoy the show are endorsing this sort of attitude. If you enjoy it then by all means enjoy it! Who am I to stop you? I, personally, am not the biggest Grease fan in the world.

My father hated Grease with a passion. An absolute passion! He would have been in high school at the time Grease took place - a freshman if I did my math right. He would always say that Sandy became a "jerk" in the end. Now keep in mind that my dad went to a Catholic high school and was probably a preppy jock. But even he sneered at it and he was from that era.

But if you love Grease then by all means love it. Everyone takes something different out of a show, film, or book. And that's great! *s*

FonZuko · Veteran Member

What I have said in past posts and will repeat again here is the problem with this production is that they incorporated too much of the movie into the play. Had they stuck with most of the original idea, it would be much better. You can't have a 50's play make sense with 70's hit songs. Am I wrong on this one? Instead of calling the reality show You're the one that I want, they could have called it something else that stayed true to the play like "Summer Dreams of Summer Nights on Broadway" being that Grease started in the summer. Or something to that affect. If I had Ian's money, I would have done what I have dreamed of my whole life. Put grease on broadway in it's original form with a revamped musical arrangement that was more up tempo and clean sounding (like the previous Broadway revival). Yes, the last revival added a song to the roster, but it was an actual 50's hit song "Since I Don't Have You". NO references to the movie. All they are doing is tarnishing what was once a fun upbeat play that had people singing the songs when they left the theater. AS far as the upcoming soundtrack goes from what I saw on stage, I expect it to be just as horrible as the Original Broadway Cast recording (no offense to the original cast, it's what they had at the time).

MrE1111 · Guru

TO answer the original question,

it'll close.

The celebrities have been done. They don't want to go that route again.

Kait · Senior Member

I think Mr. E's right on this one. After Max and Laura leave, the show will close.

MrE1111 · Guru

FonZuko, the thing about the last revival was that at first, they did try to get the movie songs. Tommy Tune (world famous Tommy Tune who produced it) tried his damndest to get the rights to the 4 movie songs from Bob Stigwood who owns them (I believe it's Stigwood), but he turned it down.

So what did Tune do? Renovated the entire show - changed the orchestrations, added songs, cut others...and it worked. It worked for four years, making it's money back trillions of times over.

Grease has been sanitized over the years. The original script is hilarious - but it's so politically incorrect that it would NEVER fly today.

Argh · Member

....... the problem with this production is that they incorporated too much of the movie into the play. Had they stuck with most of the original idea, it would be much better.
If this were simply a "normal" Broadway revival, I might agree. However, the TV show added an entirely new dynamic to this production - potential audience members that would not typically go to NY to see a musical. Like it or not, most of the folks who watched the TV show are not familiar with the stage version of Grease - they know the movie and that's what they want to see when they go to NY. On numerous occasions, friends of mine that are huge fans of the movie Grease have seen the stage show and said "I was disappointed because it was so different from the movie I love." In truth "better" or not is in the eye of the beholder - or in this case the audience.

Whether this hybrid of the stage show & the movie will satisfy audiences long-term remains to be seen but the interest generated by the TV show has brought many, many new people to NY from around the country (and a lot are seeing iother shows while they are there). Personally I think a new approach that gets new people in to see theater productions is a good thing to at least try.

Ray · Senior Member

When Alice Faye came out of retirement to do "Good News", one critic wrote "She is making a personal appearance".
That's how I look at this "Grease". Max and Laura are media darlings making personal appearances. Certainly nothing else could have gotten me to NY.

Mr.E is probably right, again. When the glitter is gone, the show will fold.

reniefran · Senior Member

Maybe it will maybe it won't who knows. Really the truth be told I am not a particular fan of Grease. If you want to know the truth if I go to see Grease it will be because Max and Laura are in it. If they weren't I would choose another play like Lion King, Mary Poppins or Les Mis or maybe I wouldn't come at all. For me to come to NYC to see a play I would have had to be convinced by someone who saw it or even, yikes I hate to say it but by a review I saw. What I would really like to do is see NYC and make a Broadway play part of the trip. That said I have not given up on seeing Max and Laura in Grease but there are so many other things I want to do with my time that I really have to think about what is most important to me and go from there. I would be sad if I didn't get to see Max and Laura in Grease but I'm quite sure this is only the beginning for them! biggrin

MrE1111 · Guru

The problem is that the entire production got panned.

Say for a minute Grease was cast entirely via Jay Binder Casting and there was no "gimmick" in terms of reality shows or celebrities or anything else. It was just another run-of-the-mill production of Grease directed by Kathy Marshall starring a cast that nobody has ever heard of.

It would have folded in a week, perhaps a month. Nobody would have bought tickets, the advance sale wouldn't have been that great (advance ticket sales for revivals are never that large to begin with, unless a celeb. stars).

Max and Laura are the only reason why people are seeing this. Without them, there's nothing to draw people in. The last revival cornered the celebrity market, so they can't do that again.

FonZuko · Veteran Member

Mr. E, I value your opinion and it does make sense. As much as I love the idea of grease, the focus was more on Max and Laura than it was about the production. When you look at the poster for the show, it's not Danny and Sandy, it's Laura in a yellow dress and Max in a leather jacket wearing a more modern haircut rather than the 50's style he wears in the show. As far as Max and Laura go, I wish them the best in their careers as actors, but I wouldn't pay to see them in another show or movie. It was grease that sold me, the reality show at the time was just a bonus to the lead up to the opening of the show. The fact that the musical director bailed on the show so soon after opening night is another bad sign. Mr. E, have you ever seen any of the national touring companies of Grease that never ended up on broadway?

MrE1111 · Guru

I don't think that Kim Grigsby (the musical director) bailed. She has a contract with Spring Awakening and I assume the producers of that let her take a leave of absence to work on Grease with Marshall, as they've done other shows together (and Marshall likes to re-use the same team).

I haven't seen any touring companies, though I did see the 1994 revival and a whole slew of school/camp/Church/Synagogue/etc. productions, as well as worked on quite a few. It may make me nauseous, but Grease holds a special place in my heart.

FonZuko · Veteran Member

"Grease holds a special place in my heart."

Well MR. E, at the cost of a good joke, don't let the fast food corporations hear you say that.

Foveator · Member

There is no question that Max and Laura are the "franchise". I'm curious what the audience response will be when they are out, for any reason. No matter how good the understudies are, they won't be Max and Laura. Without Max and Laura, the show will be like a plane on autopilot. Audiences will say that the leads were "once played by Max and Laura".

The bottom line, and that is all that the producers must be thinking about, is how will tickets sell without Max and Laura on the marquis? If sales are still strong at the end of their contracts, and the theater is still available, it would be crazy to risk not resigning them.

Perhaps a few weeks or months off with alternate leads would be enough to see how their absence affects ticket sales. If the numbers drop significantly, they will have to be rehired or else the show will close.

We'll always have the cast recording.

SD Peach · Member

FonZuko wrote:

Mr. E, I value your opinion and it does make sense. As much as I love the idea of grease, the focus was more on Max and Laura than it was about the production. When you look at the poster for the show, it's not Danny and Sandy, it's Laura in a yellow dress and Max in a leather jacket wearing a more modern haircut rather than the 50's style he wears in the show. As far as Max and Laura go, I wish them the best in their careers as actors, but I wouldn't pay to see them in another show or movie. It was grease that sold me, the reality show at the time was just a bonus to the lead up to the opening of the show. The fact that the musical director bailed on the show so soon after opening night is another bad sign. Mr. E, have you ever seen any of the national touring companies of Grease that never ended up on broadway?

The comment "As far as Max and Laura go......I wouldn't pay to see them in another show or movie" is definitely not so for me and I'm sure that true Max and Laura fans don't feel that way either. I've seen Laura in Peter Pan and locally in Grease at the Chanhassen Dinner Theater and have never been disappointed in her performance. And, based on what I have seen of Max, I am sure he will never disappoint his fans. If I had the where-with-all to travel more, I would definitely follow their careers throughout the years that I have left on this earth. In addiition to being huge fans of these two, I am of the Grease era (in other words rather advanced in years) and love the play and loved the movie. I don't really compare the two as it would be like comparing apples or oranges. I will be seeing the play in October and can hardly wait!