Greased and loving it

It’s a clever marketing touch by 9 Works Theatrical, advertising the hit musical Grease as the “original” High School Musical. Comparisons and connotations abound in that single phrase, but ultimately, the use of the word “original” evokes something inventive, novel, trailblazing; the solitary word standing as the only thing which keeps Grease light years apart (and ahead, even for a 1971 creation) from the 2006 Disney movie. 

For while both musicals feature the time-worn formula of star-crossed lovers taking their cues from opposite sides of the high school social ladder, that’s where the similarity begins and ends.

Fundamentally, the two couldn’t be more different. High School Musical takes the entire manufactured mainstream culture of America and wears it like a second skin, spewing morality through breathy pop tunes sung by cardboard characters. Grease, on the other hand, takes the entire manufactured mainstream culture of America, and rams a fist through its veil of artificiality.

Thus, to understand Grease is to understand the context of its creation. Though first conceptualized in the middle of America’s sexual revolution (early 1970s, written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey), the musical is set in the late 1950s—1959, to be exact. A time when Elvis Presley’s gyrating hips foreshadowed the path which teenage sexuality was about to take, and a time when teenagers were starting to notice cracks in the armor of hypocritical middle-class respectability.   

Sex, freedom, love, and of course, rock ‘n roll. The universal appeal of Grease revolves around its deft handling of these themes, managing to offer a simple, timeless message amidst the complexities of the working-class subculture known as greasers. The message? Authenticity. Staying, or, at least in Sandy Dumbrowski’s case, becoming true to oneself.

As far as restagings go, 9 Works has done it again. The consistent home runs of their remakes such as Rent, Sweet Charity, and (arguably their best yet) You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, has come to be expected from the local theater group. This year, the bar is raised even higher.

9 Works is no stranger to high-energy offerings, but in a play like Grease, which draws its nuance from the pure, unbridled energy of its song-and-dance numbers (rock ‘n roll all but brought about the sexual revolution, after all), the toughest challenge is to marry the rawness, lack of polish, and rowdiness of teenage rebellion, with the professional artistic trappings of grace and control.

Thankfully, under the watchful eye of director and veteran stage actor Robbie Guevara, the cast managed to do just that. Even the Greased Lightning number, undoubtedly the hallmark of the show’s repertoire, but unfortunately the weakest in terms of vocal delivery, still managed to pull through on the strength of the cast’s onstage dynamism.

Headlined by Gian Magdangal as leather-clad bad boy Danny Zuko, with Francheska Farr as the virginal, ultimately subversive, Sandy Dumbrowski, the cast of Grease is a lively mix of the veteran and newbie, dancer and singer, TV personality and stage actor. Other names which grace the production include Iya Villania as tough girl Betty Rizzo while Ciara Sotto takes the role of the crass but humorous Cha-cha DiGregorio. Newer faces include Carla Dunareanu as the beautiful and sassy Marty; Rafa Siguion-Reyna as Kenickie, Danny Zuko’s second-in-command; and Vince Lim as the charming, if clueless, Doody.

While the leads were expectedly superb as singers, if not particularly engaging as actors — Magdangal has done this kind of role too often to make him interesting, while Farr needs a bit more experience — what really carried the show was the stellar performances of the supporting cast and crew. Dunareanu fits the role of Marty to a T, while Reb Atadero (as Roger) and Sarah Facuri (as the Fat Amy-esque Jan) stole the show with their cheeky and irreverent (but still well-sung) duet, Mooning.

On more than one occasion, however, you’d be surprised to find your eyes straying from the actors, towards the elevated stage. Instead of hiding the band in the orchestra pit, the oft-underappreciated musicians are revealed to the audience in full glory, complete with matching suits. The inspired decision to put the band in the limelight, literally turning them into a “live” band, also has the effect of transforming the set into one big concert—or ’50s discotheque, for that matter.

Indeed, the placement of the band, soaring above the flashy dance moves and pretty actors, giving a face to the people who actually create that rock ‘n roll rhythm; serves as the perfect metaphor for the whole experience. 

That it’s the music, above all, which liberates, empowers, and sets free.

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Grease runs all weekends from Nov. 9 to Dec. 1 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati City.