‘Grease – Book, Music, and Lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Kevin P. Hill (Director & Choreographer), Milton Granger (Music Director), Jack Mehler (Scenic & Lighting Design), Alex Berg (Sound Design), Rachel Padula-Shuflet (Wig & Hair Design), Rebecca Glick (Costume Coordinator), Alaina Mills (Associate Director & Choreographer). Presented by North Shore Music Theatre at 54 Dunham Rd., Beverly, MA, through August 24, 2025
By Mike Hoban
Those expecting an onstage re-creation of the 1978 movie musical Grease may be in for a bit of a surprise with North Shore Music Theatre’s entertaining production of the same name, running now through August 24th. Unlike the 70s sitcom treatment of troubled high school teens in the movie version, we get a cast of characters that owes more to West Side Story than Happy Days – and the added grittiness elevates the story above the usual pablum that passes for a book in most movies adapted for the stage. That’s because this production combines the best elements of the original 1971 Off-Broadway (via Chicago) musical theater production and the movie (including some of its strongest musical numbers). It’s also much more of an ensemble piece, focusing on multiple stories rather than just the leads (played in the film by 1970s pop culture icons John Travolta and the late Olivia Newton-John), and it’s one of the strengths of the show, allowing multiple members of the talented cast to shine.
After a surprisingly tepid opening (the title song “Grease”, penned by the Bee Gees’ Barry Gibb for the movie, feels flat), the production slowly finds its footing. We meet Sandy Dumbrowski (Caroline Siegrist) and Danny Zuko (Nick Cortazzo) on the first day of school at Rydell High School. The pair have just come off a summer romance, unaware that they would meet again, and are being egged on by their respective peer groups to “tell me more” details about their fling in “Summer Nights”. Unbeknownst to Sandy, Danny is a juvenile delinquent and a member of the T-Birds, who engage in petty crime like stealing hubcaps. Sandy is a straight arrow but has been adopted by the T-Birds’ women’s auxiliary, the Pink Ladies, who want to introduce her to the joys of being a “bad girl”. Though madly in love, Sandy and Danny can’t seem to recreate their summer of love (at least until the end) in their new setting due to peer pressures, and spend the rest of the show desperately trying to reconnect.
That leaves the remainder of the cast plenty of time to explore a host of other themes – some serious (teen pregnancy, underachievement tied to poverty and low self-esteem, gang violence), some less so (sex as a sport, teen rebellion), mostly set to an energetic rock n roll score with some terrific ensemble dance numbers, with Act I closer “We Go Together”, “Born to Hand Jive”, and the closing “You’re the One That I Want” as standouts.
Siegrist is well cast as the angelic Sandy, and she makes “Hopelessly Devoted to You” her own, rather than a note-for-note version of the Olivia Newton-John radio hit. Cortazzo is appropriately hunky as the conflicted Danny, and an athletic dancer. Bailey Reese Greemon gives a three-dimensional performance as Sandy’s tormentor Rizzo, the girl who can’t say no, and she nails her two numbers, the snarky “Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee” and the touching “There are Worse Things I Could Do”.
The strong musical performances extend well past the leads, especially Jeremiah Garcia and Sunayna Smith’s comical duet, “Mooning,” and Brittany Zeinstra (as Marty) and the Pink Ladies’ ode to her enlisted military boyfriend, “Freddy, My Love”. But it’s Avionce Hoyles as Teen Angel who supplies the evening’s showstopper with a knockout rendition of “Beauty School Dropout”.
It’s easy to see why Grease is one of the most widely produced musicals of the last 50 years, with its catchy tunes and lively dance numbers, and the NSMT cast and crew deliver a solid, crowd-pleasing production. (For a highlight clip, click here.) For tickets and information, go to: https://www.nsmt.org
