Photos: VAPE! THE GREASE PARODY Welcomes Original GREASE Cast Members At Theatre 555

This weekend at Vape! The Grease Parody, Theatre 555 hosted an informal reunion of Grease alumni from the original Broadway company, the national tour, and the first revival. Check out photos of their visit below!

Attending the Saturday evening performance were Golden Globe nominee Marilu Henner, who played Marty in the original Chicago production before appearing on Broadway; Tony Award winners Jerry Zaks, who played Kenickie during the original Broadway run, and Walter Bobbie, who originated the role of Roger; Emmy nominee Ilene Kristen, the original Patty Simcox; Emmy winner Michael Lembeck, who played Sonny in the original national tour; and Carlos Lopez, who portrayed Sonny in the first Broadway revival. Following the performance, the group joined the current company for photos and shared memories from the production’s early years, now more than five decades ago.

Ken Waissman, producer of the original Broadway production of Grease, attended the opening night of Vape! and described the parody as “a witty, funny, and fully engaging send-up of our forever popular Grease. Set in the present, the excellent cast embodies the spirit of their 50s counterparts with absolute perfection.”

Vape! The Grease Parody is currently playing a limited Off-Broadway engagement through January 4 at Theater 555. The show is written by Catie Hogan and Sketchworks Comedy, with lyrics and additional book by Billy Recce and Danny Salles, and is produced by Sketchworks Comedy with Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley Jackson serving as creative consultants. The production is directed by Jack Plotnick and features Ryan Avoux as Kenickie, Dante Brattelli as Sonny, Jen Clark as Jan, Meg Guiney as Marty, Katie Kallaus as Teen Angel and swing, Scott Silagy as Danny, SLee as Rizzo, Kristen Amanda Smith as Frenchy, and Lara Strong as Sandy, with Connor Neun as swing.

The creative team includes choreographer Ashley Marinelli, music supervisor and arranger Lena Gabrielle, scenic designer David Goldstein, costume designer Matthew Solomon, lighting designer Zach Pizza, sound designer Daniel Lundberg, and props designer Brendan McCann. Visceral Entertainment serves as executive producer and general manager, Ian McQueen is the stage manager, and casting is by Cindi Rush.

The musical premiered in Atlanta in 2018 and faced a legal challenge in 2019 when the rightsholders of Grease issued a cease-and-desist letter ahead of its planned New York premiere. Sketchworks Comedy filed suit, asserting that Vape! constituted protected parody under fair use. Chief Judge Laura Taylor Swain of the Southern District of New York ruled in favor of Sketchworks after a two-and-a-half-year case, allowing the company to move forward. The production returned to New York earlier this year with a one-night-only concert at Town Hall before launching its current run.

Marilu Henner, Meg Guiney

Ilene Kristen, Ryan Avoux

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