Review: GREASE Is The Word at Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre!

Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre's production of GREASE, directed and choreographed by Amy Marie McCleary, tells the story of Sandy, Danny, and the students of Rydell High.

This version of GREASE puts some slight twists on the well-known story, and it was a really unique and fun take. I enjoyed how each actor got to shine in their role; each character had their moment. Sandy is played by Sarah Lindsey, and she was wonderful. She completely embodied the character, showing all sides of Sandy's personality, and her singing was beautiful. Danny is played by Francisco Thurston, and he also did an excellent job bringing this role to life. I really enjoyed his performance and thought his Danny matched Lindsey's Sandy very well.

The Pink Ladies include Rizzo (Alexis Semevolos-Velazquez), Jan (Mia Davidson), Marty (Sami Doherty), and Frenchy (Charis Michelle Gullage). I really loved all of their performances. Each one of them genuinely got to shine, and I appreciated seeing their various relationships blossom. It was also a lot of fun to see actors who were recently in other shows at Broadway Palm return for this show; for example, Semevolos-Velazquez was recently Gloria in On Your Feet! and Gullage was just in their production of Beehive. Semevolos-Velazquez brought gorgeous talent to Rizzo in this production, and her "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee" and "There Are Worse Things I Could Do" were wonderful.

The T-Birds of Rydell include Danny, Kenickie (Kyle Southern), Doody (Loren Stone), Sonny (Tony Ardolino), and Roger (Nathan Wright). It was a lot of fun to watch them perform together. "Greased Lightnin'" was a crowd favorite, and for good reason. They were all great, and again each one had their moment.

Some other standout moments in the show, for me, included Wright's Roger singing "Mooning" to Jan. His voice is incredible, and the whole crowd loved it. I also loved Lamont Whitaker as the Teen Angel singing "Beauty School Drop Out" to Frenchy. He has an amazing voice and vibrant personality, and this was just such a fun number.

The set, designed by Dominic Lau, and the costumes, designed by John P. White, perfectly fit GREASE. Loren Strickland did excellent work as the Musical Director; GREASE songs are well-known and loved, from "Summer Nights" to "You're The One That I Want," and the cast and orchestra all did a great job performing them.

I would definitely check out GREASE while it is running at Broadway Palm. It is a classic show, and this version focused more on friendships than relationships, which is something GREASE really needed. I thoroughly appreciated the efforts made in this production to change the traditional story and perspective of the show. You will still enjoy all the fun songs and characters of GREASE, but with new efforts to reframe the view of women, especially Sandy. As a reminder, masks are not required for fully vaccinated patrons, but Broadway Palm is asking for patrons who are not fully vaccinated to wear masks when not eating or drinking.

GREASE is playing at Broadway Palm now through August 14. Performances are Wednesday through Sunday evenings, with selected matinees. Tickets are $48 to $73. There is a summer special for children 18 and under, tickets are just $20 for the meal and the show. Group prices are also available. Tickets are now on sale and can be reserved by calling (239) 278-4422, visiting BroadwayPalm.com, or in person at 1380 Colonial Boulevard in Fort Myers.

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