Review: GREASE at The Premiere Playhouse

The Premiere Playhouse production of Grease checks off a lot of the boxes of what a great night at the theatre is all about. The band, led by Music Director Matthew Walicke provided a tight sound for this talented cast to rely on by setting a great pace and maintaining a good flow to this production. They facilitated seamless scene changes with their reprises and added a nice level of energy to the production.  

The principal players of T-Birds and Pink Ladies were all adept in their vocal presentations on stage and the ensemble cast members added to the energy and excitement on stage. There were some stand-out solos and duets performed by Ted Van Alstyne, Madison Gerhart, Connor Klimek, Stacie Soderstrom and Patrick Simonsen. 

This show is a mash-up of the stage version of 1971 and the movie of 1978 with some of the commercially popular songs from the movie soundtrack and technical elements that were more indicative of the movie presentation. Audiences will no doubt find that appealing, since the movie soundtrack had such a celebrated release and following by music lovers.  

The stage at the Orpheum Theater is dressed as a 1959 High School Gym and the atmosphere is a compelling backdrop for the action on stage. The scoreboard, and wooden gym floor were the right touches to transport the audience to a place and time where this cast of teenagers ruled their territory with sass and swagger.   Valerie Arens as Miss Lynch, the disciplinarian English teacher, brought an air of authority and commanded the stage with her presence and vocal power as one of the only “adult” characters. The other adult in the cast was a directing choice that didn’t really play in this production.  Mo Hurley, cast as the schmoozy, lecherous male radio personality, Vince Fontaine, misses the mark with this director’s casting choice.  She was delightful to watch in the ensemble as a high school student and cheerleader, and other incarnations of characters, but Vince Fontaine?  I take a hard pass on that choice, especially when this show is not being produced by an “all female” school or production company.   

Connor Klimek as Doody,  delivered a shy and  awkward character and had his moment in the sun singing “Those Magic Changes” with some good emotion and style.  Kenicke, played by Clinton Store, and the rest of the T-Bird crew brought the right amount of machismo in their big production number “Greased Lightnin’.”  The car, (nicknamed Greased Lightnin’) is a product of the skill and artistry of the students at Lake Area Technical College’s automotive program in Watertown, South Dakota, and on loan to The Premiere Playhouse from SDSU’s theatre department. It’s an impressive paint job, but probably not true to the spirit of the stage version of the musical Grease.   

The Pink Ladies incorporated some fun personalities in their group, with a pink-haired and confused Frenchy played by Bekki Kneip, a boy crazy and experienced Marty played by Ebony Shanklin, and a tough, seemingly promiscuous Rizzo, played expertly by Stacie Soderstrom. Stacie’s solos were pure pleasure to listen to and watch as she physically commanded the stage in “Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee” and then again in “There Are Worse Things I Could Do.”  The comic naivete of Jan, played by Casey Schultz was often lost in the delivery due to the combination of a lack of diction and speaking volume. Hot tip folks… you still have to enunciate and speak with extra volume when you are on a body microphone. Casey produced some nice vocals with Barry Longden, who played an appropriately goofy Roger, in their duet Mooning. Barry’s vocals were powerful and his delivery of comic lines was flawless and audible. 

Ted Van Alstyne as Danny Zuko, and Madison Gerhart playing Sandy were a really well-suited match on stage.  They provided the right amount of chemistry as a new couple, with  a combination of tender teen and then macho bluster in Zuko’s character, and  the sweet and shy demeanor in the character of Sandy.  Their vocals together were magical and their solos were expertly delivered.  Sandy had an opportunity to really command the stage in her solo  “Hopelessly Devoted to You”, but it appeared she was directed to sing most of those powerful and emotional vocals to a wall across the entire stage, only briefly turning to the audience to show the emotion and passion of that moment. Both actors ultimately provided strong performances in this production and deserve all the accolades they are sure to garner.  

Patrick Simonsen had a very glamorous and animated performance as Teen Angel and pretty much brought down the house with his interpretation, vocals and presentation.  Many of the ensemble players were absolutely delightful to watch on stage; most notably, Berkeley Fierro in any scene she was in, and especially as Cha Cha.   She didn’t have many speaking lines as Cha Cha,  but she was spot-on in her delivery of them when she did. Christian Heiberger, as Johnny Casino was also a fun charismatic greaser. 

There’s really not a bad seat in the house at the Orpheum Theater and this is a production that audiences will love. There are four more opportunities to experience. Tickets are on sale at the Washington Pavilion Box office number 605-367-6000 or online at https://thepremiereplayhouse.com/productions/grease/.   

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