“Why Grease? because it’s Greece!” pinched Denver Anthony Nicholas. There’s no better way to start this conversation.
It premiered on Broadway in 1972. Grease The play tells the story of the American working class youth subculture, and follows teenagers in 1950s Chicago as they grapple with the personal and the political. The play quickly entered popular culture when it was adapted into a film starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in 1978. Its songs are still a reminder of the times.
The first musical performance took place in Chennai about 20 years ago. Greece, which opened to a packed audience – Denver debuted as a choreographer for the play produced by Stagefright Productions. Since then, he has wanted to revive this production as a director. This time as Greece: The Musical By Poochas Productions.
Denver says, “We grew up with that musical!” and adds, “Ten years ago, I found the script for the play and fell in love with it Grease Again. When I decided to direct, I wanted to go with the script of the play because of how the characters are written. The film focused on John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John’s characters but in the play, every character is important.
The cast of ‘Grease’
Even 52 years after its premiere, iconic songs like ‘Greased Lightning’, ‘Summer Nights’, ‘You’re the One That I Want’ and ‘Sandy’ still ring in the ears. “Somehow, ‘Greased Lightning’ always becomes a favourite with people and the cast,” says Denver, adding that everyone comes for the songs, not the story. The 38-member strong group – trained vocally by Amrita Fredrick – has a six-member choir and a four-member band, besides cameos and interludes by actors, dancers and familiar faces from Chennai’s theatre fraternity such as Yohan Chacko, Sandeep John, Sangeetha Santosham and Shaan Katari.
However, Grease is a story that is deeply rooted in the place and time it is based on: 1950s Chicago. Therefore, the language and ideologies of the characters may not match with the cast aged 18 to 35. “We have had very long discussions and debates about this during rehearsals. I have also learned a lot from them. It is important for art to set the context for such works,” says Denver.
Everyone is eager to perform today, says Denver. “We are also in an environment where most of the theatre that happens in Chennai is 10 and 15 minutes long. There are hardly any full-length plays. So the artistes are very excited about a full-length musical where they can sing, dance and act the way they want to. And Grease “It’s really fun,” Denver says.
Grease: The Musical will be staged at The Music Academy, Main Hall, on August 17 at 7 pm. Tickets can be purchased from allevents.in.
