The young would-be toughs of Rydell High are key players in the ever-entertaining story of Danny and Sandy.

"Grease" is a melodic hit at Riverside Dinner Theater

by margaret lawrence

Date published: 5/8/2008

by margaret lawrence

for

AS UNPREDICTABLE as people can be, I have one observation that I believe covers us all: No one goes to see "Grease" for the story.

After all, what is the story? Nice girl meets magnetic but dangerous boy (we used to call them "hoods") and finds Rydell high school culture unimpressed with her nice girl mores. So she changes and wins boy.

That's pretty much it. As thin as the spaghetti straps on an old prom dress.

What made this musical irresistible in 1972 (the longest running Broadway show until it was dethroned by "A Chorus Line") are the same things that pack them in 36 years later through multiple revivals: the songs, the choreography, the cult of do-wop, the rambunctious humor that passes for naughty.

And there's that odd, indefinable bit of mock nostalgia that wants to believe the '50s decade was this much fun, this easily defined, and yes, this romantic. It's still there, and we're still eating it up.

Riverside Dinner Theatre's newly opened production plays up the keys to "Grease's" appeal, banking on youthful talent and pushing character types right to the edge. As in most of the Riverside shows, the emphasis on vocal quality is self-evident, but the cast's extra versatility is put to the test with Vilma Gil's crash dance choreography.

There's an economical quality to the dances that makes the most of strong, bold moves plugged into adolescent energy. The electrical "Shakin' at the High School Hop" and "Born to Hand Jive" are as complex as mating rituals get--and plenty fun to watch.

Stephen Hayes, who appears as the aging hound dog deejay Vince Fontaine, directs this lark and maintains a strong, purposeful momentum. The secret is in the casting. Josh Kidd walks away with the role of Mr. Dream Lover himself, Danny Zuko, happily paired with Cherie Wehle as Sandy Dumbrowski, official Good Girl. Their harmony is established early on with the heartbreaking sweetness of "Summer Nights" accompanied by their respective posses, the Pink Ladies and the Burger Palace Boys.

Faint subplots interweave themselves through the basic boy meets girl, boy doesn't want to lose face in front of friends, boy almost loses girl--and they aren't all poodle skirts and "I met him at the candy store."

Want To Go? What: "Grease" Where: Riverside Dinner Theatre, 95 Riverside Parkway, Fredericksburg When: Playing through July Info: 540/370-4300 or riversidedt.com

Date published: 5/8/2008