Grease: Local Talent Shines In Musicals At Richter

By Julie Stern

When it comes to reviewing local theater, the offerings usually amount to either feast or famine and this past weekend was a blowout! From the Town Players production of lesser-known Shakespeare we proceeded to something completely different when we went to see Musicals at Richter’s rendition of the very familiar Grease. It couldn’t have been better.

Grease is a paean to high school in the fifties, and particularly to those kids demeaningly labeled “Greasers”- the tough kids who were not part of the college-bound track- black leather jacketed boys with long greasy slicked back hair, and girls with teased hair and nylon club jackets.

The team of Dee and Don (director-choreographer Deirdre Alexander and musical director Don Rickenback) have coached a group of teens, most of them newly graduated from high school, into a performance that is as good as any professional version of the show that I have ever seen. This is especially true of the dancing, which is so exciting- spirited, athletic, and acrobatic that it leaves the audience gasping with delight.

A pair of Newtown kids had lead roles in the show. Pat Curran was perfect as Danny Zuko, the king of the Burger Palace Boys. Looking like a blond John Travolta he swaggered, strutted, and sang with a mixture of bravado (“Summer Nights”) and adolescent angst-falsetto (“Alone at a Drive-In Movie”)

As the hard-boiled Betty Rizzo, Erin Zaruba demonstrates the power of her singing voice as she belts out her musical numbers. It seems to me that Rizzo has the best songs in the show- the sarcastic, “Look At Me, I’m Sandra Dee” and the haunting ballad, “There Are Worse Things I Could Do,” and for that reason alone, she always over-shadows the official heroine, Sandy Dombrowski, who as a newcomer to Rydell High must make up her mind as to which crowd she is going to hang with.

Sharon Malane handles the part of Sandy well, but it is Rizzo and the Pink Ladies (Marty, Jan and Frenchie) who capture the imagination, along with the Burger Palace Boys (Doodie, Rump, Kenickie and Sonny).

The program notes point out that Grease was originally designed as a satirical look at the manners, morals and music of teens. In fact, as written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, it is filled with songs that are far better than those it was satirizing, so many in fact that it allows just about every kid in the show to have at least one solo.

Some of them are reminiscent of classic rock and roll —  “Those Magic Changes” sung by Robert Ferzola as Doody,  “Freddy My Love,” by Sarah Johnson as Marty, and “Greased Lightnin’ by the muscular Ed Gonzalez as Kenickie.

Two other songs, “Beauty School Dropout” sung by Frenchie and her “Teen Angel” (Alyssa Northrop and John Congdon) and “It’s Raining on Prom Night” sung by Cidalia Alves have lyrics that manage to be both clever and touching at the same time.

Also, Alves, who is a voice major at WestConn, is a singer of outstanding power.

With all the wonderful music, it is fitting that Andrew Knapp’s set be in the form of a giant juke box framing the stage, with changeable panels inside allowing the scenes to change from the school to the park to the gym to a drive-in movie and so forth.  Before the show, the early arriving picnickers are treated to a steady concert of golden oldies- piped from Memory Lane over the Richter loud-speaker system- The Platters- Johnny Mathis- The Everly Brothers- Elvis- and, a personal favorite, Frankie Lyman singing “Why Do Fools Fall In Love?”

Grease was one of the longest running musicals in Broadway history, and with good reason. Though it has no serious undertones like some of the greatest musicals (West Side Story or Man of La Mancha) it is a great show for outdoor summer theater, and

Definitely worth a trip to Richter. One caution though- make sure you call to reserve a seat because this is going to be sold out quickly!

Performances, on the grounds of the Richter Arts Center (next to Richter Park Golf Course), 100 Aunt Hack Road, Danbury, are Friday-Sunday evenings at 8:30 pm through July 21. Grounds open at 7:15 for picnicking. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, and $10 for students and children. For reservations and further information, call the box office at 203-748-6873 or visit the website at www.musicalsatrichter.org.