REVIEW: GREASE LIVE

Little Theatre of Stoughton

By Mark Snyder, www.snydersstoughton.com

Roger and Jan Jones really made the most of the limited stage space at Cinema Pub in the Little Theatre of Stoughton’s production of “Grease Live.” Utilizing a pyramid of stair steps, all pasted with fluorescent tape, and various scenery ancillary to the staging, they were able to illustrate settings for a high school, a malt shop, and outdoor scenes in an effective way.

But, as always, the success of a musical lies in the ability of the players to perform---in both dance and song. The capacity crowd got exactly what they paid for. Katherine Dullea, an eighth grader at Noble and Greenough School, did a perfect job as Sandy. Her innocent look, subtle voice, and acting talent, made the Hyde Park resident an excellent lead player. Just as effective was Brent Hildreth in the role of Danny. He and Dullea showed chemistry, and sounded good together on tunes like “Summer Nights” and he established himself in his own right with ”Alone at the Drive In Movie.”

Perhaps the best pure singer was Johnny VanderMaelen as Roger. This diminutive performer sparkled on his rendition of “Mooning,” as well as on a duet (“Rock and Roll Party Queen”) with talented O’Donnell Middle School student John Peters (Doodie), who can play guitar, bass and sax, and sings extremely well. Peters shined on “Those Magic Changes.” Another excellent singer was Natalie Bayersdorfer as Rizzo. Her rendition of “There Are Worse Things I Could Do” was emotional and highly effective.

Other individual performances of note include Greg Peters (Teen Angel) on “Beauty School Dropout”; Jessica Widdicombe (Marty), a Quincy High senior, on “Freddie, My Love”; Matthew McGrath (Kenickie) on “Greased Lightening”; and Meredith Phillips (Johnny Casino) on “Born To Hand Jive.”

The Ensemble was strong, with many local youngsters featured, including Kelsey Adie, Morgan and Rhini Ayers, Zoe Howell (with her dad, Dr. David Howell, a well known local pediatrician, playing Vince Fontaine), Kayla Millican, and Michael Kennedy.

Others who did a nice job on stage, and deserve some plaudits, included Michael Baugh (with an over-the-top job as Eugene), Pam Demerle (Mrs. Lynch), Kellie McGrath (Jan), Kara Moulter (Patty), Stoughton High Junior Jennifer Pernock (a beautiful Cha-Cha), Zach Thompson (Sonny), and Canton High Sophomore Jacqui Williams as Frenchie.

Jeff Benson, a student at Berklee College of Music, and a 2006 graduate of Stoughton High’s award-winning music program, was Music Director, Matthew Romero handled Choreography, Jan Jones was Director (and did everything else from PR to sets), and Jill Higgins co-Director. Kudos to the outstanding band, which included folks from three states, two countries, and Stoughton’s own Joey Phillips.

This production of Grease is an outstanding tribute to the 50^th Anniversary of the founding of Little Theatre of Stoughton. Bravo indeed!