GREASE the Musical is Making a Comeback Onstage This November 2014
I am a fan of musical plays and one of my all0time favorites is Grease! So, when I found out that 9 Works Theatrical is bringing back Grease the Musical onstage, I knew I had to jump on the chance to meet the cast!
Grease is a very popular musical created by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Since it opened in Broadway back in 1972, it has received a lot of prestigious theater awards and nominations – seven Tony nominations including Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical; winner of Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Choreography and Costume Design.
It is actually so popular, it remains to be one of the longest-running shows on Broadway, with revivals in 1994 and 2007.
9 Works Theatrical’s very own production garnered the PHILSTAGE Gawad Buhay Award for Outstanding Production of an Existing Material for a Musical in 2013. It also received other nominations including Outstanding Musical Direction (Sweet Plantado-Tiongson and Joseph Tolentino), Outstanding Choreography for a Play or Musical (Arnold Trinidad and Francis Matheu), Male Lead Performance in a Musical (Gian Magdangal), Outstanding Stage Direction for a Play or Musical (Robbie Guevara), and Outstanding Ensemble Performance for a Musical.
I can definitely say the story of Grease the Musical never fails to entertain and inspire. Generation after generation, it still strikes a chord in our heartstrings. It’s a timeless story! For those of you who don’t know what Grease is, well it’s a story that tackles the subjects of growing up, teen angst and finding love – made vibrant with great songs like Grease Lightnin’, You’re the One That I Want, Hopelessly Devoted to You and Summer Nights to name a few, all set against the colorful backdrop of the 1950s pop culture. Through the teenage love story of Danny and Sandy, the energetic brotherhood of the T-Birds, the fun-loving Pink Ladies, and other unforgettable characters, Grease the Musical truly is the original high school musical.
Rydell High is getting ready to meet the new kids as 9 Works Theaterical presented the fresh faces and returning cast members for this exciting rerun of Grease.
This year, the new powerhouse cast will be lead by Guji Lorenzana and Tippy Dos Santos (pictured above) who will play Danny Zuko and Sandy Dumbrowski respectively. They will give their own take on the teenage lovebirds, which were previously played by Gian Magdangal and Francheska Farr.
Making her comeback to the local theater scene is Antoinette Taus, playing the feisty Pink Lady leader Betty Rizzo, which is definitely something to watch out for, as well. The new class also includes Steven Silva as Johnny Casino, Alex Godinez as Marty, Marvin Ong alternating as Doody, Nelsito Gomez as Sonny LaTierri, and Gabriela Pangilinan as Cha-Cha DiGregorio.
Wacky class picture of the Grease cast with Director Robbie Guevara (top-far right) and executive producer Santi Santamaria (bottom-lower right)
 Sab Jose will be reprising her role as the enthusiastic cheerleader Patty Simcox
We were treated to a sneak preview of Grease the Musical. Since Grease has so many fun songs and dances, I found myself humming to the tunes in my head as I watched the cast bring their energy to their performances.
Tippy Dos Santos belts out Hopelessly Devoted to You
Get transported back to the 1950s, relive the songs and dance numbers and witness that memorable year at Rydell High. Catch Grease the Musical all weekends from November 15 to December 7, 2014. Grease will have Friday and Saturday galas at 8:00pm, Saturday matinees at 3:30pm and Sunday matinees at 4:00pm.
Trust me, this is one musical worth watching over and over again!
