‘Grease’ @ Repertory Company Theatre
Photos by xxxxxxxxx
—Carol M. Rice
The musical Grease debuted off-Broadway in February 1972 and transferred to Broadway in June, closing in 1980 after a record-breaking 3,388 performances. The musical is by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, who created the book, music, and lyrics. The film adaptation of Grease, starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, premiered in 1978 and became the highest-grossing movie musical of all time; some of the revisions from the popular film have been incorporated into revivals of the musical.
I’ve always been a fan of Grease – both the film and stage musical – but one of the ways the stage version is superior that it’s much more an ensemble piece than a star vehicle. Each of the Burger Palace Boys (T-Birds in the movie) and Pink Ladies get their moments to shine, and in Repertory Company Theatre’s excellent production, shine they do.
As Roger and Jan, Chase Shaw and Chloe Parrish are simply adorable in “Mooning” as they get to show off their strong voices. Parrish, also the dance captain, has incredible stage presence and is generally impossible to ignore in the large choreographed numbers. In addition to “Mooning,” Shaw’s soaring tenor also stands out in ”Rock ‘n’ Roll Party Queen,” his duet with Jacob Schlegel as Doody. Schlegel and the ensemble completely bring it during the cleverly staged “Those Magic Changes.”
Kelsey McFarland plays Marty with plenty of would-be vamp sizzle in such songs as “Freddy, My Love” —and she also allows her comic acting chops to come through. Fellow Pink Lady Frenchy is played by Chloe Bonneau. Bonneau has fabulously expressive facial expressions, especially during “Beauty School Dropout,” during which Brandon Edwards gives us the best Teen Angel performance I’ve seen onstage. I only wish we got to hear more of his singing!
As the overly perky Patty Simcox and geeky Eugene Florczyk, Sanders Markham and Brendan Tetter share lots of funny moments. Tetter also shows he’s not just comic relief, as he has leading man-level dance moves in “Greased Lightnin’,” among others.
The always wonderful Jacob Waters plays Kenickie with underlying emotion masked by cool detachment, especially while pursuing Rachel Rosser’s equally detached Betty Rizzo. These two have great chemistry, particularly when they’re pretending not to like each other.
As everyone’s favorite greaser Danny Zuko, Logan Beutel is perfectly cast. This incredibly talented triple threat also has just the right casual good looks and laid-back attitude that make his Danny stand out from the crowd. His love interest, girl-next-door Sandy Dumbrowski, is portrayed by Brooke Bishop. Bishop sings her heart out on “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” and she and Beutel have a lot of fun with “You’re the One That I Want.” Ironically, Danny and Sandy really don’t have that much stage time together – like I said, the stage version of Grease is much more of an ensemble piece.
I’ve heard all the arguments about how Grease is “problematic” because a girl should never have to change for a guy to like her, but this isn’t a “how to get a man” tutorial. It’s a fun, energetic musical with catchy tunes and LOTS of great dancing. Michelle Levall not only directs, she also provides the eye-popping choreography. “Greased Lightnin’” and “Born to Hand Jive” are just a few of the standouts. Music director Devon Harper ensures the harmonies are tight and the solos are strong. What’s more, the fact that many of the group numbers require strong vocals AND challenging choreography make it obvious that Levall and Harper collaborated to ensure their cast would be up to the challenge. No spoilers here, but they were, in spades! [ Here’s a fun Instagram video featuring many of the show’s stars: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZs5nPQSL6J/ ]
Repertory Company Theatre’s production of Grease is part of their “Courtyard Theater Series” and takes place in Plano rather than their regular Richardson space. While there were a few puzzling scene changes that occurred without underscoring, overall the pace was brisk, and powerful energy and solid talent were always on full display. This is a Grease well worth seeing!
WHEN: June 19-28, 2026
WHERE: Couryard Theater, 150 H Avenue, Plano TX
WEB: rcttheatre.com
