Theatrical Thoughts

Time: October 22, 1999
Place: Pleasanton Playhouse
Role: Sonny
Director: John Baiocchi

After pouring my heart into an audition that I wasn't even sure if I was going to do a few weeks before, the Grease show was cast. It was impossible not to be a little disappointed (okay, a lot disappointed), but one aspect of theatre is getting to have fun and hang out with a bunch of great people. That facet of this production is what mainly made me decide to do the show and the part of Sonny. Plus, any dancing I can do is beneficial. So we began putting Grease together.

My main concern before even doing Grease was the content. Many people are unaware of this, but Grease the musical and Grease the movie are different in many ways. And one of the main ways is that quite a few things were cleaned up for the movie. The musical was first produced in the early seventies and around that time, Broadway wasn't exactly too concerned with what people said and did in the shows. (not that they've ever been truly concerned) I read the original script of Grease that I had borrowed from the public library. The authors had included almost every swear word known in the English language - maybe a few from other languages as well. Now, their goal was to demonstrate high schoolers and their high school ways of life. This is fine with me, but personally, I enjoy family entertainment a bit more. I just feel that the family shows appeal to a broader audience. As I stated before, I was planning on not doing the show, but a few weeks before the auditions, I got a hold of another script. This was the updated version. This one was a lot cleaner than the last one and a show that I could see myself doing. Granted, it's still high school hi-jinks but not quite as vulgar as some high-schoolers tended (and tend) to be. Some of the situations I can even relate to myself looking back.

As I stated before, I was disappointed at first, but there several nice things about doing the part I'm doing. The stress level is fairly low, with a backflip being my biggest concern. Things are pretty easy in this show, but tricky - very tricky. It's a fast paced show with a lot to remember. If you aren't constantly thinking right ahead of you, you'll find yourself traveling left when everyone else is traveling right or wondering why there's a big pause in the show and then remembering it's your line. Of course you can't think too far down the line or you'll miss what's going on next. Yeah, it's tricky.

The experience was been a blast. It's not quite as easy to do a show when you're working full time in the city. The days are long - very long. And I often have found myself just yearning for opening night so I can reclaim some of my evenings. It's very stressful not having any time to yourself each week. Sometimes, I question if it's really worth it. But in the end, the desire to perform always beats the desire to have a quiet peaceful life.