Not Hopelessly Devoted to Grease @ The 5th Ave
Eric Schneider as Danny and Emily Padgett as Sandy disappoint in "Grease" at the 5th Avenue Theatre. Photo by Joan Marcus.
If you just want a sing-along, Grease (at 5th Avenue Theatre through May 30, Tickets $22-83) will suit you fine. However, if you're looking for the character development or chemistry of the movie, this production will disappoint. Oh, and this Taylor Hicks guy (American Idol Season 6 winner), who's almost being touted as the show's star, makes nothing more than a glittery cameo.
If you've never seen Grease, the story is set in 1950s Rydell High. It's the first day of school and Danny Zuko, leader of a group of greasers called the T-Birds, recounts his summer with a babe on the beach. Goody-two-shoes newcomer Sandy Dumbrowski is, for some reason, taken in by the T-Birds' female counterparts, the Pink Ladies, and she regales them with her story of meeting a boy on the beach. Go figure, they're talking about one another! And now Danny's too cool to give her the time of day. It's the classic number "Summer Nights." Toss in some underage drinking, smoking, promiscuity and unwanted pregnancy, and it's your essential 1950s teen musical.
The show opens strong with "Grease (is the word)," but disappointingly spirals downward from there. Immediately Eric Schneider as Danny Zuko stuck out like a sore thumb. He's skinny, scrawny, and has none of the machismo, good looks, or cool demeanor associated with the heartbreaker and leader of the T-Bird pack. Schneider's voice is decent, but that's about it. Whatever cool he was trying to emulate felt forced. Sadly, Sandy (Emily Padgett) was also a let down. Padgett's vocals are nothing short of grating to the ears. Despite clearly trying to sing in a character voice, she was more of a caricature.
Thankfully the ensemble show allows some of the other cast members to shine. David Ruffin was actually believable as bad-ass T-Bird, Kinickie. He rocks in "Greased Lightinin." Kelly Felthous' Marty was the sexy, albeit ditzy, character we've come to know and love. Dare we say, we liked her portrayal better than movie version. Her character voice was spot on. Even past-his-prime dj Vince Fontaine (Dominic Fortuna) outshone Schneider. He would have been a better fit as Zuko.
