Grease is the Word!

Saw Grease this past Sunday at the Orpheum Theater. This was the second stop for the national Broadway tour in our town, but my first time seeing a production that wasn't done by summer stock theater. (I missed the first round last year when I flew out of state). My intial thoughts? Cute. Had a lot of potential, just didn't realize it - could have skipped this show but I went to see it because of the crazy-talented interpreters ; )

This production took the best parts of the original Broadway script and added several songs from the film starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John ("Grease", "Hopelessly Devoted to You", and "You're the One I Want"). Otherwise, it was pretty much a carbon copy of the film (and I found the film more entertaining than the stage version, perhaps as the energy was not there on stage.) Nevertheless, still a cute 'fluff' show.

Honestly, I felt the two interpreters did a much better job of conveying the show than the actual actors - I felt the actors were lacking... something. They certainly didn't put out the best show - nor was the energy 'there'.

Now, the interpreters...

The verdict? WOW. There is a fine line between interpreting adequately and overinterpreting (and thus stealing the spotlight from the actors). But what to do if the interpreters clearly do the job better than the actors? Do they 'dumb' down to match the actors - and give lackluster versions as their counterparts on stage did? Or do they give the ASL audience the 'best' version possible - even if it means surpassing the actors in terms of energy and delivery? Issues, issues! In my case, I would rather the interpreters do the best they can, regardless of the actors onstage, but there are others that may disagree with me.

I love it when the interpreters blend into the show by 'dressing up' - but still retaining the 'interpreter black'. It helps draw them into the show, and for the audience, easier to make the connection. How did they do this? Terp Guy had a black T-shirt with bluejeans. Did he grease his hair? You bet! With a little twirl in front as well. His teammate, Terp Lady had a black shirt with a black poodle skirt. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail with a ribbon to bow it off. They looked GREAT (and certainly helped paint the scene of 1950s America).

Best translated songs:

"Greased Lightning" (Seriously, this songs looks so much better in ASL than when it's sung in English. Somehow those classifiers came in handy...)

"Mooning" (The interpreters were able to convey the multiple meanings of 'mooning' (pulling one's pants and baring their backside for one; looking lovingly at one's sweetheart, etc)

"Look at me, I'm Sandra Dee" (for those wondering, they did NOT fingerspell 'Sandra Dee' but rather, made the iconic hairstyle with their hands by curving their hands to follow the hairline followed by a fluff at the bottom.)

"Born to Hand-Jive" (Yes, the interpreters participated in the 1950s staple dance movements!) With this song, they took some liberties and got rid of the English lyrics in favor of revitalizing the song as an ASL/Deaf culture song - ie, the mulitple meanings of hand-jiving by using sign language as one. (In other words - 'born to sign'). Did it work? Yup! I thought the ASL version actually surpassed the original lyrics, while retaining the flavor of the original.

Songs that needed work:

"You're the One I Want" - I felt that this one was forced - forcing the ASL to somehow create something out of the English lyrics. It works until one signs 'want' and then it feels forced. (It just didn't flow well in sign language).

Trying to think of the others...

Eventually, by the time "Greased Lightning" came around, I let my eyes watch the interpreters more often than the actors - they seemed to show the songs and story better as I was disappointed by the flatness of the actors - I've seen better summer stock productions with higher levels of energy and 'togetherness' going on.

Last two cents:

Show - mediocre - compared to other recent revivals such as My Fair Lady and South Pacific, this show clearly needs work. But then, it's on its last leg of the tour before shutting down so the cast may be mentally ready for something new to move on.

Interpreters - Excellent! (I just feel bad that the actors weren't able to match up to the interpreters' level; especially that it's a given Broadway show.