Grease
by
Warren Casey
Warren Casey, composer, co-wrote the score for
one of the most popular musicals of all time. This book is a
must for directors of the play, but it works well for anyone
wanting to enjoy the great songs an entire generation couldn't
stop singing back in '78 -- Summer Nights, You're the One That
I Want, Greased Lightening, songs that are still loads of fun,
and that continue to catch the nostalgia of the '50s for young and
old alike.
Musical Recordings -- Grease:
Grease
is Still the Word: Piano, Voice, Guitar
This book commemorates the 20th anniversary of
one of the world's favorite musicals. You will find vocal
arrangements for piano and guitar, with chords and lyrics.
Included are over 20 songs as well as several pages of color shots
from the hit movie. This book is great for parties --
gatherings around the piano, sing-a-longs. The music offers a good degree
of challenge for the novice, but serves as a great learning tool
for the aspiring musician.
Grease
(1978)
Riding the strange '50s
nostalgia wave that swept through America during the late 1970s
(caused by TV shows like Happy Days and films like American
Graffiti), Grease became not only the word in 1978, but
also a box-office smash and a cultural phenomenon. Twenty years
later, this entertaining film adaptation of the Broadway musical
received another successful theatrical release, which included
visual remastering and a shiny new Dolby soundtrack. For its video
and laser disc re-release, Grease lovers can also now see
it in the correct 2:35 to 1 Panavision aspect ratio, and see
retrospective interviews with cast members and director Randal
Kleiser. All these stylistic touches are essential to the film's
success. Without the fabulously choreographed, widescreen musical
numbers; vibrant colors; and unforgettably campy and catchy tunes
(like "Greased Lightening," "Summer Nights,"
and "You're the One That I Want"), the film would have
to rely on a silly, cliché-filled plot that we've seen hundreds
of times. As it is, the episodic story about the romantic dilemmas
experienced by a group of graduating high school seniors remains
fresh, fun, and incredibly imaginative. The young, animated cast
also deserves a lot of credit, bringing chemistry and energy to
otherwise bland material. John Travolta, straight from his success
in Saturday Night Fever, knows his sexual star power and
struts, swaggers, sings, and dances appropriately; while Olivia
Newton-John's portrayal of virgin innocence is the only decent
acting she's ever done. And then there's Stockard Channing,
spouting sexual double-entendres as Rizzo, the bitchy, raunchy
leader of the Pink Ladies, who steals the film from both of its
stars. Ignore the sequel at all costs. --Dave McCoy
