THEATER REVIEWS : ‘Energetic’ Is the Word for Brea’s ‘Grease’ Cast

BREA â€”  Once more it’s back to a rose-colored 1957 and those not-so-average teen-agers at Rydell High.

Maybe it’s because Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey’s book and score are so rose-colored, and because the teens aren’t so average, that “Grease� is always a popular revival. And it is an energetic, audience-pleasing second production for the Brea Civic Light Opera at the Curtis Theatre.

Of course, teen-age life in the late-’50s wasn’t like this. Jacobs and Casey have distilled reality, sort of like making apple brandy out of apple cider. “Grease� tastes better than it really was.

Danny Zucco (Peter E. Koehler) is the BMOC at Rydell, leather jacket, macho attitude and all. Naturally Sandy Dumbrowski (Leslie Scott) sees through all this to the nice kid Danny really is. And Danny knows that Sandy can swing more than she admits. After a bumpy chain of events, they finally get together.

That’s the plot. But it’s not what makes “Grease� tick. The fun depends on the youth and energy of the performers. Co-directors Gary Krinke and John K. Wilson have made sure their cast is young and, along with choreographers John Vaughn and Gracie Martinez, they keep the kids moving quickly.

If some moments slow down to a canter, they are few.

Doug Austin’s musical direction is bright and doesn’t overpower the auditorium, giving ample chance for the company to shine, particularly as an ensemble, but also in solo numbers. Scott’s excellent voice perfectly suits “It’s Raining On Prom Night� and “Look At Me, I’m Sandra Dee,� as does Koehler’s persuasive warbling of the teen lament, “Alone at the Drive-In Movie,� and his duets with Scott, especially “Summer Nights.�

John Scott Chase’s Kenickie is notable for the strength of his boisterous “Greased Lightnin’ � and Brooke Wilkes’ Rizzo is a solid baby vamp in “There Are Worse Things I Could Do.�

The whole company easily finds the spirit and flavor of this spoof. Ken Monreal’s bubbling Doody, Lauren Kling’s bittersweet Frenchy and Wendy Ham’s crackling Cha-Cha stand out.

“Grease,� Curtis Theatre, Brea Cultural Center, 1 Civic Center Circle, Brea. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m., Saturday-Sunday matinees, 2 p.m. Ends May 9. $10-$12. (714) 990-7722. Running time: 2 hours. Peter E. Koehler: Danny Leslie Scott: Sandy Lauren Kling: Frenchy Brooke Wilkes: Rizzo John Scott Chase: Kenickie Ken Monreal: Doody Wendy Ham: Cha-Cha Di Gregorio

A Brea Civic Light Opera production. Book, music and lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Directed by Gary Krinke and John K. Wilson. Choreographed by John Vaughn and Gracie Martinez. Musical direction and orchestration by Doug Austin. Lighting design: Brad Enochs. Costume design: Lynda Blais.