Squabbalogic’s ‘The Original Grease’- Rehearsal week 1

My biggest concern leaving WAAPA was that I would never get work. My second biggest concern was that if I did score a show, I would be working with a group of strangers, not the 18 people I’ve done everything with the last 3 years…

The first concern still stands; that will always be scary. But I couldn’t be more wrong to worry about working with new people!

We are just one week into rehearsals for Squabbalogic’s The Original Grease, and I feel like I’ve known this company forever. The cast and creative team are an absolute delight, and bring just the right mix of fun and hard work into the rehearsal room. With less than four full rehearsal days, the cast and I have just done our first stumble of Act 1- and it went quite well!

For those who have never heard of The Original Grease, here are a few hints:

• It’s about the lives of working class teenagers from Chicago’s Northwest Side in 1959
• It’s a rebellious, rude and rage-filled tale of teen love, sex, friendship and rock ’n’ roll
• It doesn’t censor all the gritty features (hello mature themes, sexual references and coarse language!)
• It includes never-before-heard songs and scenes, cut prior to its original Broadway debut.

If that all sounds a little daunting, don’t worry – you’ll get to rock out to lots of familiar songs, including: Greased Lightning, Look At Me I’m Sandra Dee, Born To Hand Jive, We Go Together, There Are Worse Things I Could Do, Beauty School Drop Out and more.

AND you get to hang out with all your favourite Grease characters! To remind you who they are, I assigned the cast a homework task (I’m starting to see why I get type-cast as the nerd) of telling me their favourite thing about playing their character. I’ll go first.

Matilda Moran (Patty): “I’m making my bubbly/ girly role debut playing Patty Simcox, which is extremely enjoyable because I don’t have to filter my crazy, and score the ‘Eponine’ style unrequited love tale.”

Brendan Xavier (Danny): “He’s not the conventional Danny everyone knows; I get to re-invent and explore him.”

Temujin Tera (Kenicke): “He’s cooler than I am.”

Jason Mobbs- Green (Roger): “I think underneath his tough exterior, there’s a sweet young man and he gets to shine through.”

Aaron Robuck (Sonny):  “He’s a bit rapey.”

Gareth Isaac (Eugene): “It’s nice to be a complete and utter goober on stage and not feel guilty about it.”

Doron Chester (Miller): “I get to sit lots, chaffe, get humped, and play a dog.”

Emily Hart (Sandy): “I like that she is comfortable/confident about who she is. Her sass is great also.”

Coral Mercer- Jones (Rizzo): “It’s nice to play a character that gets as much tail as I do.”

Stephanie Priest (Jan): “I love how innocent and dorky she is.”

Caroline Oayda (Marty): “She wears her virgin pin on the right.”

Victoria Knowles (Cha Cha): “Can I go with just one word? Cause it would just be ‘fierce’.”

Wipe off that angel face, get down and dirty, and say goodbye to Sandra Dee at Squabbalogic’s production of The Original Grease.