Theater review: 9 Works Theatrical’s ‘Grease’ shows what post-WWII YOLO looks like

For the second time around, 9 Works Theatrical staged the winner of the PHILSTAGE Gawad Buhay Award for Outstanding Production of an Existing Material for a Musical in 2013, "Grease."

It's easy to not take "Grease" seriously. With a blockbuster movie adaptation and hundreds of stage versions worldwide after it was first performed in 1971, a lot of people already know the songs and the story by heart. What else can a rerun of the musical offer aside from fun and nostalgia?

But 9 Works Theatrical's production means business, and it shows in the group songs. For me, these were the musical's shining moments. The cast members executed the choreography well while maintaining their voicing. During the group performances, you get to see the discipline and the hard work that the actors, director, choreographers, and musical directors put in to make "Grease" better than it was last year and worth your every buck.

I particularly enjoyed the performances of "Grease" and "Greased Lightnin'".

Although the group songs were the best parts of the musical for me, the individual performances were also noteworthy.

Tippy Dos Santos was captivating as Sandy Dumbrowski, which is not a surprise at all, given her already extensive theater background. Guji Lorenzana's Danny Zuko is so charming that it's hard to believe that he is the leader of the T-Birds gang. But it worked for Lorenzana.

Before she left the Philippines and went on hiatus, Antoinette Taus was such a Sandra Dee, most known for her teenybopper roles on TV and films. Coming back home and transforming into the raunchy Pink Ladies leader Betty Rizzo is an actress proving that she Taus still has a lot more to show.

The musical's scene stealer, however, was Sab Jose as annoying overachiever Patty Simcox. Although her character got on the others' nerves, Jose's portrayal made the audience laugh many times.

Every performance night, "Grease" features a different Teen Angel to serenade "Beauty School Dropout" to beautician-wannabe Frenchy. Supposedly, the Teen Angel is a male crooner who can pass as a celebrity and make girls squeal.

For last Sunday's show, 9 Works Theatrical took a different turn. Two musicals collided as OJ Mariano cameo'd as the Teen Angel garbed as "Rent's" Angel Dumott Schunard, complete with falsettos and other vocal embellishments. Interestingly, Angel died in "Rent", so the character showing up in "Grease" as a Teen Angel was a delight to musical fans.

"Grease" had a lot of enjoyable moments, but the production also needs to work on the talking parts since some of these were inaudible. Although the manner of speaking was different back in the 50s, this isn't an excuse not to make everything clear to the audience.

This production is a great reminder of how people back in the 1950s tried live their lives to the fullest after World War II, when smartphones and Facebook were still decades away. The musical is a reminder that back in the day, living the YOLO (You Only Live Once) philosophy meant face-to-face interaction with friends. — BM, GMA News

Photos by 9 Works Theatrical and Sundee Guevara.

"Grease" runs weekends until December 7 at the RCBC Plaza in Makati City.