Pioneer Theatre Company’s Grease In Salt Lake City Is the One That You Want

By McKay Jenkins

Pioneer Theatre Company in Salt Lake City is currently serving up a high-energy slice of nostalgia with their production of Grease. Made infamous and cemented into American pop culture by the hit 1978 movie, Grease originally opened on Broadway in 1972. With book, music, and lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, Grease has enjoyed enormous success both onstage and onscreen. Being such an iconic piece, I was excited to see if Pioneer Theatre would bring anything new to the table. (They do.)

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Director/Choreographer Karen Azenberg does an incredible job of capturing the spirit of 1950’s America without being cheesy or mocking the innocence of the era. Her choreography shines in songs like “Summer Nights” and “Born to Hand Jive”.  Musical Director Helen Gregory does an excellent job with the upbeat music.  I was particularly impressed with the strength of the ensemble and their ability to navigate the sometimes difficult chords written into the score.

Set Design by James Noone and Costume Design by Patrick Holt is delightful and always appropriate to the time period.  Lighting Design by Jax Messenger and Sound Design by Allan Branson further brings us into the 1950’s but is particularly impressive in the one instance when the show peels into fantastical territory with “Beauty School Dropout”. 

Pascal Pastrana as Danny Zuko and Emma Hearn as Sandy Dumbrowski are wonderful a portraying the characters we all know and love. Even though the audience is well aware of how this story ends, both Pastrana and Hearn have the audience hoping for them to end up together. Alex Kidder gives a surprisingly emotional performance as Rizzo.  It wasn’t until this performance that I even realized some of the social issues of the 1950’s that Grease touches on.  Jaymie Inouye is delightful as Frenchy and her interactions with other characters are hilarious but always grounded in realism.

Pepe Nufrio unexpectedly brings down the house early on in the show with his performance of “Those Magic Changes”.  Nufrio continues to impress in all subsequent scenes and seems to have a never ending supply of energy.  I particularly enjoyed watching him during the dance sequences.  Michael Schimmele is also a joy to watch, especially when interacting with Kate Cassidy Ryan as Jan. Schimmele has the audience in stitches during “Mooning”. 

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Due to some language and crass conversations of a sexual nature, I would suggest the show for teens and up.  Grease at Pioneer Theatre is a joyous celebration of the nostalgia of 1950’s America.  If you are looking for a fun evening that takes you back to a simpler time, Grease is the perfect evening out. Grab your leather jacket, slick your hair back, or put on your poodle skirt and don a high ponytail and make your way over to Pioneer Theatre to see their production of Grease. I dare you not to tap your toes.

Pioneer Theatre Company presents Grease by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey
Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre, 300 S 1400 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
May 10-25, 2019 7:00 PM Monday-Thursday, 7:30 PM Friday-Saturday, May 11, 18, 25, 2:00 PM
Tickets: $44-66
Contact: 801-581-6961
Pioneer Theatre Facebook Page
Grease Facebook Event