“Grease” at The Ringwald like you have never imagined
FERNDALE, Mich.—Between Pokemon Go and The Ringwald’s take on “Grease,” I feel like I’m 12 again (the good part of 12.) But there’s no way my mother would have let me see LUBE: An Unauthorized Grease’d-Up Parody when I was a pre-teen, or at any age, for that matter.
The Ringwald is known for (Summer) Camp and bawdiness, but “LUBE” is the most risqué of any of the productions I’ve seen there in recent past. The sexually themed jokes are constant and over the top, so if you are easily offended, this show is not for you.
For those of us who aren’t (easily offended), it’s hilarious, especially the gigantic phallic “ride” that three of the actresses straddle in one scene. “Where did they get that?” I overheard a woman behind me ask her friend. “I don’t know, but I want it,” replied her friend. In the same scene, dildos are tossed at audience members, some of whom shriek in response, which only adds to the hilarity.
A video designed by Dyan Bailey introduces the show and the actors. It’s well done, along with being outrageously funny. If features a tube of lube, of course. The show is written and directed by Joe Bailey and is presented without an intermission, which it does not need because at just a bit over an hour, it moves very quickly.
The leads are played by Richard Payton (Mandy instead of Sandy) and Vince Kelley (Danny), who do a great job with the singing and dancing, along with the acting. Payton’s fake Australian accent is so bad that it’s good, although he drops it for part of the show, which is well played because hearing him say “Danny” in that goofy voice might have gotten old.
The rest of the cast has some interesting gender benders with gals playing guys and vice versa. DeAnnah Kleitz-Singleton plays a convincing Kenicke, Danny’s always-crude sidekick. Just like in the movie, she/he hooks up with Jizzo (instead of Rizzo), played by the scrumptious Liz Schultz, who offers a nice flash of her lovely kitties (that’s what spellcheck wants to call them) in one song and dance number. Brandy Joe Palmbeck is back on the stage as “Jan” after several years as director of the Summer Camp at The Ringwald. He’s hilarious, as is the rest of the cast: Putzie (Marcus Leban), Frenchy (Tess Hannah), Poody (Meredith Deighton), Marty/Cha-Cha (Amanda Sweet), and Scott Jason Alexander Cook (Sonny).
Choreography by Molly Zalewski is supreme. Despite the light-hearted tone of the rest of the production, the dancing and singing are nothing to joke about. The dancing in particular is very reminiscent of the 1978 movie. In some cases, the actors allude to action that is supposedly happening off-stage, like the drag strip Thunder Road, which of course can’t be achieved on stage. There’s also some banter between actors where they openly refer to sub-plots of the movie. “I thought we weren’t going to include that part,” the actors joke.
There is some minor flubbing of lines, but the actors handle it with such grace, it actually becomes funny. There’s a little improv around the slip-ups, and it works really well.
Sadly, I missed some of the dialogue due to the women sitting behind me, who literally never stopped laughing (quite loudly) the entire show. That just means I need to go back and see it again, right?