‘Grease’: A Review

“Grease” is at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres until October 4. Most of us are familiar with this beloved coming-of-age romance about Danny and Sandy. Two young people find their summer romance tested when they find out that they attend the same high school. Their friends also struggle with love and life, bullying and supporting each other in equal measure. Someone at my table repeatedly referred to it as a “perfect musical,” and honestly, I think he’s right. With songs like “Summer Nights,” “Greased Lightnin’,” “We Go Together” and “Beauty School Dropout,” it’s hard to deny the staying power of a show like “Grease.”

In addition to being a universal fan favorite, “Grease” is also a CDT staple. Late President and Artistic Director Michael Brindisi loved the show, claiming that performing in a 1977 New York production of “Grease” changed his life. Brindisi unexpectedly passed away only a couple of days before opening night. If there is any silver lining to this enormous loss, it is that Brindisi concluded his time at CDT with a show that meant so much to him.

Chanhassen Dinner Theatres delivers exactly the kind of high-octane performance that you want in a show like “Grease.” The set design (Nayna Ramey) is colorful, the choreography is fun (Tamara Kangas Erickson) and the orchestra (Andy Kust) enthusiastically holds it all together.

There are a lot of familiar faces in the cast. Renee Guittar (Patty Simcox) and Eric Romero (Eugene Florczyk) delightfully tap into their inner nerds. Kim Kivens plays a severe Miss Lynch whose descent into mayhem at the school dance is a highlight of the show.

The Pink Ladies, both individually and as a group, are superb. KateMarie Andrews has the twee Frenchy accent down to a tee; Suzie Juul is an adorable Jan (although can we agree, here in 2025, that the fatphobia in this role could use a rewrite?); Angela Steele is a sexy, sensitive Marty; and Anna Hashizume’s Rizzo is so good it almost defies explanation.

Hashizume’s Rizzo is funny; she is stony, she is mean, she is wounded, and I swear she makes everyone cry with her rendition of “There Are Worse Things I Could Do.” Hashizume’s soaring vocals and restrained, borderline stiff stage presence throughout the ballad sharply showcase Rizzo’s softness without compromising her impenetrable shell.

Love of and appreciation for the Pink Ladies aside, Kasano Mwanza steals the show. His execution of “Beauty School Dropout” and “Grease is the Word” is untouchable. Mwanza’s voice is gorgeous and his stage presence is every bit as warm and gentle as you want a guardian angel to be. He is also wearing what is easily Costume Designer Rich Hamson’s pièce de résistance in this production. Dressed in a sparkling white motorcycle jacket, sharp white pants and a pair of glorious, feathered angel wings, Mwanza cuts a striking figure.

Overall, I loved this production, but there were two things that didn’t hit quite right for me.

The first — perhaps unexpectedly, given what I just said about Teen Angel’s outfit — was the costumes overall. There were a lot of patterns and colors, which often clashed with each other. In a show as frequently produced as “Grease,” I applaud a designer for making bold choices, but the visual noise of a large ensemble wearing stripes, florals and more was too much for me.

This was most notable in the final scene. My suspicion is that Harmon was trying to address a modern criticism of “Grease” (namely: why does Sandy have to change for Danny? Shouldn’t they meet somewhere in the middle?) With this in mind, Harmon puts Danny and Sandy in matching red sweaters and gives them outfits that land somewhere in between Greaser and All-American. I love the idea, but Sandy in a soft red sweater and striped pants does not hit the same way that Sandy in her iconic, skin-tight black ensemble with the red stilettos does.

And I hated the scissor boobs on the Teen Angel’s backup chorus.

My other issue with the show was that the chemistry of one of the main couples is off. In fact, it was so off that I couldn’t help wondering if there is bad blood between the actors. This cast has a long run ahead of them, so I’ll keep the names to myself in the hopes that I’m wrong and it was just an off night. But I’d be curious to hear if any of our readers attend the show and feel the same way.

I recommend “Grease” for anyone who loves an exuberant re-telling of a classic, ‘50s aesthetics and an end-of-show singalong.

To that end: the cast tried to get the audience to join them in singing “Grease is the Word” during the finale. This would have been very fun and very up my alley if I knew any of the words outside of the titular four. If you love a sing-a-long, maybe brush up on the track so you can join in the fun.

You still have several months to see “Grease” at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, but don’t let the long run lull you into complacency. Lots of shows are already sold out or have limited tickets available. Book early and enjoy this classic American musical. Tickets are available on the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres website, listed below.

chanhassendt.com