Grease the musical comes to Manila

MANILA, Philippines – After 10 years, the musical Grease is coming back to the stage, this time in Manila. 9 Works Theatrical gives the audience a taste of America in the 50’s with retro music, slicked back hairdos, and Grease Lightning.

G Tongi reports.

I’m here for an exclusive sneak peak at the rehearsal process for 9 works theatricals’ Grease The Musical. Grease is the 1978 American musical film made popular by John Travolta and Olivia Newton John on the youth subculture of the working class in the fifties. Songs from the musical like Summer Nights and Grease Lightning are so familiar – people remember Grease more for it’s music than it’s story of teen rebellion.

TV Actress & Host Iya Villania plays Betty Rizzo, the vixen character in Grease. She says the music was more than enough reason to accept the role.

IYA VILLANIA, TV ACTRESS/ BETTY RIZZO IN GREASE: Come on, Grease?! Who doesn’t know Grease! I mean for crying out loud, I got myself into this musical without even knowing what the story was, only because I know the songs! JUMPCUT It’s music that everyone’s just so familiar with and people have grown up knowing.

Villania says the musical gives her an opportunity to portray characters who are nothing like her in real life.

IYA VILLANIA, TV ACTRESS/ BETTY RIZZO IN GREASE: On the contrary, I’m actually quite conservative. So here’s Rizzo who makes out here and makes out there. who’s such a sexual person here in Grease and on the contrary, I’m really not like that. It’s quite fun to play. It’s quite fun to play someone that you’re really not!

TV actress & host Ciara Sotto, stepped in to fill the role of Chacha De Grigorio. She learned her dance choreography in only two days. Sotto was last seen onstage for Atlantis Productions Full Monty earlier this year. She admits, instant gratification is one of the reasons she enjoys theater.

CIARA SOTTO, TV ACTRESS/ CHA-CHA IN GREASE : It’s the commitment and the dedication. Everyone is so responsible, you don’t have to wait so long, you know what I’m talking about it. It’s just you don’t waste any minute when you’re in theater. It’s the feeling here people clap for you right there and then so you know there’s that sense of achievement. Yeah I like that!

Gian Magdangal plays the title role of Danny Zuko in Grease. Magdangal says the play introduces Grease to this generation. The last production was staged 10 years ago.

GIAN MAGDANGAL, STAGE ACTOR/ DANNY ZUKO IN GREASE: It’s an eyecandy to see all the other beautiful cast members and at the same time it hasn’t been staged for a long time here in Manila and Im sure the new generation now will really appreciate and be intrigued about what Grease is all about.

9 Works Theatrical Artistic Director Robbie Guevara directs Grease. He hopes people will not only enjoy the music and dance, but also get a glimpse of that era.

ROBBIE GUEVARA, DIRECTOR OF 9 WORKS THEATRICALS’ GREASE: There was that drastic change of lifestyle made by the youth in the 50’s as a reaction from the previous lifestyles of the 40’s, 30’s and 20’s. World war 2 happened and that gave the impetus to remind people okay we might not live that long so we might as well enjoy ourselves right now so they went to the other side of the pendulum and people started getting careless. Girls didn’t care if they turned around and their underwear was seen when they were dancing whereas in the forties no way right? I’d like to invite you to come watch Grease by 9 Works Theatrical. We will be opening on November 9 until December 1 at the RCBC Plaza. See you there!

Nostalgia, pure retro and music – that’s the magic of Grease.
G Tongi, Rappler Manila.

– Rappler.com