LIVE ON STAGE: LUCY LAWLESS in GREASE!
A Review by Kristo

I spent a dream vacation in Manhattan and next to viewing the Statue of
Liberty, St. PatrickÆs Cathedral and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, seeing
Lucy Lawless perform on stage as Rizzo in the Broadway musical GREASE! was the
highlight of the week. Highlights, since I was fortunate and viewed the show
three times: opening night on September second, the following Friday night on
the fifth and the Saturday Matinee on the afternoon of the sixth. Each
performance was different in subtle ways, and always thrilling because this
show is a high-energy, fast-moving audiovisual ride.

The Broadway Musical has some major differences compared with the 1977 movie
(the musical was written first) and I really missed the ôChillsö song but the
bodily impact of seeing GREASE! live more than made up for the loss. The
lyrics of such songs as ôBorn to Hand Jiveö and the choreography that attends
are phenomenally intricate. The fact that Lucy sings and dances so very well
after having only 10 days to rehearse is a testament to her grand spirit and
of course, her tremendous talent. There were moments when her singing voice
was too soft to hear well, particularly on Friday night, and I was reminded at
how different performing in a live Broadway musical must be to acting in a
filmed tv series: you canÆt ôcutö and redo a scene and the whole sound
carries differently. And on Saturday, LucyÆs voice carried best of all. Her
voice is rich and she has a good range. In the first act her ôGreases
Lightningö (Reprise) was sung pure Broadway style, with volume and ôpunchö in
all the right places and it was wonderful and extremely sexy. She also sang
ôLook at Me, IÆm Sandra Deeö with a quick and sinful twist that moved the
audience. And the audience favorite (in the shows I attended) was ôThere are
Worse Things I Could Doö and ôLook at Me, IÆm Sandra Deeö (Reprise). Here
LucyÆs acting ability is showcased when she reveals RizzoÆs caring and
vulnerable heart to Sandy. The tears glisten in her eyes. Her voice is
suddenly unsure and she wins us all in that moment because we see that the
ôbad girlö has a precious heart when the protective shell is removed. She
wonÆt make empty promises (a strong sense of integrity mixed with high amounts
of hormones) and she does not want her softer side to be known...but when she
thinks she is pregnant and Sandy has the courage to probe, she breaks down
and reveals herself to ômiss tight-assö. This is the real turning point in
the musical, Rizzo and Sandy showing their deepest selves to each other,
opposites becoming true friends.

There were moments of humor and acknowledgment of the X:WP fans (the Xena yell
Rizzo throws at Cha Cha Digregorio during the Prom) that the audience loved.
The cast grinned at the audience display of enthusiasm and they were like a
big warm family during the ôGreaseö Finale. Sean introduced Lucy as the
newest member of the cast and Lucy gave thanks to the cast and to the
audience. On Tuesday, opening night, she acknowledged that some people in the
audience had ôtraveled a long wayö, notably looking at Sylvia from New Zealand
and Becki from Washington, both in the front row behind the musical director.
And there I was too, from California. On Friday three nights later, Lucy
seemed embarrassed at this point, while on Saturday afternoon she did not and
perhaps it was because she had more energy to put into her performance this
time. She was handed a bouquet of flowers from the audience. ôYou shouldnÆt
haveö, and she probably meant it. She is a gracious lady, with many bouquets.
Saturday afternoon she said she was having the time of her life, ô...IÆm
having the best time ever.ö Then she instructed New York to rock æn roll
before the last verse of Grease! The curtain closed. Our hands were getting
numb from applauding. What a wonderful Broadway debut for Lucy.

The entire cast is excellent. At times it seemed that Sean McDermott (Danny
Zuko) was doing an Elvis impersonation (the right moves and voice timber) and
he is a manly man with a sensitive quality. Melissa Dye (Sandy Dumbrowski)
like Sean and the majority of the cast is a veteran of Broadway. Voice strong
and sweet, her eyes sparkle as she sings ôSince I DonÆt Have Youö with pathos
and yearning. Steve Geyer (Kenickie) makes his Broadway debut along with
Lucy, and he is the most envied actor in the Xenaverse since he plays RizzoÆs
main squeeze. And Rizzo and Kenickie do press each other a lot. Imagine
getting paid to do that. But of course, it is hard work along with all the
singing and dancing in jeans and leather. Perspiration is the word.

After opening night I met with several Xenites at Meow Mix. Its a dive with
character. It was a treat to talk with Becki , Carl, Kimba, Rachelle and the
owner. Rachelle showed us the autographs she had gotten after the show and so
the next evening my friend and I made sure to be outside the stage door of the
theater in hopes of getting LucyÆs autogragh. The crowd started to get thick
about the time I changed my mind but I could not leave since the crowd was
tight. I was stuck in place. I talked with the family next to me and enjoyed
the little girl sitting on top of her fatherÆs shoulders. They had traveled
most of the day to make the show and the little one was tired. We remained in
place behind the police barricades just outside the stage door when suddenly
the actors began coming out one at a time. There were brief cheers for the
cast members who smiled and kept moving. Then Lucy came out and the crowd
went wild, shouting ôLucy! Lucy! Lucy!ö There were pens and photos and papers
and playbills and magazines held out. My ears were ringing and I really
didnÆt want to be there. I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder and later
discovered a long ink stain on the back of my coat. It was like a feeding
frenzy. Lucy pulled out a pen and said something like ôI have my ownö and
began quickly signing all the papers thrust toward her. People continued to
shout her name but it became less intense as she worked her way around the
crowd. She signed perhaps 100 or 150 in 10 minutes. She signed the little
girlÆs photo and had signed mine and was working on another when the cute
little three year old said slowly ôThank you Lucy.ö Lucy stopped for a
moment and looked at the youngster sitting high on her dadÆs shoulders amidst
the crowd. She hesitated for a second and then smiled and replied, ôYouÆre
welcome darlinÆö, before quickly moving on. Finally she asked ôIs that it
then?ö and it was, she had signed them all. She ducked into the black Lincoln
Continental and the satisfied crowd dispersed. Whew! Well, I had gotten the
autograph for a friend and that is the end of my autograph-seeking. But I
hope to travel again to see Lucy Lawless sing...on or off Broadway.