Rikki
Lee Travolta's "GREASE!", produced by Woodstock Musical Theatre
Company, opens October 5th and runs through
October 26th at the Woodstock Opera
House, Woodstock, IL. For tickets call: (815) 338-5300.
For
the Woodstock production, Travolta has assembled a cast that includes
some of the area's top talent. Heading the cast
are Matt Scharlau of Palatine as Danny Zuko and Kim Wolff of McHenry as
Sandy Dumbrowski , the roles immortalized
in the 1978 film adaptation by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
respectively.
Scharlau
previously appeared in Pheasant Run Dinner Theatre's production of
"Grease!," and sings professional with the international touring
choir Mostly Madrigal Singers of St.
Charles. "What I love about Matt is his work
ethic,"
praises the director. "He's a guy who is eager to learn and do whatever
is necessary to produce the ultimate performance possible."
Similarly,
Travolta has nothing but praise for the play's ingénue leading lady.
"We had a number of wonderfully qualified actresses competing for the
role of Sandy, but Kim walked in and sang with
such emotion, conviction and
beauty
that we all knew instantly that she will be magnificent, especially when
she gets the chance to amplify that emotion to fill the auditorium."
The
production also features Damon Hill of Crystal Lake as greaser Kenickie
who delivers the power house number "Greased Lightening;" and
Kathleen Tiffany Calzaretta of Woodstock as
Rizzo, leader of the tough girls
gang
The Pink Ladies. During the Broadway revival of "Grease!" a number
of celebrities played the role of Rizzo
including Lucy Lawless, Brook Shields, Debbie
Gibson and Rosie O'Donnel.
"There
are certain roles that an actor would like to play, and there are certain
roles that an actor is destined to play. Damon and Kathleen breath life
into their characters in a way no other performers ever have or ever could,"
admires Travolta.
Cartoonish
and campy, "Grease!" presents a departure of sorts for the actor-director;
his previous directorial credits have had a decisively darker tone -
including "West Side Story", Shakespeare's "Romeo &
Juliet", and Tennessee Williams'
"A Streetcar Named Desire." However it is a Tennessee
Williams connection that brought the upcoming production of "Grease!"
to Travolta's attention. Choreographer Deborah Swinford previously co-starred
opposite Travolta in Williams' "Cat On a Hot Tin Roof" and knowing
he was visiting from California to work on his second novel, inquired
as to his availability to direct "Grease!"
"It's
always a privilege to work with people who are dedicated and bring a positive
attitude and strong work ethic to the table, and I know Deb has that
level of professionalism," says Travolta. Filling out the artistic
staff is vocal director Virginia Zymonas.
Swinford and Zymonas are the artistic
team responsible for the two highest grossing productions in the history
of Woodstock Musical Theatre Company: "Jesus Christ Superstar" in
1998 and "Joseph and the Amazing
Technicolor Dream Coat" in 1995.
"Virginia
is a delight to work with," praises Travolta. "In our first
production meeting she let me know that she
could arrange any piece of music any way
I wanted. And she has proven it without a doubt. I told her I love the
Temptations with that nasty bass voice taking the low ground and the tenor
wailing gospel up top and she gave it to me. Virginia and I are cut from
the same cloth, I will work with her anywhere, anytime."
Travolta's
praise for the musical talents of Zymonas is impressive considering
the source. Travolta is a national recording artist who was inducted
into the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) in 2000
in recognition for his work as a singer and producer. His debut album,
"Broadway Live!," is the highest
grossing album in the history of the Brahma Bull
Audio label. As a voting member of the exclusive NARAS organization, Travolta
actively participates in the selection of nominees and winners of the
annual Grammy awards.
Rounding
out the cast of Grease! are:
Wally
Kedzior (Roger), Sara Flanigan (Patty Simcox) [Cary]; Karyn Bonti (Ensemble,
Frenchy/Patty understudy), Winona Patterson (Frenchy) [Crystal Lake];
Jessica Lauren Fisher (Sandy understudy) [Libertyville]; Linda Lance
(Miss
Lynch) [Algonquin]; Kurt Carlson (Sonny), Holly Kuschell-Haworth (Jan),
Paul Lockwood (Vince Fontaine) [Woodstock]; Pauline Urso (Cha Cha) [Rockford];
Aaron DeCamp (Doody) [Machesney Park]; Dan Birmingham (Eugene), Jennifer
MK (Ensemble) [McHenry]; April Martinez (Teen Angel) [West Chicago];
Lindsay Whitmer (Ensemble, Rizzo/Marty/Jan understudy) [DeKalb]; Amber
Fox (Marty) [Lake Geneva, WI]; and Matt Hadley (Johnny Casino) [Elkhorn,
WI].
