"Grease," presented by The Covey Theater Company, runs from July 26 to Aug. 11, 2024. (Courtesy of Amelia Beamish of AB Photography) Courtesy of Amelia Beamish How nostalgic are you about Syracuse circa 2011? Have you ever said, “Those were the days”? Hold onto that thought as we look at the musical “Grease.
” Only thirteen years separate 1958 — the setting for “Grease” — from the show’s 1971 Chicago opening. Its ten high school kids — working class, Polish, Italian — were so raunchy, the original production had an R-rating. Subsequently sanitized for its 1972 Broadway debut, it was so squeaky-clean as a 1978 film that you may be forgiven your reaction of “Grease? Yeah, I hate that show.
” Covey Theater Company artistic director and show director Garrett Heater gets it. When “Grease” was announced as its summer musical, “the response we received from both potential patrons and potential actors was polarizing: people either seemed to love the musical or hate it .” Plus (okay Boomers, brace yourselves) the events are 75 years old.
Covey’s “Grease” shouldn’t work — and yet it does, surprisingly and marvelously so, especially for haters like me. To borrow from two of the show’s biggest numbers, it moves like “Greased Lightning” as it provides a “Summer Nights” worth of bang-for-the-buck entertainment for Syracuse theatergoers. "Grease," presented by The Covey Theater Company, runs from July 26 to Aug.
11, 2024. (Courtesy of Amel.