Some say “the third time is the charm” but so were the first and second! Grease was Placerville’s Imagination Theater’s premier production in 2001 and its first run was so successful they revived it in 2005. Imagination Theater is once again presenting Grease, the musical. Running from December 3 through December 26, 2010, a whole new generation of local young performers will perform this wildly energetic and entertaining show.Originally staged as a five-hour amateur production in a Chicago trolley barn, Grease takes a satirical look at the dress, manners, morals, and music of teenagers at the beginning of the rock and roll era. Written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, the plot revolves primarily around the attraction between greaser Danny Zuko and the virtuous Sandy Dumbrowski. The score attempts to re-create the sounds of early rock and roll and has spawned such musical hits as "Summer Nights," "Greased Lightning," and "Beauty School Dropout."
The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. Set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School (loosely based on William Howard Taft School), the show follows ten working-class kids as they navigate the complexities of high school, love, cars, and drive-ins.
Imagination Theater’s new production of Grease is being co-directed by the theater founders, Peter Wolfe and Lanny Langston. Each has directed the show before. Jeremy Carlson, who recently performed the lead role of the Beast in Imagination Theater’s 2009 production of Beauty and the Beast, is the vocal director. Jerri Myers, a veteran of many productions throughout the Sacramento area, is the music and band director. Vanessa Lathrop, owner of Foothill Dance Studios in Shingle Springs, is the choreographer. Local musicians Bryan Heath, Craig Zangari, Mr. Bennett, with director, Peter Wolfe will provide the energetic, live rock and roll music.
Tickets can be purchased at online at www.imagination-theater.org or by contacting the box office at 530-642-0404.
