Same Play, Same Cast, Same Fight in Burbank : Schools Say ’89 ‘Grease’ Just as Dirty as in ’81

Burbank school officials still think “Grease” is a little too dirty.

And so they and some former students have resumed a dispute that began eight years ago.

Alumni of John Burroughs High School in Burbank, who are scheduled to perform the popular musical “Grease” this weekend and next weekend at the school, have been ordered by district administrators to clean up their act.

The cast has been told to eliminate “suggestive dancing, pelvic thrusts” and sexual references, and to tone down certain lyrics and phrases.

But in the spirit of the rebellious 1950s youths that the play celebrates, the adult cast and crew members have said, “NO WAY, MAN!” and have threatened to bow out if the restrictions aren’t lifted.

‘We’re Adults’

“This show is so tame, there’s no call for this,” said Danny Elias, 26, the show’s stage manager. “There are no four-letter words in the show. There’s nothing dirty about it, and besides, we’re adults. We’ve worked too hard on the show for this to happen.”

Darla Dargenzio, who plays the virginal Sandy, said, “Most of the audiences today should be able to handle a little bump and grind. It’s all done in playful good taste.”

Elias said the restrictions were particularly insulting because most of the alumni cast performed “Grease” when they were students at the high school in 1981.

The same thing happened then.

After that production played one weekend, district officials ordered that the show be cleaned up before performances the following week. The cast and crew made the changes--until the last performance, when they did it their way.

James Perino, deputy superintendent of instruction for the Burbank Unified School District, said “Grease” will not go on if the cast fails to tone down the show.

“We are not trying to detract from the show,” Perino said. “It’s the responsibility of the school district to put something on our stage that we as community leaders feel is appropriate for general audiences.”

Lies on Ground

The administrators objected to a part in the song “Summer Nights” in which a teen-age boy lies on the ground and thrusts his pelvis in the air while singing about a date he had with a girl. They also objected to another dance number, “We Go Together,” in which a boy grabs a girl’s breasts as she looks at the sky.

Perino also objected to joking references to a “gang-bang”--a 1950s sexual term--as well as one scene in which a girl lies on top of a boy in a park.

“Someone would have to go a great deal to convince me that ‘gang-bang’ and a girl lying on top of a boy is appropriate behavior for a general audience to see,” Perino said.

The musical comedy, which chronicles the antics of several teen-agers, ranging from leather-jacketed toughs to “nice girls,” opened in New York in 1972 and was one of the longest-running shows in Broadway history. The show helped fan a wave of ‘50s nostalgia during the 1970s, and was made into a hit PG-rated movie starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.

The play is being performed by two different casts--alumni and students--who will put on a joint performance Friday night as a benefit for a fund established in memory of the play’s co-writer, Warren Casey, who died in November of AIDS.

Dana Anderson, 22, who is supervising the alumni production, said that last year he had discussed a reunion show to benefit the ailing Casey with the play’s other creator, Jim Jacobs. He said Jacobs was excited about the idea and gave his blessing.

Anderson said the reunion would have more meaning if students performed the same show, and arranged with the faculty to present a joint production.

The current Burroughs students performed a toned-down version of “Grease” last weekend and are scheduled to perform again at a Saturday matinee. The alumni cast is next scheduled to perform “Grease” on Friday and Saturday.

Perino said he met with Buchanan and the student cast Tuesday to express concerns about the show. Although the show’s director, drama instructor Larry Naschel, had been told to modify the scenes, students still performed some of the forbidden lines and actions, he said.

“We wanted to make sure that they understood about the changes,” he said. “Some of the changes were communicated and some were not. We wanted to remind the students that adjustments in body behavior needed to be made, and words and phrases changed. I’m not sure they agreed to the changes, but they agreed to adhere to them.”

Roman Antolie, a senior at Burroughs, said he performed the pelvic thrust during the “Summer Nights” number last weekend, even though he had been told not to. “It just went with my character,” he said. “I felt very secure about doing it.”

After meeting with the students, Perino informed Anderson that the restrictions imposed on the student performance would apply to the alumni version too.

Anderson, who also plays the lead role of tough Danny Zuko, protested. “Either you do ‘Grease’ the way it was written or you don’t. ‘Grease’ is ‘Grease’ and ‘Hair’ is ‘Hair,’ ” he said, referring to another controversial youth musical. “This is not ‘The Sound of Music.’ ”

He added that it was unreasonable of school officials to edit the show just a few days before the first performance.

But the district may have the last word since the stage is on school property, and the play is being underwritten by $9,000 in student-body funds for props, sets and costumes, Perino said.

“This is being promoted solely through the schools, and we want to make sure there is not something on stage that will offend students or teachers,” he said.