Hoffman Estates native brings a bit of sass to 'Grease'
Growing up in Hoffman Estates, Lauren Elaine Taylor starred in countless musical theater productions with Schaumburg on Stage and Schaumburg High School.
One of her favorites, however, always remained elusive: “Grease.”
Not any more. This fall, Taylor finally landed a role in the national touring production of “Grease,” playing the role of Rizzo, the tough counterpart to Sandy Dumbrowski, the new girl in town who transfers to Rydell High School.
The Daily Herald caught up with Taylor last week on the road between theater engagements. The national tour stretches across seven months and plays in more than 75 theaters before it closes in May.
Locally, it plays at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 2, at the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan. The tour then makes its way to Detroit and Champaign over the weekend before coming to the Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet at 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 6.
Taylor graduated from Schaumburg High School in 2002. Back then she was Lauren Gire, daughter of Daily Herald movie critic Dann Gire.
Her choral director senior year, Tim McGlynn, remembers that she displayed great confidence, even as a teen.
“She was an amazingly talented student who could sing, dance and act,” McGlynn said. “She was a real triple threat.”
Taylor needed to showcase all of her skills when going for the role of Rizzo.
“Going into auditions, everyone told me I wasn't right for the part,” says Taylor, who continued her musical theater experience at Millikin University in Decatur, where she met her husband. “I looked too soft, and they implied I was too girlie.”
That got her going, Taylor says, and she came to the audition dressed for the part, sporting her best rough, edgy, Italian persona, while showing her emotional range as well.
“I like the dichotomy of playing a character like Rizzo, of how hard she is, but really she's very vulnerable,” Taylor says. “She's the bad girl and does all the things everyone wants to do, but doesn't.”
Rizzo is a far cry from the roles Taylor created back in Schaumburg. Some of her favorites include playing Winifred in “Once Upon a Mattress” at Schaumburg High, as well as Adelaide in “Guys & Dolls” and Rosie in “Bye, Bye Birdie,” both with Schaumburg on Stage.
“Weirdly enough, there is a lot of crossover between the two characters,” Taylor says of playing Rosie, the Hispanic secretary and love interest of Albert in “Birdie.” “There's just enough ethnic strength and sass in both.”
So far on the national tour, Taylor is drawing rave reviews.
The “character that stood out during the show was Rizzo,” wrote Tessa Perkins in the Vancouver Press. “Lauren Elaine Taylor managed to play her role with just the right amount of sass. Her strong singing voice also set her apart from the rest, and her performances of ‘Look at Me I'm Sandra Dee' and ‘There are Worse Things I Could Do' were stunning.”
Nina Davidson, of About.com: Denver, writes: “A solid supporting cast rounds out ‘Grease,' with a sharp-tongued portrayal of Rizzo from Lauren Elaine Taylor as a highlight.”
The new production has songs from the smash hit 1978 motion picture, including the Academy Award-nominated song “Devoted to You” and “You're the One That I Want.”
But it also features songs made famous by the original stage production, such as “Summer Nights,” “Greased Lightnin'” and “We Go Together.”
A highlight in the show is former TV star Eddie Mekka in the tour as DJ “Vince Fontaine.” Mekka is best-known for his role as Carmine Ragusa on the hit TV classic “Laverne & Shirley.”
If you go
<p><b>What:</b> National touring production of “Grease”</p>
<p><b>When:</b> 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 2</p>
<p><b>Where:</b> Genesee Theatre, 203 N. Genesee St., Waukegan</p>
<p><b>Cost: </b>$46.50-$65.25 </p>
<p><b>Tickets:</b> ticketmaster.com, genesee theatre.com or (847) 263-6300</p>