COD College Theater presents 'Grease'

Rydell High comes to the stage when College of DuPage College Theater presents the musical "Grease."

Performances are 7 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays, July 7 to 17, in the McAninch Arts Center's Playhouse Theatre on the Glen Ellyn campus, 425 Fawell Blvd.

In 1959, Rydell's senior class, including Danny, Sandy, Rizzo and Kenickie, navigate the last days of high school, learning about themselves and their relationships.

The popular musical debuted in Chicago in 1971 before moving to New York, where it garnered seven Tony Award nominations. It was adapted for the screen in 1978 and starred John Travolta, Olivia Newton John, Stockard Channing and Jeff Conaway.

Director and theater professor Connie Canaday Howard said she is excited to revive musical theater at the college, where the theater program produced its last musical in the 2007-08 academic year.

The overall theme of "Grease" coincides with themes of individuality in College Theater's other summer production, "Moustache Tales," she said.

"It's about Sandy stepping out of this image she's built for herself and, really, the realities of life," Canaday Howard said. "The main tag song for the show, 'We Go Together,' speaks to the show as a whole and really the core of society. Conflict exists, but we work through that conflict, building relationships on life's journey."

As the Pink Ladies and the Burger Palace Boys (portrayed as the T-Birds in the film adaptation) learn about growing up, theatergoers will find themselves at the drive-in, the local diner and inside the Rydell High cafeteria as the actors and crew transition scenes and costumes, all while accommodating a four-piece band.

"It is a lot of work with a lot of moving pieces, but our cast is having a lot of fun," Canaday Howard said. "With this show, we really are taking over the Playhouse Theatre, using every bit of space, and you'll often have the actors in the audience as the story unfolds."

Tickets are $14 for adults, and $12 for students and seniors. For information, call the MAC Box Office at (630) 942-4000 or atthemac.org.

If you go

What: "Grease"

When: 7 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays, July 7 to 17

Where: McAninch Arts Center's Playhouse Theatre at College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn

Cost: $14 adults, $12 seniors and students

Info: (630) 942-4000 or atthemac.org