Grease musical will take Venezuelan audiences back to the 1950s

A large-scale production of Grease will take Venezuelan audiences back to the 1950s from Saturday, when the musical opens at Caracas' Teresa Carreño theater. More than 30 Venezuelan artists will perform the story created by American writers and composers Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey.

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three or four times the dimensions of what is normally used in musical theater

The production uses a stage far larger than those normally found in musical theater. It rotates to reveal different settings, including Rydell High, while live rock and roll accompanies the story of sweet Sandy and rebellious Danny Zuko, the characters played by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in the 1978 film.

Choreographer Taba Luis Ramírez said the Teresa Carreño is “three or four times the dimensions of what is normally used in musical theater.” The scale required additional personnel and, he said, makes this production of Grease “unique in the world.”

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unique in the world

Clas Producciones CEO Claudia Salazar said more than 300 people are involved, including nine musicians and 36 artists selected from 1,500 applicants at auditions in January. Rehearsals began in May but were briefly suspended after the devastating double earthquake that struck northern Venezuela on June 24.

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without a doubt

People from La Guaira, the state neighboring Caracas and the area most affected by the earthquakes, attended the dress rehearsal. The quakes killed at least 6,509 people, and La Guaira residents are currently living in shelters. Salazar said culture “without a doubt” will also “heal” Venezuela. “We are also needed at this time, when the structural issue is no longer our responsibility, but the emotional structure of the audience, and that is what we have come to do,” she told EFE.

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We are also needed at this time, when the structural issue is no longer our responsibility, but the emotional structure of the audience, and that is what we have come to do