‘Grease’ goes woke in off-Broadway parody called ‘Vape,’ where Danny doesn’t just have eyes for Sandy
“Grease” is no longer the word.
Now the word is “Vape!” — an off-Broadway parody that reimagines the beloved musical set in a 1950s high school as it would look in today’s woke world.
“Vape! The Grease Parody” pokes fun at parts of the 1978 Hollywood blockbuster “that did not age so well,” Lara Strong, who plays leading lady Sandy, said during a dress rehearsal attended by The Post.
“It brought out so many of the extremes that we see in the movie and reminded me of how ridiculous ‘Grease’ really is,” added Scott Silagy, who plays Danny, the greaser heartthrob famously played in the film by a young John Travolta.
“Vape! The Grease Parody” reimagines the hit movie in the present day. “Even though it’s a spoof and we’re making fun of it, it’s all out of love,” said Lara Strong, who plays Sandy. Paramount (left) & Helayne Seidman (right)
The Pink Ladies are now the more inclusively named the Pink Squad. Ubiquitous smoking is replaced by vaping. And the Greased Lightnin’ Ford convertible muscle car is swapped out for a Prius.
To top it all off, the best-friend macho male leads — Danny and Kenickie — are sexually fluid and have feelings for each other.
“Teens have traded their cigs for vape pens, hot rods for hybrids, and making out to well, making out,” director Jack Plotnick said.
The show also rewrites the Hollywood movie’s rollicking ending — which has been criticized by some for sending the wrong message to women, as Sandy, played by Olivia Newton-John, tries to win over Danny with a sexy bad girl makeover.
Scott Silagy and Lara Strong play Danny and Sandy, who were portrayed by Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta in the 1978 movie. Helayne Seidman
“I’ve decided that Danny just doesn’t appreciate me for who I am,” Sandy laments in the musical, which runs at Theater 555 on West 42nd Street until Jan. 4.
“As much as I love Sandy’s iconic tight leather outfit and red shoes at the end of ‘Grease,’ her completely changing herself for a man highlights the film being a product of its time,” said Strong, a native of New Zealand.
The show also mocks how the movie’s aging cast portrayed high school seniors. Travolta was 23, Newton-John, 29, Rizzo’s Stockard Channing was 33, and Jeff Conaway (Kenickie) was 26.
In “Vape,” Greased Lightnin’ is swapped for a green alternative Prius. Paramount (top) & Helayne Seidman (bottom)
“This school is stupid and the guys are gross, but we’ve been here so long, our veins are varicose,” the cast sings in the opening number, “Vape is the Word.”
Rizzo, who has a pregnancy scare in the original, blames symptoms this time around on menopause.
“You hear that guys? Rizzo’s not pregnant. She’s just old!” Kenickie, the leader of the T-Birds, now renamed the T-Bros, gleefully announces.
“What I love about our show is that as you’re watching … you’re also in your mind watching the original. It’s a great way to enjoy the movie that we love in a new and fresh way,” director Jack Plotnick told The Post. Helayne Seidman
Silagy, a native of Trenton, NJ, said his favorite part of prepping for the role of Danny was getting to channel fellow New Jerseyian John Travolta.
“To pick out his nuances and the way he moves throughout a scene, like when you watch ‘Greased Lightnin” in the movie, I mean … all eyes are on John.” Paramount & Helayne Seidman
There are also nods to the current state of dating — with Marty revealing she went on 500
Tinder dates and started an OnlyFans — and advising Sandy that to win back Danny she should “send him some nudes.”
Women are more aware of men’s psychological games — as the title of Sandy’s heartfelt solo “Hopelessly Devoted to You” is changed to “Hopelessly Gaslighted by You.”
Men, meanwhile, are more mindful of boundaries, with Kenickie shouting, “As a planet-loving gent, I’ll be getting mad consent,” during the song “Green Lightnin.’”
