playbill vip

Greetings Audience! As the one of the first audiences for our new theater company, Pearland Little Theater, I am so excited to share with you the results of months of labor.  Some of you, especially my family and friends, might be thinking to yourself, why would someone go through the labor intensive extremes that it takes to put on a musical?  Why take this arduous path?

Pearland Little Theater was born out of a lifetime love of musical theater. When I was young, I would steal my parent’s records out of the living room to play in my own room.  It was my mom’s collection of musicals that I kept returning to. Not only would I sing all the parts, but I would also act and dance all the parts, too. I’m glad my mom never caught me jumping across all my furniture in “Sixteen going on Seventeen.” 

Now as an adult with kids of my own, the opportunity was presented to work with people I respect to put a production together with my own child. To get to work with my daughter and some of her close friends, in my favorite expression of art, is something I didn’t even think to dream about. It’s been a long and winding road to get where I am today, but I’m starting to believe that everything that came before was preparing me for today. With my family, my friends, and these amazing children to inspire me, I can’t wait for the next bend in the road.

Lisa Maxwell

This is my second experience with Grease. I was backstage manager for the show in 1999. I'm also pretty sure that I am the only person on the production team that is old enough to remember the Grease-mania surrounding the success of the 1978 movie starring John Travolta and (sigh) Olivia Newton-John.

Fifties nostalgia was rampent in the 70s. Before he directed Star Wars, George Lucas directed American Graffiti in 1973, which came shortly after Grease hit Broadway several years earlier. Grease was, for a while, the longest running show in Broadway history, supplanted by A Chorus Line in the 80s. There is no doubt Grease endures and our version, Grease: School Version, may have been closer to what the show would have looked like if it had been written in 1959, the year it took place.

Our version retains all of the playfulness of the original without a hint of cynicism that might have been added after the 60s came to a close. 1959 was a year before JFK had been assassinated and The Vietnam War. You might be surprised by the change of some the dialogue and lyrics, but I hope the timeless spirit of coming-of-age and togetherness shines through.

Chris Anderson