We are Hopelessly Devoted to You Reviewed by Mary Alderson The singing, the dancing, the high energy! That’s what theatre-goers are saying as they leave Thousand Island Playhouse after seeing the just-opened production of Grease. Grease, the musical, originally opened on Broadway in 1972. At that time, it was described as “a raunchy, raw, aggressive, vulgar show.” Set in the tough part of Chicago, the writers wanted to show what teens were really like, compared to all the goody-two-shoes movies that were made in the 1950s. It was considered a revival of 50s-style music to be enjoyed in the 70s, by those who had lived through the 50s. In 1978, the toughness was toned down for the John Travolta/Olivia Newton-John movie. Eventually, the stage version had some of the bawdy language removed, and in this production some of the crude racist, sexist and homophobic language was left out, making it much more palatable for today’s audiences. All that is to say that this production is, quite simply, fun. While it still bothers me that Sandy has to go through a makeover to get her man, let’s hope she can revert back to her nice girl wardrobe and Danny will still love her. After meeting at the beach, and having a summer romance, Danny and Sandy (played by Will Lincoln-Gouett and Paige Foskett) surprise each other by going to the same high school. But Danny has to be a tough guy with his fellow Burger Palace Boys, while Sandy is considered too virtuous for the girls’ gang, The Pink Ladies. Lincoln-Gouett is a perfect Danny, belting the songs, sounding much like John Travolta. He breaks our heart with “Alone at the Drive-in”. Foskett is a very sweet Sandy, again perfect for the role, where she can belt the songs or sing ...