Welcome to Drama Workshop class. Your first assignment, for the week of August 29th is to write a brief description (300 words) of how you yourself might act one of the main characters in Grease. What do you think you might change about the characterization to make it different from the actors in the film? What gestures would you use, what kind of attitude would you display? For girls, how would you deal with the stereotyping of female roles?
List of Main Roles
Sandy, Rizzo, Marty, Jan, Frenchy,
Danny, Kenicke, Doody, Roger, Sonny
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ReplyDeleteIf I were to play in the musical Grease, I think I would want to play as Sandy. One thing I would change about her characterization would be that I would make her more confident. I would make her stand up for herself. When Danny was mean to Sandy in front of his friends, all Sandy did was walk away. If I were to play Sandy, I would make her get angry with Danny and maybe even yell at him. Also, when Danny won the car race, all Sandy did was sit on the side, she didn’t have the confidence to come up to Danny and congratulate him. If I were playing Sandy, I would make her braver and give her more self-assurance to do anything she wants to do. If I were Sandy, my attitude would be nice, but confident. I would be happy and kind, but I wouldn’t let anybody be mean to me. I would use hand gestures when showing certain emotions, and facial expressions based on what I was feeling.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is interesting that Danny changes to make sandy happy in the end. In the beginning He did not want to change in the beginning to remain popular. In the end though his friends forgive him for trying to be with Sandy.
ReplyDeleteI would be Rizzo, because she is a really interesting character. She likes to look older, she is funny, outgoing, mature and likes to always be the center of attention. To be Rizzo, and make it different from other characters, I would have to make the character look more serious and mature, so it would give the idea of an older person and it is exactly what Rizzo wants to look like on the movie, older. To make her look older I would make my hair longer and change a little bit of her normal costumes. “She also wears a gold locket and a bracelet throughout for a touch of class (though they are worn by the actress in other films of the 1970s). Tough and sexy with a homely charm, like her character. Not actually the original outfit chosen – luckily the purple blouse and green skirt didn’t fit. Rizzo’s most stunning costume comes at the Dance-Off when she vamps it up in a voluptuous scarlet red strappy dress with black corsage and polka dots with provocative plunging neckline, fishtail hem and black netting, plus delicate red high-heeled sandals and even matching red fingernails and black circular earrings. ”(http://clothesonfilm.com/grease-stockard-channing-as-rizzo/3137/) I think that I would change the outfits for a less colorful, darker colors (wearing black, red, green) ones so it could make the character looks older.
ReplyDeleteI would also use a lot of gestures that could make Rizzo looks like a selfish person as making her hair longer and curling it all the time with the fingers, I would make gestures of superiority such as starring at people as if they were really inferior, that would make the character looks more mature. Also gestures as chewing bubble-gums and being rude with people would make Rizzo look more outgoing.
If I could choose any character in Grease it would Danny because he is the most lively character. What I would change about Danny is his toughness because guys like him are always tough too and strong and in the play/movie the guys just look like a bunch of weak smoking jocks who want women. What I personally would show more as Danny is respect to women because in the movie he acts like he can have any girl he wants while in reality he shows that he really wants Sandy. His pose is just to show off to his friends, while in reality he is in love with Sandy and has achieved nothing with his talk. What I also would change about Danny is his big talk around his friends while around Sandy he all of the sudden becomes this sensible, soft, guy. Of course this is just what I think and a lot of people would disagree with me but I think these changes would make Danny personally and socially more interesting.
ReplyDeleteIn the Grease I was most empathetic with Frenchy. It doesn't have any connection to my personality. I think she's one of few characters that were depicted convincingly.
ReplyDeleteShe represents very naive dreamer, warm-hearted friend. She was always ready to help Sandy. Although she was devoted to "evil" Pink Ladies it didn't make her less original. She managed to keep her natural purity despite smoking and drinking. Neither Sandy could do that. So Frenchy doesn't seem to me as stereotyped girl. Gestures and cute facial expressions corresponded to the role properly. There couldn't have been better choice than Didi Conn. Her smile's adorable, her voice unforgettable.
I wouldn't change her behavior but only some parts of the plot. The embarrassing scene with guardian angel was so annoying. I felt like it degraded her a little and it bored me as well. I know it should emphasize her desperate dreaming because everyone had his own problem but I would choose another way to express it. Like more exciting scene full of fashion, clothes, hairstyles, which would be popular and inspiring even for people a hundred years later. What surprised me was given that Frenchy was interested in being beautician and even wanted to drop out of school, she wasn't wearing cool stuff (except for crazy pink hair and "a beautiful blonde pineapple" look) while in the end she just showed her real talent on Sandy.
If I could choose one character to act as in the film Grease, and had superb acting skills, I’d most likely pick Danny. Danny seems to be the most interesting and characteristic person from the list of main characters. For example all of the guys he hangs out with are kind of sleazy with their women, but it seems that Danny is past that enough as when he’s talking about Sandy. (Except for Kenickie when he finds out Rizzo isn’t pregnant in the end). In the movie John Travolta really does show the longing to act himself around Sandy, and if I were to play him as well, I would do the same thing. If I was acting him, I would also change the character by refusing to cuss, it would higher his moral, and I could also just stay quite when a dirty joke or insult is made by the gang. It would be interesting to be able to transform over the play from the Danny Zuko we begin with, to the more sensible and soft guy that wants Sandy. At times I could forget my leather Jacket, or just take it off for the whole scene. Little actions like these would make him a more complex character, and in my opinion more fun to watch. Also, I’d change his walk, near the middle of the play, so he doesn’t look like he’s showing off all the time. All of this is easier said then done, of course, as I’d probably still want to include Danny’s trait of being out going, as it is what defines him and the gang from other teens these days.
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ReplyDeleteIf I were to play a character in Grease, i would play Sandy. i would be a more outgoing and confident Sandy. For example, Sandy was hurt when Danny was mean to her in front of all his friends, all Sandy did was walk away. Instead of helping him after he fell while trying to impress her by jumping over the hurdles too fast, i would "play hard to get" and still pretend to be all into Mike ( the jock/athlete). Also, when Danny was ' stolen' by Cha Cha in the middle of the dance competition, Sandy just run off. If i played Sandy i would jump back into the hand jive and get Danny back. i would not let Cha Cha take him away from me so easily. I would have a more brave, confident and secure attitude. i would stand up for myself when im not treated right. i would make gestures such as frowning more when im angry using more hand gestures when i talk. Making Sandy, who is the female lead in Grease, more confident will break the stereotype of women being more inferior to men, as they are not. Sandy standing up for herself when something is wrong is a perfect example of her being confident, that she can take care of herself and that women do not need to be rescued my men when something goes wrong.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to play in Grease, I would be Kenickie. U would act very wild, and mindless because that is how he acts in the movie. But if I would want to change him to a better person I would not act as bad, and be more kind to Rizzo, because she really like him. I wouldn’t let her down in such situations as she got into (pregnancy.) He also didn’t always act the nicest to her and always just wanted money from Rizzo, which I think should be changed too. I would use gestures like, being very relaxed and just “chillin” out with his friends. Also I would brush my hair once a while because that is what he does, and it was considered “cool” in those times. I would display a very relaxed attitude, because Kenickie never really care about much stuff. So I think that this kind of attitude would really make the character like him because of he acts to Rizzo. I think that Kenickie is an important part of the story and without him, the story wouldn’t be as amusing.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to play one of the characters in Grease, I would be Jan because she seems the only one who isn’t trying so hard to be cool, and I would get to eat a lot. For this part I would embrace the stereotyping of female roles because Grease is already so over the top, and just have fun with it and go all out, making my character very girl-y, while at the same time loving food. Jan’s character does seem a little dumb at times, but also a little bit sarcastic, so I would maybe take that to characterize the role. She would also be a bit clumsy and silly, but sometimes surprise the audience and the other characters by having a smart moment, revealing her true smart self. But, I would also play Jan in a more self confident manner, and she would be the one in the gang that didn't care much about anything.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to play a character in Grease, I would choose to play Frenchy. Her character in the musical is very cute and naïve. She can’t wait to finish high school to become a beautician. Her appearance is probably the most important thing to her, which is a stereotype. If I were to play Frenchy I would change the play so that, in the end, she gets that beauty and makeup isn’t the most important thing. The end of the musical is more about Sandy and Danny than about the other girls and boys, even though I would be interested how everything turns out for them. I think that the song “Beauty School Drop Out” that Frenchy sings is fun to sing but at the same time there aren’t too many solo parts for her a thing I like about her role. Furthermore, everyone likes Frenchy because of her big heart and her belief in the good, which also makes her sympatric to me. I would play Frenchy in a confident but quiet way. I would make her seem smarter than in the movie to break the stereotype.
ReplyDeleteIf I was to be any one it would have to be Sonny because he seems like an interesting guy and he could defenently change a lot for example he could change so that he doesn't care about girls and starts caring a lot more about school work instead. I think that would make it a lot more interesting and there would be more of a contrast between him and the others in their little group as you may call it. I think it would change everything the way he acts thinks and perspective. It would even change the other people to because they will start acting differently around him because he doesn't think or do the same things as them anymore. So that's why I think Sonny would be an interesting person to be.
ReplyDeleteIf I had to choose to play someone in Grease and had the acting skills for it I'd choose Danny. Because He is a typical guy trying to act all cool in front of his friends and yet would change himself for a girl. He seems to be the most interesting and most fun to play. In the movie he was constantly active which would suit me. John Travolta (Danny) really shows off his superb acting skills in singing and dancing, nice coordination. My favorite part in grease is "Go Grease Lightning" its catchy and its basically a song about what every guy likes, a car. The dance was funny and you enjoyed watching it and the most important thing, the song is very catchy.
ReplyDeleteIf i were to choose an person from Grease, id probably choose Danny, because i think he is the best part in the play when you look at it in acting, singing, dancing and in any other aspects of acting. (obiously i wouldnt be able to display any of those things ive listed due to my lack of talent:D). It would also be the hardest role, because Danny is in most of the scenes, and has many different ways of displaying his character. Sometimes hes all "cool", but he also has to show romance, his deep feelings and many more. I would just have major problems with the dancing and ofcourse singing.
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