There are more complex musicals, but there are few that are more fun than "Grease," which the Charleston Light Opera Guild opened at the Clay Center Friday night for a two-weekend, six-performance run.

The Jim Jacobs-Warren Casey musical is extraordinarily well conceived, and the Guild, in partnership with the Clay Center, gives it a high-energy production with better sets and a better car than the company mounted eight years ago in its smaller West Side playhouse.

On the one hand, "Grease" is a look back at the emerging rock music of the late 1950s, at the leather-jacketed guys who worshiped high-powered cars, and the tough-talking, cigarette-smoking girls who worshiped those guys.

On the other hand, it's just a love story of a young guy chasing a young girl, with a sub-plot of another guy chasing another girl and the plots bumping into each other often enough to make things interesting.

Never mind. It works and it's enormously clever. When the guy sings his part of "Summer Love," his friends chorus in, "Tell me more, Tell me more, Did you get very far?" When the girl sings her part, her friends chorus in, "Tell Me More, Tell Me more, Did he have a car?"

Mitchel Kawash is talented beyond his years as the too-cool Danny Zuko. He sings well and articulates his words extremely well. A dancer up to now, Jennifer Arnold unveils a surprisingly pleasant singing voice and convincing acting ability as the goody-goody, often pouty Sandy Dumbrowski.

Toni Pilato was extraordinary as Betty Rizzo, the tough girl who is unforgiving with Sandy D. When Sandy defensively explains that she came to the party because she was invited, Rizzo tells her that she was only invited because she had the record player.

When Rizzo suspects that she is pregnant, Pilato puts across the most convincing song of the night, "There are Worse Things I Could Do."

John Perry is sensational in the small role of the disc jockey Nince Fontaine and Drew Johnson is excellent as the crooner Johnny Casino. Christopher Conard as Kinieki , and Anne Marie Snyder and Kristen Pennington as other tough girls are excellent too.,

The opening scene was a little rough in the way of articulation. But the dancing is superb, and under the capable direction of Nina Denton Pasinetti, the show moves along quickly.

This is not weighty stuff, but the songs and dialogue are superb. I've seen "Grease" a bunch of times and it doesn't get old.

The show continues 7:30 p.m. today, 3 p.m. Sunday, 7:30 p.m. Aug. 1 and 2, and 3 p.m. Aug. 3.

Reach Bob Schwarz at bobschw...@wvgazette.com or 348-1249.

There are more complex musicals, but there are few that are more fun than "Grease," which the Charleston Light Opera Guild opened at the Clay Center Friday night for a two-weekend, six-performance run.

The Jim Jacobs-Warren Casey musical is extraordinarily well conceived, and the Guild, in partnership with the Clay Center, gives it a high-energy production with better sets and a better car than the company mounted eight years ago in its smaller West Side playhouse.

On the one hand, "Grease" is a look back at the emerging rock music of the late 1950s, at the leather-jacketed guys who worshiped high-powered cars, and the tough-talking, cigarette-smoking girls who worshiped those guys.

On the other hand, it's just a love story of a young guy chasing a young girl, with a sub-plot of another guy chasing another girl and the plots bumping into each other often enough to make things interesting.

Never mind. It works and it's enormously clever. When the guy sings his part of "Summer Love," his friends chorus in, "Tell me more, Tell me more, Did you get very far?" When the girl sings her part, her friends chorus in, "Tell Me More, Tell Me more, Did he have a car?"

Mitchel Kawash is talented beyond his years as the too-cool Danny Zuko. He sings well and articulates his words extremely well. A dancer up to now, Jennifer Arnold unveils a surprisingly pleasant singing voice and convincing acting ability as the goody-goody, often pouty Sandy Dumbrowski.

Toni Pilato was extraordinary as Betty Rizzo, the tough girl who is unforgiving with Sandy D. When Sandy defensively explains that she came to the party because she was invited, Rizzo tells her that she was only invited because she had the record player.

When Rizzo suspects that she is pregnant, Pilato puts across the most convincing song of the night, "There are Worse Things I Could Do."

John Perry is sensational in the small role of the disc jockey Nince Fontaine and Drew Johnson is excellent as the crooner Johnny Casino. Christopher Conard as Kinieki , and Anne Marie Snyder and Kristen Pennington as other tough girls are excellent too.,

The opening scene was a little rough in the way of articulation. But the dancing is superb, and under the capable direction of Nina Denton Pasinetti, the show moves along quickly.

This is not weighty stuff, but the songs and dialogue are superb. I've seen "Grease" a bunch of times and it doesn't get old.

The show continues 7:30 p.m. today, 3 p.m. Sunday, 7:30 p.m. Aug. 1 and 2, and 3 p.m. Aug. 3.

Reach Bob Schwarz at bobschw...@wvgazette.com or 348-1249.