The T-Birds and Pink Ladies are about to hit center stage in Karachi in another production of the timeless musical Grease.
Those who have watched John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in the 1978 film adaptation would want to see this Broadway masterpiece at the Karachi Arts Council.
The play, a Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey production, has been directed, choreographed and produced by theatre guru Nida Butt and co-directed by Faraz Lodhi. In contrast, Hamza Jafri has helped with music production.
This is also a special production for Made For Stage Productions, who celebrate their tenth anniversary with this second run of Grease. Grease was first staged in Pakistan in 2014 when Made for Stage Productions acquired the license for the production – which was a first for Pakistan – but this time, it has a few changes in the cast and music direction.
Like last time, this production also includes a band in each show to add the element of live music. “It’s an upgrade on the previous run of Grease,” said Hamza Jafri in a press statement.
The cast features Ahmed Ali as Danny Zuko, Seerat Peerzadi as Sandy, Natasha Ejaz as Rizzo, and Zarnab Rashad as Kenickie – to name a few.
During rehearsal, the cast performed a scene, sang and danced to ‘Summer Nights’ and ‘We Go Together.’ We loved the electrifying energy and are looking forward to the actual performance as our entertainment fix for this month.
After the mini-performance, we got hold of Ahmed Ali, who performed in the previous staging of Grease as well, to ask him about his experience. “It’s very extensive [and] physically demanding. On the other hand, it’s exactly what I was looking for all my life because I used to sing, and I know a little bit of dancing, and love acting – so this is a marriage of all these things.”
“I don’t think Pakistan has seen a production as big as this one, so people should come out and watch it. If they enjoy this production and others, we’ll want to put up more shows.” Ahmed added that these productions provide jobs for many people and highlight talent from all over the country. This may open more doors for them and help the industry thrive.
The show will run from March 18 to April 11, and passes are available at MAD school, McDonald’s and Agha’s Super Store. The passes can also be bought at the gate before each show.
