"Grease" Is the Word at the 2019 Mountain Play

This year's 106th Mountain Play got off to a rainy start due to this year's unseasonable spring weather, but the show must go on, and the cast and crew put on a rousing and fun premiere this Sunday despite the rain and cold up at Mt. Tam's Cushing Memorial Amphitheater.

This season's production is the '50s-infused Broadway hit Grease. Grease takes place at Rydell High School in 1959, where leather-jacketed "greaser" Danny Zuko (David Crane) reunites with new student and "good girl" Sandy Dumbrowski (Chelsea Hollifield) with whom he shared a summer romance.

Along the way, there's a pajama party, a dance-off, hand jive, Greased Lightning, and even some teenage drama. The Mountain Play's production include the songs added to the 1978 John Travolta/Olivia Newton John movie version, including the title song "Grease", "Hopelessly Devoted to You", and "You're the One That I Want".

Grease is directed by Jay Manley (who also directed the last three Mountain Play offerings West Side Story, Beauty and the Beast, and Mamma Mia!), musical direction is by Mark Dietrich leading a live seven-piece band, and the creative and energetic choreography is by Nicole Helfer.

We loved the performance by leads Chelsea Hollifield, who portrayed Belle in the Mountain Play's 2017 Beauty and the Beast, and David Crane, who appeared previously on the Mountain Play stage in West Side Story and Hair. Other standouts included Gillian Eichenberger as Frenchie, Anya Absten as Rizzo, Scott Scholes as Doody, and Zachary Isen as Eugene Florczyk. As Teen Angel, Phillip Percy Williams was an audience favorite, and Zoë Swenson-Graham was hilarious as Cha-Cha Digregorio.

The colorful multi-story set with its clever rotating structures evoked Grease's 1950s atmosphere, depicting a high school, a teen girl's bedroom, a park, garage, burger shop, and more, and really made the most of the stage space. I'm always amazed at the innovative sets and scenery created at the Mountain Play and how they manage to get do much with their limited outdoor space.

As always, it's a wonderful live musical theater production for everyone in the family, and a classic Marin County experience. My family and I look forward to going to the Mountain Play every year. Great tickets are still available for all Mountain Play performances on June 2, 8, 9, and 15 & 16. All shows begin at 2 pm, but there's plenty of pre-show entertainment for everyone so make sure you get there early. The June 8 performance will be a Grease sing-along!

If You Go

General seating tickets to the Mountain Play are $45 for adults, $40 for seniors 65+, $30 for youths 14–20, and $20 for children 4–13; children 3 and under are free. Reserved seats are also available. Order tickets online here or by phone at (415) 383-1100. You can also buy your tickets at the door; the box office opens at 9 am. Performances start at 2 pm and end around 4:30 pm, but of course you'll want to get there early for maximum fun.

When you go, make sure you're prepared for any kind of weather. Even if it's foggy in Mill Valley, the Rock Springs and amphitheater area can be above it all and bathed in bright sunlight. Of course it can be windy and foggy, too. There are some areas of shade in the amphitheater, but they're available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Hats, sunscreen, and layered clothing are a must at the Mountain Play. Make sure you bring plenty of drinking water, too, although drinking fountains and drink concessions are available at the play. Amphitheater seats are all stone blocks, so stadium cushions, pillows, blankets, and other forms of padding are a good idea, too. You can rent pads at the amphitheater, and reserved seats have pads in place already.

The Mountain Play takes place at the Cushing Memorial Amphitheater in Mount Tamalpais State Park. While you can park up at the amphitheater, which is located near the Rock Springs trailhead and parking area, parking there is very limited, and fills up early in the day.

The traditional way to get to the Mountain Play is to take one of the shuttle buses ($5; purchase with your tickets to the play) up from Tamalpais High School or the Manzanita Park-and-Ride Lot (near the Buckeye restaurant). Buses leave approximately every 15 minutes starting at 10 am, and will take you back down the mountain after the play.

For more information on how to get to there, read our Insider's Guide to the 2019 Mountain Play. You can learn more about the Mountain Play at www.mountainplay.org or (415) 383-1100.