Bear Grease

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Already seen at 200 venues across North America, Bear Grease, the all Indigenous musical, arrives in New York for a three-month residency. While its subtitle declares that it is a “reimagining of the musical Grease by Jim Jacobs and Warren Carey told through an Indigenous lens,” it is more of a variety show with songs, dances, and video while  including iconic scenes and songs from Grease, paying tribute to Native American culture. Written and created by LightningCloud (Crystle Lightning and Henry Cloud Andrade,) the exuberant cast made up of members of the Enoch Cree Nation, Beaver First Nation, Big Stone Cree Nation, Frog Lake, Muskeg Lake, Gift Lake, Mvskoke and Navajo Nation makes this an entertaining evening in the theater.

Aside from its Indigenous elements, Bear Grease is a celebration of 1950s and 60s pop culture as portrayed by the songs and television shows that became so beloved of teenagers and that the musical Grease later capture. The show which is about one-third streaming video, begins with a narrator telling us that we are in an alternate reality in which Columbus was never allowed to land and the world we know was exclusively settled by Native Americans. We then proceed to a montage introducing the cast of the show we are about to see in the style of the original movie, a clip of Eve Arden as Principal McGee and Dody Goodman as Blanche from the film of Grease, and animations, commercials and promotionals. While some of the old-time television appears to be original, others appear to be newly created by Connor McDavid and video producer Dustin “Birdie” Vince. There is even a live on-stage welcome from the creators Crystle Lightning and Henry Cloud Andrade themselves.

While the characters are all taken from Grease with some Indigenous updates (Rezzo for Rizzo, Canuckie for Kenickie, the Pink Aunties for the Pink Ladies, and the Thunderbirds for the T-Birds,) the show begins with a spirited concert of pop songs from the era: The Ronettes’ “Be My Baby” (1963), the Shirelles’ “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” (1960), the Platters’ “Twilight Time,” (1958) and the Platters’ “Only You” (1955), sung by Tammy Rae Lamouche (Rezzo), Melody McArthur (Sandy) and Bryce Morin (Danny) backed by the Pink Aunties or the Thunderbirds. From then on we get the more famous episodes from Grease: Sandy’s meeting Danny when she transfers to his high school, Danny’s brush-off, and Canuckie’s new jalopy. The wittily rewritten songs include “Summer Snaggin’ for “Summer Nights” and “Bear Grease Lightning” for “Greased Lightning,” all including Indigenous references like peyote stitch, round dance, protest the pipes, Indian bling, hot like moose meat, native blanket, etc.

The second act begins with a broadcast of K Rez Radio announcing the Bear Grease Concert Series and Sandy winning ten tickets and limousine service to the event. We then see the original 1954 “Bucky Beaver: Space Ranger Ipana toothpaste commercial” with its iconic song “Brusha” sung by Jan (Nipîy Iskwew) and the Pink Aunties at their sleepover at Marty’s. Rezzo gets to sing “Sandy Dee,” with new references. This is followed by Danny and Sandy’s version of John Farrar’s “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” written for Olivia Newton-John to sing in the 1978 film of Grease. Instead of “There Are Worse Things I Could Do,’ Rezzo sings “Wichihin,” a Cree translation of the 1961 “Stand by Me.” The cast sings the new songs “Tick Tock Ya Don’t Stop” and “Meet Me at the Pow Wow” in the show’s finale. Along the way there are animated cartoons and other video, as well as backstage footage of the actors as themselves in a series of running gags.

While there is never any sense that we are seeing a book musical, the production numbers and solos are excellently sung and often backed by choreography created by many hands including Traditional, Grass, Chicken and Fancy Dances styles for the Powwow dance for “Bear Grease Lightning.” Morin as Danny and McArthur as Sandy have dynamic voices for their solos and group numbers. Lamouche does a fine job with “Be My Baby,” “Sandra Dee,” and “Wichikin (Stand by Me).” The rest of the cast are not clearly defined except as friends and classmates. While there is no stage scenery, the décor is created by slide projections. The colorful costumes that bring back the greasers’ era as well as Native American dress is by double threat artist Nipîy Iskwew who also plays Jan. While Lightning’s direction does not go very deep into characterization, the musical numbers are well staged and the book scenes are convincing.

Bear Grease is an unusual entertainment: a parody of Grease, a concert of hit 1950s and 60s tunes, a cavalcade of television commercials from that era. With its entirely Indigenous cast and its authentically rewritten dialogue and words, it is a celebration of the culture of the Cree and other western tribes. An enjoyable, light hearted show, Bear Grease is perfect for this hot summer weather.

Bear Grease (through September 7, 2025)

Lightning Cloud Productions in association with Edmund Gaynes

St. Luke’s Theatre, 308 W. 46^th Street, in Manhattan

For tickets, call 212-799-3753 or visit http://www.beargreaselive.com/nyc/

Running time: two hours and five minutes including one intermission