SIFF Sighting: GREASE SING-A-LONG (musical; USA)

A special treat at the recent GREASE SING-A-LONG in Seattle was the presence of one of the original Pink Ladies—Dinah Manoff (pictured here, with her son Oliver during the Q & A), who played Marty Maraschino in the classic hit.

After making a comment about how much older she felt watching her younger self on-screen, an audience member shouted out "You're beautiful!" She responded by saying, "I'm really glad I came today."

Most folks asked questions about what went on behind the scenes, hinting at true-life romances. Dinah claimed that John (Travolta) and Olivia (Newton-John) were most likely just a rumor, but she was pretty sure Kenickie (Jeff Conaway) was "active."

She also remarked about how nervous she was auditioning for the film because it was primarily a dance tryout (she never actually had to sing until she already had the part), and she originally read for the role of Frenchie.

All in all, the showing was a whole lot of fun, complete with fans dressed like many of the cast members, the boys singing the boy parts and the girls singing the girl parts. The subtitles/karaoke-like lyrics are presented so humorously, even parts that weren't intended to be funny become at least a little bit amusing. What a wonderful celebration of a film that never gets old!

The GREASE SING-A-LONG screened at the 36th Annual Seattle International Film Festival.

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