"Sandy" in GREASE-calling all character experts !

[astonishing]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 8:42am

i'm playing "Sandy" in Grease right now + I have a few questions. I feel like i havn't totally "connected" with my character and the show opens soon. It's hard because, in my opinion, Sandy is a pretty simple "ingenue" character but i still feel like i am acting the same in every scene + there is no journey for her at all. It's hard because I think Sandy should be portrayed as shy + quiet, but at the same time i want to have "zip" and life in my performance that would draw the audience in to her.
in your opinion (s) what exactly is Sandy's personality? I'm just really confused, i know it sounds dum but i do like to really know my character and not just "play" it.

any help is greatly appreciated :)


Updated On: 6/14/05 at 08:42 AM

[Di2]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 8:47am

I feel you..

I played sandy for 8 months and I never got the character...grease is a poorly written show....it was written as a revue (thats why there is a song in every scene) and Sandy is a horribly written character..one minute she is demure nd the next minute she is pushing rizzo??

ok...

Good luck to you...personally, i can't stomach that show, but I hope you have a great time with it.

D.

[astonishing]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 9:14am

thanks, nice to know it's not just me :)


+ bump !

[Di2]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 9:23am

you will be wonderful!! Have a great time...

[kateerin]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 9:33am

As the person playing Sandy you can not think of her as simple. Even if the script is poorly written, do your homework and fill in the blanks. What drives her? What makes her go? If you are lost think to when you were 15 or 16 (presuming your older then that now.) At that age, most girls were single-mindedly focused on boys and love... Which is Sandy. Her goal is to get Danny. How many different ways are there to do that?

My advice: forget "simple" forget "ingenue" and go for real person...

[Im a Protestor]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 9:37am

Agreeing w/ kateerin, its going to be hard for anyone to play any character if you look at it a simply one type of character (ie simple, shy, outgoing, loud, whatever). And as for the journey, it's your job to make this character interesting, and so if you don't create a journey for her, then the audience will lose interest in you during the performance. basiclly, you need to create something, even if it isnt there. Have a mental subtext going along w/ all of your dialogue, and create a purpose for her in each scene. This may be very small, and unnoticable by the audience, but it will keep their attention because they will see that sandy now has a reason for being on that stage instead of just being pretty. It is essential that you do not just let sandy go, but create and entire character for her. not all of the facets of her character will be necessary to know in the play, but if youre having trouble now, it is good to know so that she is even more of a person.

hope this has helped.

Updated On: 6/14/05 at 09:37 AM

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 9:56am

Have you ever been to a party or out to dinner and you only knew one person there? Usually the person you know behaves differently because you are seeing them in a context that is completely unfamiliar. You try to get to know the new people, but you might be shy. You try to connect with your friend, but you're competing for their attention with all the other people you don't even know. It's awkward and weird. That is Sandy. She only has two objectives in the show - holding onto Danny and making friends. She struggles consistently with both.

Sometimes it's fun to add your own subtext to intensify the objective. For example, at the dance, you could pretend that Danny is the son of an oil tycoon and to lose him would mean you lose potentially $5 billion. Or when you hear Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee, think about how you might feel if someone pulled down your bikini bottom at a crowded water park.

Does your production resemble more of the film or the original stage version? I've seen practically every possible variation of this show and honestly, the original Broadway version is simply the best. You're the One That I Want is a great song, but doesn't actually fit the show as well as All Choked Up. And Stranded at the Drive In is hilarious.

[astonishing]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 10:01am

my show is strictly the stage version, (which has its good and bad points lol)
we sing all choked up at the end + Sandy doesn't go to the dance

I totally appreciate the comments from everyone!

[robbiej]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 10:24am

No arc? She goes from good girl to slut in order to get the guy!

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 10:33am

Remember, Danny makes an effort to change at the end, too. It's not about having to change to get what you want, it's about opening your mind to identify with others.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 10:35am

Who doesn't?

[timote316]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 10:42am

Sandy wants Danny, but Danny is breaking her heart. At first, she puts up with Rizzo, because she is too shy to do anything about it. But, feuled by her frustration of not being able to have Danny, she snaps, pushing Rizzo.

Like everyone else said, fill in the blanks. Grease has a lot of holes, its up to the actors/actresses to patch them. Break a leg!

[robbiej]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 10:47am

Oh Matt...I don't think even the creators thought that much about the show!

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 10:49am

Who knows? I never thought of it as "you have to be a whore to get the guy". It just never hit me that way.

[robbiej]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 10:56am

Well...the original intent (which has kind of been warped over the years) was that the show was a parody of Casey and Jacobs youth in the 50's. Somehow, when the movie was made, it became slightly less so (though the casting of Stockard 'AARP' Channing still spoke of a tongue firmly in cheek) and then, by the time high schools got a hold of it, it became this wholesome family 50's entertainment. The recent revival tried to make it some sort of mega-musical and was so shrill that any of the sly, subversive humor was lost.

It's actually a tough show to pull off these days because, unlike the early 70's when it premiered, few in the audience were actually teeneagers in '57-'58 and don't really have a frame of reference, other than the movie.

Think about it. She ends up stuffing her bra, smokes, dresses like the other Pink Ladies. And the second Danny sees that, he ditches the letterman sweater and performs what amounts to a musical hard-on.

[mikewood]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 3:58pm

A fish out of water who slowly gets acclimated to her surroundings? An innocent waif waiting for her world to catch up with her?

The problem with Sandy is she is a static character whose funtion is to cause other characters to change their behaviors.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 4:15pm

In a way it's kind of an anti-feminist feminist ending. Either way, I don't think it was ever intended for deep analysis. It's fluff and fun. Danny always liked Sandy from beginning to end, so her appearance really wasn't the hook. He was just trying to save face as a cool guy (which will always be a relevent topic), but when he appears in the letterman sweater at the end, he's already proven he no longer worries what the others think and Sandy has already won her man before she even shows up looking like a two-dollar whore. The rest is just a reason for a fun dance number.

[LyTeMyCanDyI]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 4:40pm

My school just finished Grease, so I hope I can help. Our Sandy always seemed very ill-at-ease, especially in Act II Scene IV. In Act II Scene V, Sandy should be much more confident, but slightly hesitant at first (up until she punches Patty.) From there, she knows exactly what to do, and plays up her new found confidence and sex appeal.
Oh, be careful not to fall...through the gaing plot holes. (I love how Sandy and Rizzo hate each other in A2S4 and in the next scene are best friends. W/e I loved it, and most imortantly, have a great time! Grease is a really fun play!

[Magical_Ms._Mistoffeles_72]

Posted: 6/14/05 at 6:38pm

hey
Just wanted to let you know that I have played both Sandy and Rizzo. What I loved about Sandy was that because she was so poorly written, I got to play with her. As a result I got a lot of stuff said about my "demure, coy vixen like" interpretation.
That's how I played her, hope that helps
Have fun! It was one of my greatest experiences!
K

[astonishing]

Posted: 6/16/05 at 10:52am

thanks for all the posts + help!
one more question : what is it during Rizzo's song that makes sandy "snap" and really decide to change?
My director and I were talking + she said its when sandy realizes, "wow, thats how people see me? standoffish and shy? i thought I was just a normal girl..." ? is this right?
So when Rizzo is singing "There are worse things I could do" is she mocking sandy?

bc "look at me..." reprise is right after that song + I really want to have a convincing inner monologue to the audience understands that sandy isn't just "becoming a slut to get the guy" but realizing that she can still be herself AND fit in + have friends.

[astonishing]

Posted: 6/16/05 at 11:13am

bump

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/16/05 at 11:30am

It seemed to me that the things Rizzo sings about that she considers "worse" than her behavior are how she views Sandy to be and maybe some of that hits home for Sandy.

I could hurt someone like me
Out of spite or jealousy.
I don't steal and I don't lie,
But I can feel and I can cry.
A fact I'll bet you never knew.
But to cry in front of you,
That's the worst thing I could do.

This more than anything sheds a whole new light on Sandy's impression of Rizzo. Rizzo just admitted she has feelings just like Sandy and maybe they're not so different after all. Perhaps Sandy really is no better than Rizzo and perhaps Rizzo is no less deserving of respect than Sandy. Learning this, perhaps Sandy doesn't think being a member of the gang is such a bad thing, after all.