Chanticleer

My sister is in a show in Council Bluffs, at the Chanticleer theatre. She plays Cha Cha in Grease, which suits her as a dancer, but the fact that all of the other characters call her "gorilla" doesn't quite work in my mind. A 5'4", 100 pound gorilla would probably die.

The fact that she's made it into Grease is quite something, especially since this is only her third or fourth attempt to break into community theatre, and her second successful entry. Her last character at a community theatre was Hope in "Anything Goes."

Even if she only appears in five scenes, she still has a presence that commands the stage. She owns her roles, even if she should be out of place as a "gorilla".

I should admit that Grease isn't really my kind of musical. The songs have a sound to them which just clangs against my concept of rock & roll, and my taste in music in general. The plot feels too simple, with characters who have very little depth to them, and the end result of all the fanfare leads to a sweet girl going against her innermost principles in order to appease the crowd of people around her, whom she gravitates toward for reasons almost completely unknown. I'm just glad there didn't happen to be any heroin addicts at Rydell.

There's almost a lesson to this show, if only it weren't marred by a short-sighted ending. Maybe Sandy doesn't actually sell her soul for the wrong crowd of friends. Maybe the only thing that really changes is the way she dresses and how much she's willing to stand up for herself. If that's the case, then good for her, but if after the end of the show Danny whips out a condom, throws on a record of Huey Lewis, and breaks out a six-pack of Corona, then where does that leave Sandy? Is she really all the better for her transformation? Or will she wake up in the morning and hate herself all the more for what she's done?

I hope for her sake that Sandy doesn't forget who she is just because of who she's associated herself with. Thinking that you're not adequate as who God made you based on what the people around you think is such a disservice to yourself. My sister has a vitality to all of the characters she does. There's just something in her smile that shines through whatever character she plays, and it makes you know that whatever role she's in, whether it's a gorilla or Hope, she's being true to herself and doing what she loves.

The name "Chanticleer" reminds me of an old Don Bluth movie called "Rock-a-Doodle." The main character is a rooster, named Chanticleer, who lives on a farm and makes the sun rise by singing. When everyone comes to their senses and realizes that the sun rises on its own, Chanticleer feels like he doesn't have a purpose and goes off to Vegas to become a lounge singer. I can't remember nearly anything about the movie, but in the end Chanticleer goes back onto the farm and sings to wake up the sun, not because it's his duty, but because it's where he's happy. Regardless of what others tell him they think he should do, he's found his place.

I'm glad my sister's found hers.