Vape! The Grease Parody at Apollo Theater thru Jan. 3, 2027

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“Vape! The Grease Parody a Clever Sketch Seeking to be More” - Review By: Paul Lisnek

★★½ / 4

“Vape! The Grease Parody a Clever Sketch Seeking to be More”

Vape! The Grease Parody playing at the Apollo Theater Chicago is a fast moving, high energy, punchline/ homage-a-minute spoof that has its moments, but never quite justifies its length as a play, beyond nostalgia and punchlines. I love the movie Grease (even played Teen Angel once in a professional community production), but here, the humor, much of it not for young people, is entertaining to be sure, but might find a more comfortable fit as a sketch on the stage of an improv theater. Certainly the cast is up to the task of taking the show in an improv direction where a clear point of view isn’t as expected. 

Here’s the rub: Vape! is often funny, but it’s hard to say what it’s ultimately about beyond “remember Grease?” and “oh, there’s a moment of homage to another musical or movie.” The satire never sharpens into commentary so much as ride the road of recognition and punchlines. There is a good deal of contemporary pop-culture riffing and theatrical winks that will certainly feel familiar to fans of Avenue Q–style parody (of which I am one). There is certainly a general “anything for a gag” energy. 

The humor and dialogue is adult centered with lots of sexual innuendo and foul language; parents may not want to bring a young child with them because of the pretty foul language. Then again, maybe people don’t care about such things anymore. I’ll leave that decision to parents.

The creative teen is exceptionally strong: Book by Catie Hogan and Sketchworks Comedy, lyrics and additional book by Billy Recce (A Musical About Star Wars, FIVE: The Musical Parody) and Danny Salles (TV’s Joan and Melissa, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D List). Also impressive is knowing that the incredibly talented Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley Jackson are creative consultants and the production is directed by Jack Plotnick (Broadway’s Disaster!). 

It should be noted that the show hit the stage following a 2+ year legal battle over copyright infringement; the lawsuit eventually concluded with the judge finding the show to indeed be parody and not a violation of copyright violation efforts came to a close.

Will Leonard’s Danny and Jenna Smith’s Sandy play their parts well: they sell their parodies of John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, and they keep the central romance moving, but we don’t get more than a superficial depth at the roles, maybe ok in a parody, but then consider Suzanne Sole as Rizzo. She is the production’s show stealer, and in a good way. Her Rizzo is sharp, bitingly sarcastic, and confidently funny; she steals scenes with timing and a willingness to push the material further than it might otherwise go in a different actor’s hands.

The Bottom line: If you’re in the mood for a light, 90-minute diversion with a few strong turns (especially Sole’s Rizzo) and prefer a parody that prioritizes gags over grounding, Vape! will serve the purpose. Just don’t expect it to leave much behind once the final vape cloud clears.

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Vape! The Grease Parody: Theater has a running time of 90 minutes and plays thru January 3rd. Tickets at: www.Vapethemusical.com