Grease 2 at the Funhouse Lounge

The Funhouse Lounge is a cocktail bar and cabaret in southeast Portland with a sideline in musical versions of cult films — Die Hard, Back to the Future, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In the autumn of 2023 it gave Grease 2 the same treatment: five weeks of a parody-homage staging written for the people who already know every lyric.

The Funhouse Lounge cast of Grease 2 posed on steps in pink jackets, varsity sweaters and poodle skirts

Promotional cast photo, via the Funhouse Lounge.

Artistic director and owner Andy Barrett wrote a new script around the film's songs and story, camped up for the faithful. Reid Ewing — Dylan across eleven seasons of Modern Family — played Michael Carrington, with Sophia Veser as Stephanie Zinone. James Liptak was musical director and Julie June Heffner choreographed, promising big, colourful numbers with lifts and dips, "Score Tonight" in a bowling alley and "Reproduction" in a health class. Asked whether Stephanie would climb the ladder for "Cool Rider", Heffner said fans would not be disappointed.

The run had a rough start. Opening night was pushed back a week from September 7, and a bout of COVID in the company knocked out a weekend of shows soon after. What remained ran Thursdays through Saturdays at 6:45pm with Sunday matinees at 2:30pm, ending October 21.

ArticleHere is OregonFive cool things about the show ListingEverOutDates and times VenueFunhouse LoungeThe show's own page