As you may or may not know, the Pierrettes are no longer performing Grease for their spring musical. Instead, they will be doing the well-known play Little Shop of Horrors. They chose to change plays after learning that if they attempted to perform Grease, they could be shut down.
Samuel French Incorporated, the company that handles the musical’s licensing, does not allow all-female casts to perform it. They feel that having females play the role of male characters is the same as changing the script.
In 2005, a Philadelphian all-female production of Grease was faced with a cease and desist letter from Samuel French Inc. just a few hours before their opening. Being unable to do Grease, the group changed their musical to Grease and Desist, a satirical musical modeled heavily after Grease.
After the issues they had with the 2005 production, Samuel French Inc. has changed the Grease contract. It now says that female roles must be played by women and male roles by men, which makes Salem unable to perform it.
The Pierrettes’ new spring musical, Little Shop of Horrors, is about a florist shop worker who raises a plant that feeds on human flesh. Auditions are Sunday, December 8th at 6 p.m.
By Em Ramser
thesalemite.org 