Matt Monaco is Danny, Colleen Sullivan is Sandy and DahniTrujillo is Rizzo. That's the star lineup from The Acting Company director Staci Johnson, who announced her Grease cast choices Friday.

Here is the full cast..

Auditions for Grease, a well known and very popular musical, were jammed with hopefuls, and a fair number of talented people didn't make the cut, often beause they were a tad too young for the age bracket, not to mention the sometimes racy dialogue.

There were some pleasant surprises in Johnson's casting strategies. For one thing she performed a sex change on nerd Eugene. Dorky Eugene is now goofy Eugenia.

Actually, it's not a bad surgical decision, since Eugeniais to be bplayed by Heidi Ramey, a young lady with great comic presence and undaunted enthusiasm.

Its a great part for her, with the temendous responsiblity off opening the show with a long mononolgue at the sometime -in-the-future class reunion speech.

I also predict Heidi will be a scene -stealer in her few later appearances, especially at the school dance.

Some younger talent did make the cut, and Johnson deserves credit for her forward thinking. The 12- to 14-year-olds she cast as ensemble singers, dancers, and "students" can use the experience of working with older players as they make the transition from juveniles to adolescent parts.

This substratum of developing entertainers include up-and-comers such as Kenni Fayette, Ayla Clark and Alexandria Mazerolle.

They and other younger players in this Grease production already have put in long apprenticeships, and are due to break out soon.
But they would do well to study the methods and techiques some of the older actors, singers and dancers have honed. It will help fit them for the big roles that will soon be theirs -- like in the next show, or, at the latest, next season.

Rehearsals for :Grease!" begin Tuesday, with the show opening at the Marysville Auditorium in the latter part of July.

"Grease!" is a prdouction of The Acting Company, Yuba City. A major renovation of the company's B Street theater is underway, so rehearsals will be in temporary digs. Some rehearsals are expected to held at the home of co-director Pierrete Jensen; others at the Packard Library in Marysville.