'Grease Lighting' Strikes the Mile Square

While "Movies Under the Stars" has become a great Hoboken tradition over the years, the weekly outdoor event jumped to another level when "Grease" came to town Wednesday night.

But this wasn't your average screening of the classic movie. Although most of those who attended on Wednesday night may know every lyric to the "Grease" soundtrack, this version of the 1978 movie musical presented the lyrics karaoke style. "Grease Sing-A-Long" gave everyone the chance to really get to know what John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John and Stockard Channing are actually singing, and what made it better was that Hobokenites got to view it before its official national release on July 8.

Armed with lawn chairs and blankets, people came ready to find a prime spot at Pier a Park to watch Danny Zuko win Sandra Dee's heart starting at 7 p.m. Some prepping a lavish spread of cheese, chips and marinated olives or some take-out pizza, the night was perfect for couples looking for some "summer lovin'" or a way for parents to introduce their kids to a classic musical.

When Chick Tamunday found out about the night's special feature, she could hardly contain her excitement. "This is super," the Jersey City resident said. "I'm so happy right now."

Tamunday, who came to the screening with her childhood friends, loves "Grease" and even admitted that the film inspired a class project she did back when she was still in elementary school. "For a history project, we even did a musical about the Bill of Rights using 'Grease,'" she said. "We used 'Summer Lovin' and 'You're the One That I Want.'"

Jessica Guengue said she thought the event was a great idea. "It's different," Guengue said. "You're always inside watching movies or you have to go to someone's house to watch movies. It's a different take on it that you don't get a lot in this city area because everything's concrete, everything's indoors."

Hobokenite Tom Newdeck loves the fact that the screenings take place with the New York City skyline in the background. "It's one of the best spots in Hoboken," Newdeck, who is a regular at the "Movies Under the Stars" screenings, said.  

One thing stock broker and Mile Square local Tonya Maddison was very happy about was that films under the stars start at 9 p.m. "Last year, it started earlier so I could never make it," Maddison said. "That's why I never came. It was just like, 'Yeah okay, I'm at work. I can't just leave to a go to a movie in the park.'"

And while majority of the crowd was mostly hailed from the Garden State, New Yorkers, like Karen Garcia, did make their presence known. Garcia, who admitted to seeing "Grease" at least 30 times, got in the spirit by dressing as a Pink Lady for the night and ended up winning the evening's costume contest. 

While she may have been one of only 10 people who competed, it was clear that she really went all out for this one. "I just got the jacket today," she said. "If I knew there was a contest beforehand, I would've gotten more than just the jacket and really dressed up."

"Movies Under the Stars" takes place every Wednesday at Pier a Park on First Street and Frank Sinatra Drive. For more information visit Hobokennj.org.