GREASE The Musical Warren Casey

A Remembrance

By JIM JACOBS

Warren Casey and I first met at a small Chicago community theatre in the spring of 1963. We were both budding young amateur actors cast in a memorably bad production of A Shot in the Dark.

Although Warren was eight years older than me, and a recently transplanted New Yorker, we hit it off immediately and within a year he had become my undisputed best friend. Few people realise how long we knew each other (seven years) before our collaboration on Grease began.

During the course of the next 25 years our friendship and professional partnership never ceased to continually remind me of one basic truth - "This guy's a genius". Maths, science, art, literature, music - it didn't matter - he knew it, and he knew it well. He was, without question, the funniest man I have ever known in my life. No one has ever made me laugh as much, and as often, as Warren Casey. I'm often reminded by my wife of the time Warren showed up quite unexpectedly in Las Vegas, moments before my second marriage was to take place. (He had been Best Man at my first wedding thirteen years earlier). With the scheduled ceremony about to begin I hastily asked Warren if he'd like to be my Best Man once again. "Sure. Why not?" he dead-panned, "It's a tradition".

I remember the first time we came to London. Warren thought it was great; especially what he considered the royal treatment designed just for him. "It seems wherever I go I have my own personal dressing room. Have you noticed my initials, W C, on doors everywhere we go?"!

In November 1988, Warren Casey passed away. The loss to those of us who knew him (and to theatre fans everywhere) is immeasurable. His humour, his songs and his lyrics will continue to live on every night, somewhere in the world, wherever Grease is being performed.

You can rest assured that Warren is here in spirit... just the way we always remember him.