Key Details for Vape! The Grease Parody in Chicago
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The Apollo Theater Chicago expands Vape! The Grease Parody from five to seven shows per week starting September 22, 2026, adding Tuesday and Wednesday evening performances.
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From September 22 through the end of the month, performances run Tuesdays through Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2:30 p.m., with Saturday as the only double-performance day.
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Standard seats start at $45 all-in, with Pink Lady Premium Seating from $85. The show runs about 85–90 minutes with no intermission and carries a 13+ age recommendation.
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The Chicago production is a transfer of the completed Off-Broadway New York run, and the Apollo Theater is located at 2550 N. Lincoln Ave. with easy CTA access.
Ticket Links for Late September 2026 Performances
Use the links below to go straight to tickets for each September 2026 performance of Vape! The Grease Parody at Apollo Theater Chicago.
Friday, September 25, 2026 — 7:30 PM
Saturday, September 26, 2026 — 2:30 PM
Buy Tickets for Sept 26 Matinee
Saturday, September 26, 2026 — 7:30 PM
Buy Tickets for Sept 26 Evening
Sunday, September 27, 2026 — 2:30 PM
Tuesday, September 29, 2026 — 7:30 PM
Wednesday, September 30, 2026 — 7:30 PM
September 2026 Performance Calendar
This calendar walks through every late September 2026 performance in order and highlights how each date fits the new weekly pattern. September 22 marks the shift to the expanded Tuesday through Sunday schedule.
Show Details: The Chicago production runs about 90 minutes with no intermission. Standard seats start at $45 (up to $65), and Pink Lady Premium Seating begins at $85, with all-in pricing that includes ticketing fees. The show recommends ages 13 and up. Chicago Theatre Review advises that Vape! The Grease Parody is better suited to audiences 14 and older due to adult content.
Friday, September 25 — 7:30 PM: Friday at 7:30 p.m. continues as the end-of-week evening slot. That timing has held since opening night on August 20, 2026.
Saturday, September 26 — 2:30 PM: This is the Saturday matinee. Saturday is the only regular double-performance day, with 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. shows, and select Thursday matinees added later in the run.
Saturday, September 26 — 7:30 PM: The evening performance completes the Saturday pair. This date offers the widest choice of start times in September.
Sunday, September 27 — 2:30 PM: The Sunday matinee closes the first full week under the seven-show schedule. The 2:30 p.m. curtain supports an early evening finish for visitors.
Tuesday, September 29 — 7:30 PM: The second Tuesday in the new pattern. Early-week evenings often feel more relaxed in the Apollo’s intimate space.
Wednesday, September 30 — 7:30 PM: The final September performance. Like Tuesday, this mid-week slot typically draws a smaller, more laid-back crowd than weekend shows.
Background on Vape! The Grease Parody
Vape! The Grease Parody is a comedic spoof of the musical film Grease. Catie Hogan wrote the show with Sketchworks Comedy (Leanna Adams, John D. Babcock III, Casey Holloway, Julie Shaer, and Brian Troxell), with lyrics and additional book by Billy Recce and Danny Salles, and direction by Jack Plotnick.
The production premiered in Atlanta in 2018 and became the subject of a copyright case in which Chief Judge Laura Taylor Swain ruled that the show qualifies as a parody under fair use law. After that ruling, Vape! The Grease Parody played a one-night-only benefit concert at NYC’s The Town Hall on March 11, 2025, with proceeds supporting The Entertainment Community Fund, then completed an extended Off-Broadway run before transferring to Chicago.
The Chicago production features an eight-person cast. Will Leonard plays Danny, Jenna Smith is Sandy, Suzanne Sole appears as Rizzo and Miss Lynch, Shea Hopkins is Kenickie, Corey Barlow is Sonny, Emma Dunlop is Jan, Sophia Brazda is Marty, and Mai Hartwick is Frenchy. Melissa Crabtree and Ben Harmon serve as swings, and most performers also cover multiple additional roles.
BroadwayWorld Chicago’s September 8, 2026 review highlighted the pre-show atmosphere with high school gym banners, a pop playlist, and audience cornhole as nostalgic and entertaining, while also noting that AI-generated lobby posters undercut the experience. Chicago Theatre Review singled out Suzanne Sole as the standout performer.
For groups of eight or more, contact Group Tix & Tours at (312) 423-6612 or email tami@grouptixandtours.com. The box office number is 773-935-6100. Tickets are also available through TodayTix and vapethemusical.com. All sales are final, and exchanges depend on box office approval and seat availability. Beyond September, the seven-show weekly schedule continues through January 3, 2027, with added 2:30 p.m. Thursday matinees on October 8 and 22, November 5 and 19, and December 3 and 17.
Scheduling Patterns and Local Context
The mid-September expansion from five to seven shows per week signals strong early demand. Productions typically add performance nights when existing shows sell at a level that supports higher operating costs. The timing at week five of a roughly twenty-week run suggests the creative team and venue saw enough audience momentum to grow the schedule before the fall tourist season reached its peak.
The Chicago and New York distinction shapes how listings appear in search. Vape! The Grease Parody completed its Off-Broadway engagement before moving to Chicago, so there is no overlapping New York production. Search results that surface New York dates or a separate “Don’t Vape!” entry do not apply to the Apollo Theater Chicago run. The Choose Chicago listing and the Apollo Theater project page both confirm Chicago as the active engagement.
The Chicago roots of Grease add another layer. Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey based the original musical on Jacobs’s time at Taft High School in Norwood Park, and it premiered in 1971 at the old Kingston Mines Theatre, a short walk from the Apollo. A parody of that story playing in the same neighborhood creates a specific local resonance that differed from the New York run.
Practical Planning Tips for September Shows
Cheapest Night: Standard seats start around $45 with all-in pricing. Tuesday, September 29 at 7:30 p.m. is a strong option for budget-minded mid-week theatergoers.
Weekend Options: Saturday, September 26 offers both a 2:30 p.m. matinee and a 7:30 p.m. evening performance, the only double-performance day in September. Sunday, September 27 at 2:30 p.m. provides a weekend matinee that still leaves time for evening travel.
Booking Around the Schedule Change: Any date from September 22 onward follows the expanded seven-show pattern. Earlier September dates used the five-show Thursday through Sunday schedule and have passed as of this article’s publication.
Age Suitability: The official recommendation is 13+. Chicago Theatre Review suggests 14+, while Entertaining Chicago recommends 15+ for those sensitive to sexual content. BroadwayWorld Chicago notes that some audience members left during a repeated crude song.
Out-of-Towner Logistics: The Apollo Theater sits at 2550 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, IL 60614. It is accessible via the CTA Red, Brown, and Purple lines at the Fullerton “L” stop, along with CTA buses including the #11 Lincoln Avenue route.
Runtime Planning: At about 85 minutes with no intermission, a 7:30 p.m. curtain typically ends around 8:55 p.m. That timing leaves room for dinner before or after the show in Lincoln Park.
Summary of the September Expansion
The September 22 shift from five to seven weekly performances defines the Chicago run of Vape! The Grease Parody from a scheduling standpoint. Nine performances fall between September 22 and September 30, all at Apollo Theater Chicago, with Saturday as the only double-performance day. Standard seats start at $45 with all-in pricing that includes ticketing fees, and the expanded pattern remains in place through January 3, 2027.
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