BOULDER - A parent complaint Friday morning to the Jefferson High School administration about a performance Thursday of Grease resulted in the play being altered for Friday's show.

The parent, Marian Olsen, wife of the biology teacher and JHS basketball coach Don Olsen, hadn't seen the play.

However, she submitted a letter to the administration asking that the final performance of the play Friday night be canceled.

She objected to foul language, cigarette smoking and the play's message.

Her letter concluded, "I wonder if a second showing is even necessary."

When phoned by the IR, Olsen said her letter was a private matter.

"I went to the principal. I wasn't prepared to go to the public with my concerns," she said.

"My son was real offended by the message," she said.

"I think it can be handled within the administration that has set standards for the school," she said.

"I asked the principal to hold the drama department to the same standards as the rest of the school," she said.

She objected to some photos advertising the play, featuring student actors smoking cigarettes.

She also questioned why the Independent Record was interested in writing about Grease when the newspaper hadn't covered last week's Bible read-a-thon in Boulder.

Olsen said she planned to attend Friday night's performance.

"I just hope this evening's performance is something appropriate to be presented to the general public," she said.

The complaint came out of nowhere, said drama director Linda Piccolo.

"This is the third time the play has been performed (by the drama department). Why now is the show objectionable."

"The school first did the play in 1992."

She said that Principal T.J.Eyer spoke with her Friday morning and gave her a copy of the letter.

"It's not an issue I have with Mr. Eyer," she said.

"It's a compromise I offered," she said of the changes.

"I just offered to make the changes so they could perform tonight," Piccolo said.

She said that Eyer told her he would never cancel the play.

The play got a standing ovation Thursday night, she said.

"I feel so bad. They (the actors) want to bask in their glory," she said.

"The kids just went crazy (when they heard about the complaint)," she said.

Piccolo said the changes to the play include removing cigarette smoking (using fake cigarettes) from several scenes.

A reference to "V.D." (venereal disease) was dropped from an opening song.

Some of the complaints, she said, regard misinterpretations of the actual lines in the play - sexual connotations are being read into the lines that aren't there. The play is 30 years old.

One example, she said is a line by the character Kenicke, who is talking about his car: "There were girls who would get down on their knees to ride in this car."

The line means that some girls would beg to ride in the car, said Piccolo.

Apparently, it was mis-interpreted to mean they were willing to do oral sex to ride in the car, she said.

Friday's performance will include re-wording of this line in the play as well as several others.

Piccolo is also posting a sign at the ticket counter that the play isn't appropriate for young children.

"I just think it says a lot about censorship," she said of the complaint.

Eyer at first refused to talk with the IR, saying he wouldn't do so without knowing which parent had called in a complaint to the newspaper.

He then said, "I spoke with Mrs. Piccolo about some concerns I received."

"The play is being performed according to the script," he insisted.

He later called back and apologized.

"We're attempting to remove all those lines that were ad libs - that were taken as inappropriate; that's all we're attempting to do," Eyer said.

"We're trying to tone down the amount of smoking and drinking and emphasize the acting and all the hard work that the students have done to prepare for this."

"I did not request any specific changes. Any changes that were made were done, Mrs. Piccolo and her actors came up with."

There could be future impacts of the complaint, however.

"It will probably have us review the plays before they're ever started to make sure they're appropriate for all audiences," he said.