Everyone knows the classic movie starring John Travolta and Olivia-Newton John, but did you know there was a Broadway production of Grease? No, I didn't go to see the actual performance on Broadway, but I did see one of Athens local high schools perform the musical. Alexander High School did an outstanding job with their performances, and it looked just like I'd landed in the fifties!
My room mate Jen and her boyfriend Ryan had been helping out with the musical for a number of weeks, and were very excited when showtime finally arrived. After dealing with all the stress of helping a group of high school students sing, a car accident that sent two of the students to a hospital in Columbus, and the pressure of making sure everyone sounded great, they were relieved to get the play over with. We all went Saturday night to watch the play: Jen, Ryan, my other room mate Rachel, and myself. After getting tickets and waiting to be seated, we finally got a spot in the middle of the Cafetorium, the lights started to dim, and the curtain opened. A small band (guitar, saxophone, trombone and piano) played near the right hand side of the floor, cueing everyone. Students dressed in 1950's attire started walking down the rows and onto the stage singing "Alma Mater ". A girl dressed up to play a teacher (Ms. Lynch) with glasses, ruler in hand, and hair pulled tight in a bun stood on stage next to the cheerleader in a yellow dress (Patty), curly ponytail, and smiling from ear to ear. A small boy in plaid shorts with suspenders (Eugene), a button down tan shirt, and round glasses (I swear there was tape on the bridge piece) was with them. Eugene and the car were my favorite characters in the whole musical!
The entire performance was spectacular! Props were colorful and the costumes were outstanding! The Pink Ladies had shiny jackets with the name on the back, and the T-Birds had leather jackets and slicked back, greasy hair. Even the Teen Angel that comes down to sing to Frenchy when she drops out of beauty school was dressed for the period: he wore an Elvis Presley suit, with a poofy hairdo just like the King! (I think it was made out of duct tape!) Greased Lightning, the car was actually played by somebody. They had what looked like a platform on wheels, and they put cardboard around it to make it look like a car: headlights, rust marks, and bumpers were painted on it. One of the kids was underneath the platform and moved the car with his hands and feet. It was the most hilarious thing ever, but extremely creative! The only difficult part with the car was that it would get stuck on the curtain, or the wheels would lock up, making it unable to move.
Choreography was amazing! All the kids learned how to dance, and the prom scene was a huge success. The girls were being tossed in the air, doing cartwheels, and the hand-jive went off without a hitch! The performers were very impressive with all the songs they had memorized and dance moves they learned. All the kids had characters that were appropriate for them: Sandy was very quiet and shy, but boy could she sing! Danny was the tough, leader of the pack. Frenchy was very bubbly and outgoing. Rizzo definitely had the attitude, and Kenickie was her male counterpart.
When the curtains closed, the whole audience clapped and cheered. It certainly was a spectacular performance and the kids sure looked like they enjoyed it too. When I was in high school, I never did anything like the drama club because I knew how scared and incredibly nervous I would be when I got up on stage. Seeing all those young adults, some who had never sung for an audience before, just blew me away and I think everyone else was impressed too. Knowing how much time was put into this performance, how much patience was required to get the students to the level they needed to be at, and how much energy and enthusiasm they brought with them when they sang and dance, impressed me even more because they looked very professional and confident. I could tell how much they enjoyed what they were doing, and how much they appreciated everyone going to see them. The students of Alexander High School definitely made Grease the word!
