This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Nov. 22, 2011 - Marquette High School's performance of "Grease" was a nostalgic blast back to the past that showed they were "hopelessly devoted" to putting on a good show.
"Grease" is a musical that was created in 1971 by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. It was originally performed in Chicago, and then became a hit Broadway show that ran 3,388 shows until 1980. It was also made into a movie that has greatly impacted American culture. It has been revived 11 times for various famous theater companies and is still Broadway's thirteenth longest-running show.
The show starts out with the rebellious youngsters of Rydell High (the Pink Ladies and the Burger Palace Boys) chatting in the cafeteria, on their first day of a new year of high school. Sandy (Gabby Mancuso) is the new girl from out of town, and is introduced to the girls' group by one of the members, Frenchy (Paige Woodley).
Sandy describes her summer romance with a mysterious young man named Danny (Tony Rodriguez) and soon realizes that he goes to her new school. The show shows the development of the couple's relationship, and follows the rest of the two gangs' lives. Although the show had a slow start, the cast and crew worked together to pick up the pace, and keep the show going.
The production was led by the two lovebirds; Sandy and Danny. With Sandy's beautiful voice, and Danny's rhythmic dance moves, the two were an unstoppable couple. Although their chemistry seemed a bit unrealistic in the first act, after intermission it intensified, and you could see their true passion.
Although the show had lead characters, other featured characters also made an impact on the audience. Kenickie (Andrew Larson); the leader of the Burger Palace Boys was a tough guy on the outside, but a softie on the inside. The audience could tell that Larson really got into his character by looking at his dance moves and by hearing his strong and powerful voice. Another character who stood out was Rizzo (Keri Lanemann); the smart-mouthed girl who didn't want to hear anything that anyone had to say. Lanemann also had a strong voice and a sassy attitude.
Along with the cast, the crew also did excellent work. The light crew (led by Brendon Schmidt) stunned the audience by making the theater sparkle like the night sky during a scene at the drive-in movies. The backdrops by the set crew (Sean Cowell/Caitlin Hunter) were efficient, and helped to make scene changes faster. They also made a fantastic version of Kenickie's car: Greased Lightning.
Overall, Marquette's performance of "Grease" was catchy and comedic, and kept the audience entertained throughout the entire show.
Kristen McPike is a student at McCluer High School.
About the Cappies
The Critics and Awards Program for high school theater -- known as Cappies -- was formed in the aftermath of the Columbine shooting to celebrate writing and performing arts at America's high schools. It operates chapters across the nation.
St. Louis' program was launched in 2002-03.
At the end of the year, the top performers, technicians and reviewers are honored during a Tony-style gala. The Beacon is happy to help spread the word by printing some reviews.