Grease at Woodrow Wilson

by Katie Frank - Montgomery Blair High School

Selected for the Georgetowner

 

Poodle skirts, greased hair, drive-in movies, the hand jive—add them together and you’ve got the rocking and rolling 1950s musical, Grease. Woodrow Wilson High School took its own shot at the classic show and succeeded with hilarious characterizations and soulful vocals.

Grease first appeared on Broadway in 1972, and went on to please audiences around the world. In 1979 it found an even larger audience with the hit movie version of the play. The storyline centers around Rydell High School, where two prestigious cliques, the Pink Ladies, led by the fiery Rizzo, and the Burger Palace Boys, led by the suave Danny Zuko, rule the school and flirt endlessly with one another. Enter Sandy, a proper young lady who just happens to have been Danny Zuko’s summer fling. Will Danny take her back, and risk his cool-guy image? Wilson High School let its audience have an entertaining time finding out.

Wilson skillfully navigated through this hectic and high-energy show, and was helped by its precise, lively ensemble. The show was memorable because of some of its excellent lead actors as well as various sidesplitting comic characters.

Laura Hankin was believable as Sandy and sang beautifully in the lovesick ballad, “Hopelessly Devoted to You.” Jordan Brown’s Danny Zuko was charming, energetic, and reminiscent of the movie’s John Travolta. His performance of “Alone At the Drive-In Movie” was an endearing portrayal of the universal embarrassment that comes with being a teenager.

Most memorable was Rosa Kelly’s portrayal of the hardened bad girl Rizzo, who makes fun of Sandy’s virginal qualities and deals with her own pregnancy scare. Kelly commanded the stage as she mocked poor Sandy in the song, “Look At Me, I’m Sandra Dee,” and revealed Rizzo’s more vulnerable side in “There Are Worse Things I Could Do.”

Many of the supporting actors helped anchor the show and kept the energy steady. VonDexter Montegut’s Doody was painfully adorable, with his winning smile and bright-eyed innocence. Ersan Aygün drove the audience to tears of mirth with his portrayal of the Teen Angel, and Byron Grant was as shamelessly nerdy as he could possibly be in the role of Eugene.

The cast did a great job channeling the choreography from the movie, and even added a little of their own flair. Erick Whitaker ruled the dance floor as Johnny Casino during the High School Hop.

The set was simple but suitable and the costumes stayed true to the 1950s time period. Some minor sound glitches did nothing to slow the actors down.

Woodrow Wilson High put on a solid, humorous production that took the audience traveling back to the hopping 1950s. One might say it was peachy keen, jellybean.