By Rachel Komich and Brandon Rotsky

Drama Club Delights with Spring Production of “Grease”

By Sam Lowenkamp, Staff Writer

Classic ‘50s lounge music.  Plush cushioned seats.  Flowing red curtains.  An expectant tension in the air.  The lights dim and the curtains begin to part.  The BHS drama club production of Grease has begun.

Over the past few years, some drama club productions have not attracted large audiences. On Friday, April 23, Grease smashed this tradition to pieces.  The leads, Amnon Carmi as Danny Zuko, and Jordan Kaye as Sandy, were dead on.  Their rendition of “All Choked Up” sent the audience atwitter with cat calls, whispering, and cheers.  Aside from their stellar singing, the pair also demonstrated wonderful dancing and acting abilities.  Kaye perfectly manifested the innocence and spunk of

Sandy’s character, especially when contrasted with the flirtatiousness of the rest of the cast.  Carmi’s Zuko had the female audience members swooning in their seats and crying out for his attention.

The “Pink Ladies,” Allison Diamond, Lindsay Bialosky, Courtney Fishman, and Emily Evans, and the “Burger Palace Boys,” Gabe Firestone, Ben Ducoff, Brett Music, and Cody Swanson, supported the leads very well.  They provided great back-up vocals and made the dance numbers interesting.  Some of them also had their own solos, which, in my opinion, were performed at a much higher caliber than past BHS musicals I have seen.

The singing, dancing, and acting were all top-notch, but they alone did not set Grease apart from past musicals. What did set “Grease” apart was the attitude of the cast.  From beginning to end, it was quite apparent that the entire cast was enjoying the performance and each other.  Despite the sophomoric teasing and physical fights that took place on stage, the audience could tell that the actors and actresses were having fun.  According to female lead Jordan Kaye, “it [the cast] was the greatest in the history of the world.  We all loved each other so much and I’m going to miss everybody, we became so close… rediculously so.”  There was obviously a great deal of chemistry between members of the cast.

This chemistry was also apparent off the stage.  During the week leading up to opening night, the cast of “Grease” hosted a “Sock Hop Day” and sold root beer floats during lunch.  The cast also wore their show T-Shirts and strutted the halls.  Their enjoyment of and excitement over the show helped to create the positive mood and atmosphere during the show.  According to Carmi, “the way you could tell how close we were is that even with our huge workloads and depressing school work, we brushed it aside to spend time with each other at Chipotle.”

People perform best when they are doing something that they enjoy, and the cast of “Grease” certainly enjoyed their show, which was performed very well.  With some luck, the students and faculty can expect equally dazzling performances in the future.