Westerville South’s final show of the year, “Grease”, was refreshing in so many ways. Whether it be the incredible set, the colorful lighting or the performances of the cast, the show was well done and was a great way to end the school year.
Junior Sophia Hess stated, “Wow! They did such a good job. Everything about the stage and the performance was really cool to see, and well worth my time.”
“Grease” began as a West End hit, and has gone on to become both a successful feature film and a popular theatre show. Most people are aware of the success of “Grease”, especially in the west as Grease’s 1950’s setting and its mix of rebellious teen stereotypes make it a cultural staple.
When it was announced that “Grease” would be the final show of the school year many students were excited because of the show’s mass popularity.
“I think Grease was a great pick for the final show of the school year,” stated sophomore Emily Zepida. “I love Grease, when I first heard South was going to perform it I already knew that I was going to go see it.”
The story primarily focuses on blossoming love between greaser Danny Zuko played by Asher Light, and “Good girl” Sandy Dumbrowski played by Addie Gugiolo. After a whirlwind summer romance, they unexpectedly reunite for their senior year at Rydell High.
Navigating the struggles of romance they both hit a couple of roadblocks. There are other subplots and relationships, often following the romance between the other Greasers, and a friend group called the Pink Ladies.
The story side of the show was good, but the musical aspect and set design were great.
At times it felt as if the singing was done by professionals, as the voices of the young actors were amazing. “Grease” is known for a lot of its musical numbers like “summer nights” and “devoted to you,” and the actors within the show worked hard to live up to its musical infamy.
“I knew a lot of the music in the show from instagram, but I never expected the students at South to have such amazing voices. I was immediately able to recognize so many of the songs without having actually watched the movie before,” sophomore Lillie Gorenz stated.
Along with the element of live music being played on stage the music in the show was possibly some of the best that South has ever produced within a theater production.
Besides the music, the set design was on par with more professional shows and amazed members of the audience. The black and white checkered flooring, the staircase and platform on the stage, and a moving car “Grease Lightning,” all really made the show stand out.
“I have study hall in the auditorium so I got to see how the set was looking early on. I really love the design of it. It’s honestly really cool; there’s a lot of detail,” Zepida said.
Before the show made its debut there were some troubles behind the curtain. The dances and moving of the set posed an issue to the cast as only mere days before the show a lot of them felt as if they weren’t ready yet to perform.
However, by opening night, the cast felt prepared and put on a great show.
“I think everyone felt nervous before the show, but everyone feels that way about any show,” sophomore Molly Niewenhous said. “It helped to push people to do better, and I think that’s why the show turned out so good.”
Some in the audience did struggle to follow the story at times. “To be fair I never watched Grease before, but there were times during the show that I didn’t really know what was happening,” Gorenz said. “But even though I didn’t get some of it ,I still really liked the show.”
However, the music, acting performances and set design helped to carry the show, even when there was a lacking element of understanding about the main plot of the story.
“The shows at South are always really good, but I just feel like Grease was really well rounded having comedy aspects, music, and an amazing set; it was such a great show.” Hess said.
