Grease Review
As the audience took their seats, excitement bounded off the Dun Mhuire Theatre walls, anticipating the final production of Grease: The Musical. The incredible production between our very own schools, Loreto Secondary School and St. Peter’s College. Nerves and tensions were high back stage as the rumbles of excited chatter filled our own local hall. Since the start of the year, both schools have worked incredibly hard to produce not only a show, but a phenomenon that would be referred to as one of the most professional displays of talent both schools have ever seen.
As the red curtain loomed, it revealed a different world. The audience was transported into a different time and different era. The audience became the students of Rydell High School. The talented cast morphed into their characters perfectly, a group of individual teenagers getting through the pressures of secondary school (Something that we can all relate too!) We were introduced to both cliques right from the start, the “out-of-sight” T-birds and the cool, chic Pink ladies. Ali Murphy, who played Rizzo, adapted to her bad girl role perfectly, with her air of coolness that left the audience in awe. As Ali sang, the audience fell silent as they looked on with an emotional gaze. She captured not only the attention of the audience but their hearts as well. Ali described her time in the show as “totally energetic and fun, it’s as if we’re one big family backstage”. It was clear that these students loved the roles they played and flourished in portraying their characters. “Frenchie”, or to some of us Katie Wright, stunned the audience with her uncanny ability to mimic the accent of the original Frenchie and her impressive smoking techniques. Katie completely transformed into the true Frenchie with her best friend attributes. The show also boasted incredible solos from a variety of different cast members, our very own Fiona Brauneisen included. Fiona becomes a singing sensation as the girls parade around in their pj’s, although, we doubt Sr. Christine would have approved! Fiona, who is in 6th year this year, said that “the show is a great escape to rid ourselves of the 6th year blues”; she also went on to say that being a part of Grease was simply indescribable. Yet, let’s not forget the comic side to the show! Laura Donnelly grabbed the laughs of the audience in her hilarious role as Jan. Her humour was unforgettable and I still am smiling while thinking about her fantastic portrayal as the fun-loving character, who not to mention gets her first kiss on stage! Laura said she loved the role as Jan, because it was exactly like herself! And let’s not forget our beloved Sandy, played by Jill Murphy. Jill captured the sweet, innocent role down to a tee, yet surprised us all as she made a complete transformation into her black, leather ensemble! Jill’s solos were beautiful and poignant; she evoked the emotions of the crowd with her incredible voice.
Wait now, we can’t forget the boys! The Peters boys, as much as it pains me to say it, delivered completely this year with their fantastic array of talent. (FYI, I’m referring to the music, not the tanned bodies of Lambert, Scallan, Hughes and Conway! This definitely gave the girls something to look at!) The boys really did wow the audience with their guitar playing, dance moves and overall performance. Nathan Harran and John Mullins, showed off their musical stylings on guitar (ahem ahem!) and managed to enthral the crowd with their innocent boyish charm. Nathan described his time in the show as “a chance to really enjoy the time left in school and do something completely different”. Sam O’Shea also managed to catch the laughs from the excited audience with his hilarious side-kick role. David Atkinson revived the loved character of Kenicky, with his incredible talent for the stage. David transformed completely into his role, capturing the audience and sharing the experience of this old time classic. David who has been in a number of performances described Grease as “totally professional even though it is an amateur show”. The atmosphere and electricity bounced from the stage as he and his leading star, Danny, played by Fintan Lawlor, boasted their impressive talents to the audience.
The chorus really jumped into the swing of things for this much-loved musical. Not only was their acting and ambition incredible, the dances, the music, the songs and the costumes were perfected to a fine art. With a combination of talent from both schools, they truly shone on the stage of the Dun Mhuire. Each member completely in character of a Rydell High student. The hand jive scene particularly stood out to me. The professionalism of the cast, all the while captivating the fun-loving atmosphere was absolutely electric. Now, let’s not forget our two celebrities of the night! Both surprise visits from our very own, “coolest cat in town”, Sr. Carmel and the angelic Fr. Aodhan! Both of which gave fantastic performances, gelling well with the cast around them.
Grease stole the hearts of the audience that night. It produced an air of happiness, of excitement that kept the crowd singing “Shoo-bop-di-bop” all night. For me, it was an experience that I will never forget, and it will stand to me as a memory when I leave the school next year. The cast weren’t just a regular cast, they were a family. That was evident from each seat in the house. The chemistry on stage, the top-notch acting, the incredible songs and dances carved a place in the history of both schools that night. I think it is fair to say, that sitting there in the audience, we all felt proud. Proud of the cast, of our friends and teachers and most importantly our schools. The cast captured the true essence of school life and the joyful (well most of the time) days of youth. Congratulations to all the cast, Mr. Lawlor and Mr. Cleary, and to everyone who took part in the show. Together with everybody’s contribution, a fantastic show was produced. Finally, I have one more thing to say: Grease, truly is the word.
Written by Orlaith Farrell
Orlaithfarrell's Blog 