Grease the musical has some very catchy melodies, and in November you can experience them for yourself.

  Mr. Roeckers, Cotter math teacher and stage director, held auditions which attracted many students.  “Right now we have a cast of 31, and I expect to have about 7-10 students involved with the technical running of the show,” he said.

  Grease , best known from the 1978 film,  seems to be the High School Musical of that era. A classic story about a girl who fell in love with a “bad” boy and love that changed them both. What Danny learns is to practice “chivalry”and being less arrogant. On the other hand, Sandy experiences that too much “crying” and protesting is not the way to attract men.

  Although the movie is well known, changes which make the play a bit different from the original were necessary. “There are songs in the movie that are not in the stage version (Grease, Hopelessly Devoted to You, Sandy, You’re the One that I Want) and songs on stage that aren’t in the movie.

 Also in the movie, they reassign sung solos based on who is playing that character.  For example…John Travolta’s character of Danny sang lead on “Grease Lightning” in the movie, but on stage it is Kenicki that sings that song”, explained  Roeckers. There were also some issues with content better left out  because of character integrity and educational system at Cotter.

  Rehearsals are taken seriously, meeting about five times a week. Performances are November 1 & 2 at7:00 pm and November 3, at 3:00 pm in the Cotter- St Cecilia auditorium.

To make this performance  possible, organizers took time to divide parts and match  role with each student properly: “When doing casting I look at vocal abilities and what is done at the audition, but sometimes consider what I’ve seen students do in prior productions”, says the stage director.

Although acting in the play is practically a full time job, some of the busy athletes at school successfully got parts. Mr. Roeckers explains that he does not want that to be “a deterrent from them being in the show”, all talents are appreciated. However, we all know there can be just two lead actors.  A challenge is finding the voices that can handle the solos and portray their characters.  For this production Jake Kiese, who plays Danny Zucco, and Colette Penic, who plays Sandy Dumbrowski, ended up being the best fit.

     “I tried out for the musical because of the excitement that comes with the opening night performance and the joy that our productions bring to our audience”, says Jake.  The passion for music and willingness to gain new experience are other factors in why the actors appreciate life on the stage.

    Getting into a character is something which needs commitment and a great imagination. “I am very nervous to play Danny. His ‘bad boy’ persona and the way he treats the girls will make it hard for me”, thinks Jake, the new musical’s heartbreaker.  The part he considers most difficult is the dancing. To remember all the steps is challenging even for professionals. This is also the activity which makes Kiese feel uncomfortable the most, since, according to his own words, “I have two left feet. I would sing before I dance any day of the week.”

His passion for music was apparent in audition. His audition performance was sensitive and lovely. Talent is also evident in his stage partner, the charming Colette. They know each other well and consider themselves good friends. . Danny,Sandy and all of the others are going to make it a great show. One which will bring the pure melody even to the most silent hearts.