Grease

Cherrybrook Technology High School (NSW).

March 2016.

Any drama or music teacher will attest that a school production means participation and involvement across the school – students, teachers, support staff and parents.  It involves inordinate co-ordination from accessing funds to writing permission notes to parents to seemingly mundane tasks like covering the classes of the teaching ‘crew’ during production week (as you’ve probably guessed, there speaks the voice of experience!).

Cherrybrook Technolgy High School’s production of Grease was no exception. Lisa Holt (director /choreographer), Daniel Jones (assistant director), Domenic Sirone (musical director) and Rebecca Donoghue (producer) led a mighty production crew of  forty teachers and students to get this production up and running in an impressive staging involving over seventy performers.

Using projections that supported an effectively minimalist set (designer Peter Maynard), and a talented ten piece band, the production was tight, fast moving and, naturally, very colourful, especially with a chorus of thirty two very energetic singer/dancers who brought the performance, very brightly, into the audience. It’s no mean feat to ensure seventy young performers sing, dance, freeze in perfect formation – and sustain the freeze until the lights fade – but obviously Holt is a director who demands perfection and a mature response from her cast.

Brigitte Dalziell was a very accomplished Sandy, sustaining the character’s ‘girl-next-door’ sweetness in both action and voice – especially in “Hopelessly Devoted to You” – until she transformed to a very seductive vamp for “You’re The One That I Want”.

Will Lott, in his first stage performance, was a very nonchalant Danny Zuko, playing both ‘faces’ of the character successfully. Lott’s convincing character and his assured movement and timing belied his lack of stage experience.

As the petulant leader of the Pink Ladies, Jade Nelson was a feisty Rizzo. A very confident singer and dancer, Nelson has a mature ability to engage the audience as her strong characterisation proved.

Ryan Ashtari played Kenickie. Backed by the leather-clad T-Birds on a cute car, Ashtari ensured that the very popular “Greased Lightning” was one of the hits of the production.

Backing these four were their talented support leads who made this particular cast of Rydell High students a pretty classy group.  Working together as a cohesive team, they sustained character well and supported each other enthusiastically in musical numbers.

Dancers supported Grace Kwon as she sang the lovely “Teen Angel” to Sandy, and Georgia Clements’ lively depiction (and talented dancing) as Cha Cha was a highlight of the Prom.

Grease is one of the most popular musicals for school productions as it’s about kids, the music is so well known, the songs are more suitable for younger voices … and audiences love it! So, naturally, Cherrybrook’s matinee and evening performances were booked out – and I’m sure the energetic and carefully directed cast gave each audience a performance to remember.

Carol Wimmer