By Keisha McDuffie/ne news editor
Boy meets girl, girl falls for boy, boy loses girl, boy woos her back and they all live happily ever after. Yes, Grease is a predictable Hollywood teenage love story; however, this is not Hollywood.
This is Grease: The Musical, presented on stage by the NE Players Wednesday-Saturday, April 25-28
Set in 1959 at Rydell High School, Grease tells the story of typical high school teenagers and their growing pains. Complete with drive-in movies, rebellious good girls, hot-rod loving boyfriends, peddle pushers, teased hair and soda pop shops, Grease paints a vivid picture of the times.
Danny Zuko, played by Lloyd Harvey, and Sandy Dumbrowski, played by Casey Stephenson, have a brief summer fling, but when summer ends, the feelings do not. Zuko focuses more on Sandy’s physical features while she develops a more emotional attachment.
When the school bell rings and Sandy runs into Danny, she is excited to see him. But Danny plays tough and blows Sandy off.
Stephenson said she is generally cast as sweet and simple characters such as Sandy. She said love scenes are often awkward especially when playing opposite a friend like Harvey.
“ It takes a lot of practice not to giggle through the kissing scenes,” she said. “We do have to be comfortable with each other; otherwise, we would never pull it off.”
Stephenson is an education major who plans to continue acting for fun, but not as a career.
After being cast in a heavy role in the fall, Harvey said he was excited about playing Zuko.
“ It’s a fun and upbeat production. We all have a lot of fun, and that’s always a good thing,” he said.
The cast and director agree the production will make for a fun evening.
“ This is a fluff musical: boy meets girl, girl falls for boy, boy loses girl but wins her in the end,” Susan Polster, associate professor of drama and the play’s director, said.
Polster did not choose Grease; NE drama director Steven Thomas, did. However, she said perhaps it was better to take it easy since she directed last year’s musical, Cabaret.
“ We took it to the dark side,” she said. “We took it into Germany, the Nazi camps.”
Grease first hit the stage in Chicago in 1971, written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, the production premiered as “a play with music.”
Two New York producers suggested it would work better as a musical, and if Jacobs and Casey would make the adjustments, they could produce it off Broadway.
The two writers made the necessary adjustments, and Grease has been a record-breaking success ever since. Moving its way up from Eden Theatre in downtown Manhattan to The Majestic, it closed in April 1980 after 3,388 performances.
“ I think this show will have a lot more people attending than the normal spring musical because who doesn’t know and love Grease?” Stephenson said.
The NE Campus performances are 8 p.m. in the NFAB Theatre. TCC students, faculty and staff are free.
Tickets are $5 for general admission and $3 for seniors.
For reservations, call 817-515-6687.
