LHS’s musical and theatrical talent was highlighted in this year’s rendition of the 1972 Broadway musical Grease, which ran from Thursday, Nov. 21 to Saturday, Nov. 23 in the John F. Branciforte Auditorium. This 1950s-themed romantic comedy captivated audiences when it came to Manhattan before being adapted into the well-known film starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. Ever since the musical’s closure in 1980 and the film’s premiere, which became the highest-grossing musical of the 20th century, the composition has been adapted into Grease Live! (a 2016 Fox television special) and Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies (a 2023 Paramount+ prequel series).
Grease navigates the wonders of high school romance, friendship, and adventures. The show’s main stars, Danny Zuko and Sandy Dumbrowski, were portrayed by senior Jack Ceglie and junior Alexa Rutigliano, respectively. Rutigliano played one of the narrators in last year’s musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat; this was her second LHS musical. “I was so thrilled [to get the female lead role] because this had been such a dream role for me. I grew up watching Grease, and it was such a staple in my life, which made the role even more important to me,” she expressed. “Singing is a huge part of who I am as a person and represents me and what I love. Becoming Sandy was such a good opportunity to try something new and be myself,” Rutigliano continued.
Extraordinary efforts were made by all involved in the production. The cast could not have shined without the undertakings of the orchestra, crew, and production team. Junior Andrew Callaghan was a stage manager for last year’s musical and play, and he enjoyed taking on the job again this year. He explained his responsibilities: “For the past two and a half-ish months, I’ve been going to the rehearsals around twice a week and would be in control of the [rehearsal tracks] for the actors. Once we got out sets, I moved backstage, and my crew and I started moving the sets for different scenes.”
Through his time backstage, Callaghan was able to immerse himself in the story: “I really enjoyed the musical and thought that all of the actors were casted perfectly. I never watched Grease before the musical started, but after watching both, I think that our actors were great at adapting the movie into our musical. I have several favorite scenes including ‘The Sock Hop’ scene, ‘Greased Lightning,’ and ‘You’re the One that I Want.’”
Orchestra teacher Veronica Underhill has been the pit orchestra conductor for the last three musicals. “Learning for the last two years has given me the ability to ensure pit was beyond prepared and provide solutions to literally every logistical problem we encountered from my side of things,” she explained. Her responsibilities extended beyond conducting: meeting with the team to choose a musical, obtaining musical scores, studying various high school productions of the musical, organizing pit auditions and rehearsals, altering the orchestra, and much more. Underill shared, “I think that every single cast member did a fabulous job really bringing their characters to life, and it felt like everyone’s energy really matched and shined on stage. Pit was so beyond prepared that they were able to follow me for everything, including an unexpected change during the closing night performance.”
Performed in two acts, Act One of the musical began with the opening song, “Grease Is the Word,” led by seniors Gianna Longo and Damon Lanzello, alongside the full cast. The audience is then transported to Rydell High School, where the male and female cliques are introduced. The Burger Palace Boys consist of leader Danny, Kenickie (senior Gael Rivera), Doody (junior Nicholas Sferrazza), Sonny (senior Liam Mylan), and Roger (junior Ryan Dugger). The Pink Ladies are comprised of leader Betty Rizzo (junior Sophia Schoen), Jan (junior Aliye Simsek), Marty (junior Molly Schutzman), and Frenchy (Longo).
Sandy is invited to have lunch with the Pink Ladies, where she recounts her summer romance in the song, “Summer Nights”; Danny simultaneously shares his with the Burger Palace Boys. When the Pink Ladies realize Sandy and Danny speak of the same summer fling, they arrange for the two to cross paths. However, the interaction is disappointing and awkward due to Danny’s macho act in front of the Burger Palace Boys, leaving Sandy upset. The Pink Ladies then invite Sandy to Marty’s pajama party in an attempt to cheer her up, and later the teenagers gather and are serenaded by Doody’s guitar-playing.
During the sleepover, Marty reveals her long-distance relationship with a Marine and the lavish gifts he sends her. The Pink Ladies also manage to persuade Sandy into piercing her ears; the blood from the piercing sends her into an emotional shock and she flees the room. Meanwhile, the Burger Palace Boys steal hubcaps for Kenickie’s car, “Greased Lightning,” and brainstorm how the car will become their ultimate chick magnet.
The next day, Danny finds Sandy during her cheer practice with Patty Simcox (sophomore Annabelle Murray) and tries to apologize for his behavior. Discouraged that Danny is unserious and does not have good intentions when Patty begins to flirt with him, Danny sets out to prove himself by telling Sandy that he will join the school track team. When Danny shares this news with the Burger Palace Boys, they are left in disbelief. Shortly after, Roger and Jan take interest in each other and converse in the park; Jan specifically inquires about Roger’s nickname, “Rump,” who then boasts his prowess in “Mooning.” While at the park, Rizzo teases Danny for falling for Ms. Goody Two-Shoes in the song, “Look at Me I’m Sandra Dee.” Sandy arrives at the park amidst this mockery and misguidedly assumes Danny is at fault and declares she wishes they never met, furiously storming off. Danny dismisses Sandy’s response and Act One ends with the main, greasy pairs reveling in their friendship.
Act two begins during the evening of the high school dance when Sandy is at home, deeply distraught about her unresolved love for Danny. She describes her heartache in “Hopelessly Devoted to You.” Back at the school, Kenickie arrives at the dance with his date, Cha-Cha DiGregorio (sophomore Mackenzie Reis). However, Kenickie pairs with Rizzo and Cha-Cha pairs with Danny for the Hand Jive Dance Contest; the latter couple wins and receives two free drive-in movie tickets. Later at the Burger Palace, Sonny explains to Frenchy that Cha-Cha dates the Burger Palace Boys’ rival leader, who has now challenged them to a rumble. After the boys head out, Frenchy is left to make a vital decision about her future; she has flunked out of beauty school and is indecisive about whether or not to return to high school.
At the drive-in theater, Danny offers Sandy his class ring to make up for his behavior. The bittersweet moment is then spoiled when Danny makes advances Sandy is uncomfortable with, causing her to leave the car. She later decides that she needs to fit in with the greasers to be with Danny. The next day, the boys are back at the Burger Palace with Danny when a fully-transformed Sandy struts alongside the Pink Ladies in a greaser dreamgirl’s attire. The couple accepts their feelings for each other and belt out the song, “You’re the One That I Want.” The musical ends with the full cast happy and united.
Grease was ultimately a phenomenal success. Principal Matthew Sarosy said, “I thought the musical was outstanding! We have a talented group in the building, and I always enjoy seeing their personalities shine through the characters they are playing.” He also emphasized the importance of the annual musical to the Lynbrook community: “I posted another installment of our Alumni Spotlight, and I interviewed Mike Knobloch (Class of ’88). Mike highlighted just how important being in the musical was for him and his LHS experience. Mike has gone on to become President of NBC Universal Music and Publishing. This is an example of how important being involved is. Activities like the musical push the students’ boundaries and give them an opportunity [to] accomplish something great!” The musical was a blast from the past for many in the audience who grew up with the film. The acting and singing were next level and showcased students’ exceptional talent.
