Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Students take trip back to fifties with ‘Grease’

The day before opening night of Mount Vernon High School’s presentation of “Grease” one of the pink ladies had a sore throat and could barely speak.

Though a little scratchy and probably very painful, Stacy McKenna and the rest of the cast were able to perform the play without a hitch Friday in the Little Theater at MVHS.
McKenna or Marty Maraschino, as her fellow pink ladies addressed her, is one of six Fort Belvoir teens performing in the musical that tells the story of high school students in the 1950s who are falling in love and out of school.

“It’s just exciting,” said McKenna, a senior who has already performed in 15 plays. “It gives me the feeling of stepping away from my problems and living in a fantasy world.”

For eight and a half weeks the actors and actresses have been practicing for more than four hours every day and helping complete the stage designs.

Many of the cast members also went out and bought or already own copies of the movie version of “Grease” and the soundtrack, starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton John.

Allana Di Biasio, playing the role of Betty Rizzo, owns an autographed copy of the movie from Olivia Newton John’s visit to Fort Belvoir last year.

This is the fourth play for sophomore Di Biasio who touches on the subject of teen pregnancy when her character is faced with the possibility.

“I just love being on stage,” said Di Biasio, who aspires to be the front woman of a band.

The musical revolves around imaginary school, Rydell High, located in Chicago and is focused on the love story between Danny Zuco and Sandy Ollson who met over the summer.

Zuco, played by junior and Fort Belvoir resident Torres Hodges, is torn between his feelings for Sandy and showing off for his friends. With leather jackets, rolled up jeans and cigarettes behind their ears, Zuco and the greasers cause trouble and havoc in the high school while joining a dance contest, singing and fixing up an old car.

“You wanna a fat lip, Sonny,” asks Danny when his fellow greasers are making fun of him for joining the track team to impress Sandy.

Roger, one of the greasers played by junior and Fort Belvoir resident Stanton Reaves, is also made fun of in a scene where his pants and shoes are stolen to reveal bright red boxers and the nickname “Rump.”

“I do theater because I just love the atmosphere,” said Reaves, who runs his lines in his head and prays when he gets nervous.

The musical climaxes when Danny and Sandy get into an argument because Danny is trying to convince Sandy to go farther sexually than she is comfortable with. So, instead of taking Sandy to the school dance contest, Danny ends up dancing with Cha Cha DiGregorio, played by Fort Belvoir resident and high school junior Gabrielle Henry.

“It’s all about having fun,” said Henry, who has acted in two other plays and has previous experience dancing.

During the dance scene, Danny, Cha Cha and other characters come out into the audience to perform.

Mount Vernon High School will present three additional performances of “Grease” this weekend.