Grease Is the Word!

From “Summer Nights” to “Greased Lightning,” PC students lit up the stage in a high-octane performance of Grease on March 7 and 8 in the Kurtz Center for the Performing Arts. 

Set in the 1950s, the musical comedy Grease, with its story of the T-Birds and the Pink Ladies and rock-and-roll songs like “Born to Hand Jive” and “You’re the One That I Want,” captures the spirit of teenage friendship, love and rebellion—and Upper School students jumped at the chance to bring it to life. 

For Bailey Handler, then in 10th grade, the best part of being in the musical was her peers. “There was such an infectious energy in the cast that made me excited to come to rehearsal every day,” she said, “and I think that really showed in the performance.” 

Her classmate Robert Rankin recalled one of the funniest moments from rehearsals— learning the “Greased Lightning” choreography. “There is a part in the dance where some of the guys are doing pushups and at the same time have to jump over someone who is rolling underneath them,” Robert said. “When that happened for the first time, about half of the guys fell on top of the person rolling underneath them.” It didn’t take them long to perfect it, though, and the sequence (pictured above, left) was one of the most impressive parts of the show. 

Director Ari Baker praised the unique sense of community that developed throughout the production. “We had over 100 students working on stage, backstage and in the pit to bring Grease to life, and the community that they built during the production process was unparalleled,” she said. “The actors helped each other learn choreography, showed up to celebrate the musician’s work at pit rehearsals, and turned up on deck to gush about the stage crew's construction while the set was in progress. They wanted to be with each other and be there for each other.” 

With their dazzling performance, PC’s cast, pit and crew proved they’re the ones that we want! PC 

See more photos at flickr.com/penncharter/albums.