Poodle skirts are swinging, scarfs are tied and hair is greased to perfection. School is in session at Rydell High, but onstage at Severna Park, the show is just getting started!

“Grease”, the classic doo-wop musical, was written in 1971 by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Since its first Broadway run, the show has been revived and revamped, bringing the original characters back to life and to the stage time and time again. The show follows The Pink Ladies and The T-Birds, two gangs of high school kids, as discover love, heartbreak, friendships and themselves.

As leather-clad bad boy Danny Zuko, Hector Ramos, impressed with a remarkable falsetto and a spot on “don’t care” persona. Comb in hand and shoulders shrugged, Ramos played it cool while keeping the audience enticed through every scene and song. As Danny’s love interest, Sandy Dumbrowski, Kelsie Hicks played a naive, innocent in contrast to Ramos’s signature slick and savvy swagger. With the dynamic difference in their characters, the pair played beautiful chemistry, through ballad and argument alike.

As Danny’s right hand man Kenickie, the infamous tough guy, Cory Jeweler never failed to impress. His impeccable vocal talents in the hit song “Greased Lightning”, coupled with his macho characterization truly made him a stand out performer. On his arm, the saucy spit-fire Betty Rizzo, played by Jenna Baker, was certainly a force to be reckoned with. With a spirited belt and sarcastic quips, Baker quickly made the “trashy and no-good” character an audience favorite. Together, the couple was flawless. Their allure and commitment to physicality and character was something to be admired, especially in a high school production.

The ingenious set, designed by Laura Tiffany, was created to resemble a 1950s jukebox. Perfectly accommodating the Grease Pit Band above, the set’s minimalistic approach also allowed for unique entrances and smaller scenes to be set up without detracting from the overall aesthetic. Costumes, designed by Taylor Stokes, helped immerse the audience into the time period, with cheer uniforms, customized gang jackets, prom dresses and more. While some tech elements faced complications throughout the performance, the cast and crew problem solved beautifully, often before the audience had a chance to notice that anything had malfunctioned!

With toe-tapping songs like “We Go Together”, “Born to Hand Jive”, and “You’re The One That I Want”, unforgettable characters, and a classic story one can’t help but love, Severna Park’s “Grease” is one production where talent (and hair gel) is never in short supply!

by Carly Anders of Liberty