After seeing last semester's rousing rendition of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," audiences were breathless in anticipation of what First Year Players would do next. Their answer: "Grease."
Directed by third-year student Emily Newhouse, FYP is well on its way to piecing together another excellent performance for students. The cast of "Grease," consisting of 27 students, has rehearsed since January in preparation for its April 6-9 run, and in the final weeks before showtime has met for four hours each night, five days a week.
"We're working on perfecting our dancing, but we're looking solid across the board," Newhouse said.
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With a storyline by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey and music by John Farrar, "Grease" depicts the comedic trials of gang leader Danny Zuko and his love, Sandy Dumbrowski (whose name was changed to Sandy Olson in the famous 1978 movie version). Zuko, leader of the Burger Palace Boys, wants to be with Dumbrowski but is afraid of losing his tough-guy reputation. At the same time, Dumbrowski is trying to be with Zuko and handle her new life in the city.
As a leading cast member, Alex Major has what may appear to be the intimidating task of bringing Danny to life.
"I started my approach with the walk and went from there," Major said.
As Major's counterpart, actress Erin Addis-Lieser plays the role of Sandy. Having already portrayed the character during her senior year of high school, Addis-Lieser is a veteran when it comes to understanding Sandy. When asked about the challenges she faced upon taking on the role a second time, she responded with optimism.
"I'm trying to improve the FYP's character and make [the portrayal of] it less hackneyed," she said.
Addis-Lieser added that she preferred the camaraderie achieved by acting in a smaller cast more than in her previous performances. She also said she felt fortunate to train under FYP's extremely exacting vocal directors.
Director Newhouse is no rookie to the FYP experience, having been a member her first two semesters and then proceeding to be Vocal Director last spring as well as Assistant Production Manager this past fall.
"FYP was such an amazing experience for me that I wanted to give that back to another group," Newhouse said.
When asked about her largest challenges as a new director, Newhouse responded like a true veteran.
"The largest challenge was coordinating the experience level as far as singing and dancing and getting [the cast to be] comfortable with each other and their characters," Newhouse said.
Watching the cast practice in Gilmer Hall Thursday night, enthusiasm poured out onto an imagined stage. The cast demonstrated a positive attitude and created a relaxed atmosphere as they filled the room with experienced dance moves c;and an impressive musical range.
Undaunted as opening night approaches, Newhouse and Addis-Lieser confidently predicted four straight sold-out performances.
"It's a big-name show and we're expecting a good showing," Newhouse said.
If the company's performance matches the quality of their rehearsing, the audience can look forward to a wonderful evening.
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