The 4th year students of Greystones Community College took to the stage this week in front of 3 sell out audiences to stage the schools first school Musical – Grease.
A 40-member strong cast told the story of the Pink Ladies and the Burger Palace Boys who, along with their peers, navigate the complexities of teenage life together. They showed that ‘Grease is the word’ by performing upbeat songs synonymous with the musical such as ‘We go together’ and ‘Born to handjive’. The show which was led by musical director Ms. Kathy Ann Murphy and vocal director Ms. Aoife Jones received rave reviews from those lucky to secure tickets.
In the lead roles, Emily Carrick stepped onto the stage as Sandy, the sweet innocent and naive new girl in town who forms a relationship with the confident leader of the Burger Palace Boys Danny, played by Aaron Joseph.
Seren Stamper Walsh played the effervescent Rizzo, Eve Dunne brought charm to the role of Frenchy with Charlotte Burns a natural Marty. Katie Farrell jumped into the character of Patty and Abigail Townsend brought energy to the role of Jan. For the Burger Palace Boys, Matthew Ryan, Alex Cole and Isaac Carcone brought spark and flair to the stage along with Jack Barlow as Kenickie who brought the offbeat sense of humour to perform ‘Grease Lightnin’. There is no doubt that the Greystones Community College students brought the talent and momentum to Rydell High.
Commenting on the concluding night of the Musical, Director Ms. Kathy Ann Murphy said
“The cast were an amazing group of talented stars to work with, dedicating hours to rehearsals and going above and beyond to put themselves outside their comfort zone to stage such a spectacular show”.
The musical was a culmination of 6 months of commitment and dedication from the students as their hard work brought a truly professional show to life. With incredible dance solos performed by Anna Dillane and Lucy Tyndall and a strong team in the dance ensemble, the choreography was powerful throughout. The vocal performances were jaw dropping from all the lead cast with Nina Dobrzanska performing an effortless Beauty School Drop Out as Teen Angel.
It wasn’t all about the students as two staff members also stepped outside their comfort zone to join the students on stage. Principal Ruairi Farrell to the stage in role of Vince Fontaine with Deputy Principal Maria Lynch playing the role of Greta McGee.
Principal Ruairi Farrell said “We were proud to stand on stage alongside Greystones Community College’s amazing students at such a spectacular performance. Whether students were directly on stage performing, changing sets in a frenzy, or working backstage behind the scenes on costumes, microphones, set design, make-up or programmes, our students left no stone unturned in bringing Grease to the stage.
GCC would like to acknowledge the support of all the sponsors for the show especially BM Plumbing Solutions, School Wear House, the ART LAB and Exam Focus Ireland.