On November 21st and 22nd, the Central School Theatre Arts Program, sponsored by the PTA, presented a production of the Broadway show Grease – with two casts and around 160 Central students.
This all-American musical, written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, is based on the sub-cultures of high school life in the 1950s. The Central School shows were directed and produced by KJK Productions, led by Kevin J. Kearins.
Instead of high school greasers, Central’s show featured pre-teen actors, singers and dancers – some as young as first grade. The performances were enthusiastically received by parents, siblings, grandparents, teachers, former T-Birds and Pink Ladies, and greasers of all ages.
The students rehearsed intensely over a two-week period. The “Rydell High Students” danced and swayed to the original rock & roll numbers of “Hand Jive” and “Summer Nights.” The first and second grade chorus performed as beauticians with the Teen Angels for the “Beauty School Dropout” scene. The show ended with a full cast company number of “We Go Together.”