At the beginning of March, Strath Haven’s Theatre Department held six performances of “Grease.” The musical was a huge success in the community with a packed auditorium at each show. 

According to some of the cast members, this show was special for many different reasons. Not only was it the first large cast/ensemble-production since Covid-19, but it was also the last high school musical for the seniors who have been performing since middle school. 

Senior Sammi Quinn, who played Sandy, said that after more than ten performances, she’s met all of her best friends and that her favorite part of being in theater is getting to watch them sing and perform. She said the overall feeling among the seniors is bittersweet since it’s their last show together.

 “I feel very grateful and with it being my last show in the high school, I’m just focusing on making the most of it,” she said. 

When talking about their favorite memories during the show, most of the performers agreed that just spending time with their friends was the best part. 

“I’ve always liked the really long rehearsals during tech week. We’re all so tired and we’re doing so much work but it’s so fun because everyone’s together and there’s really nothing else to do besides hang out with each other,”  Sophie DeCristofaro said, who played Jan.

Colin McLaughlin, who played Kenicke, shared that being able to perform with his sister, junior Riley McLaughlin, was a highlight for him.

 “It’s been great to share this experience with her especially because it’s her first musical at the high school and my last musical at the high school. It’s good to have been talking to her and her friends and being able to share this whole experience with her as well as the rest of the cast,” McLaughlin said.

In addition to spending time with close friends, a lot of the cast members indicated that having a large cast was really fun and enhanced the experience for them. 

“My favorite part about being Grease was the camaraderie. This was our first show, in my career here, that had a big cast like we used to have in middle school and it was good to make connections with new people who haven’t been in prior shows,” senior Alex Pollard, who played Doody, said.

Pollard also discussed how the show was even more special to him and other seniors because it’s all about friendship and connecting with each other. 

All of the show’s leads felt strongly about being able to work with their closest friends and talked about how much love they have for each other after years of performing with one another. 

Both Ella Grossman, who played Rizzo, and Archie Bracegirdle, who played Danny, agreed that Grease was a more fun and upbeat musical which they, as well as their fellow seniors, loved. 

“We really got to focus on the interpersonal aspect of the show and it was great to just have fun singing and dancing to music everyone knows,” Grossman said. “The overall tone of the show is very different from our past shows, it was just fun. And then there’s the acknowledgement of it being our last show together, which added this other layer of this is going to be great. It’s just a good experience that we get to cherish together.

See more photos from Grease on SmugMug