“A wop bob a loo bop a wop bam boom!”
That can only mean one thing—“Grease” is now in production at The Grand Theatre’s Senior High Music Theatre Camp.
The 33 cast members assembled for the first time on Saturday, July 7th at The Grand for an entire day of singing, dancing, and acting auditions. When the day was through, each student had been assigned to a special role, and the work began. Leading the cast in the roles of Danny and Sandy are Evan Taylor and Sarah Wiedetz. Serving as Danny’s T-bird gang at Rydell High are Alex Gilbert as Kenickie, Ethan Sonenshine as Doody, William Gowens as Sonny, and Kevin Barnhart as Roger. The quintessential bad girl, Rizzo, is being played by Caroline Dreyfus. Her pink ladies are Chloe Bacon as Frenchie, Kendyl Dunn as Jan, and Jordan Shaffer as Marty. Other notable characters include Jes Stika as Miss Lynch the maiden English teacher, Reece McCamy as Eugene and Teen Angel, Jonah Gendron as Johnny Casino, Tyler Rawlins as Vince Fontaine , Mya Mimosa as Cha Cha, and Delaney Smith as Patty.
The Grand Theatre’s 2018 production will be unlike anything you’ve seen before,” says director Erin Gunter, choral director at Cartersville Middle School. “Everyone loves the movie, ‘Grease’, but even though the main characters are the same, the stage play is quite different. We are working to interpret the story in a way that our audience has never seen before. It’s not about ‘good Sandy becoming bad’, but how a young lady grows as a person through her relationships and experiences. We will use over-the-top stereotypes throughout the ensemble and by reverse psychology, we’ll send the message that people are much more than one-dimensional,” says Gunter.
Working with Gunter are Julie Carver as music director and Christina Weinzetl as choreographer. Carver has an extensive resume in musical theatre as a music director and accompanist for productions from New York to Florida. Weinzetl brings a unique perspec- tive to the show, as she performed in The Grand Theatre’s 2006 production of “Grease” as a camper.
Rounding out the cast are Brody Adams, Elena Bern, Camilla Black, Zach Breder, Jessica Brown, Cat Cooney, Tracy Easter, Gracie Evans, Jadyn Fortin, Margaret Gaines, Eryn Gentry, Lily Haigh, Carter McCamy, Mason Morrow, Paul Rackley, Kyndel Smith, and Kaylee Westbrooks.
Terri Cox, the show’s producer, encourages everyone to buy tickets early. “We have had so many calls about this year’s show. Everyone loves the story, and this is such an amazing cast, crew, and directing team,” says Cox. “We do suggest parental guidance for younger children since the play does contain some slang and ‘teenage’ situations.”
Performances for “Grease” are Friday, July 27th and Saturday, July 28th at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, July 29th at 2:30 p.m. All seats are $12 for adults and $7 for students and are general admission. Tickets are on sale now at www.thegrandtheatre.org or at The Grand Theatre Box Office at 7 N. Wall St. in downtown Cartersville from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information call the box office at 770-386-7343 ext. 4.
