It’s no surprise to hear the actors and actresses in “Grease,” the newest musical production of the Hoboken Junior Senior High School Theater Company, say they identify with the characters they play. After all, they’re high school students playing high school students.
The musical, which opens on Feb. 6, follows a gang of greasers at a 1950s high school in endless pursuit of girls, fancy cars, and victories over rival gangs. Though full of bright dance numbers and broad comedy, “Grease” does not shy away from real issues facing teenagers both in the ’50s and today, like love, sex, and drinking.
A year after putting on “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” a newer and somewhat less famous Broadway musical, director Danielle Miller wanted to put on a show she knew would bring out a crowd.
“We wanted to do something really big and mainstream,” said Miller, “so that the community wants to come out and see a great show and support our public school systems in Hoboken.”
“Grease” will run on Feb. 6 at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 7 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 8 at 2 p.m. in the Hoboken Junior Senior High School Auditorium at 800 Clinton St. Tickets are $7 for general admission, $5 for students, and $3 for senior citizens.
Perfect blend
This year, said Miller, Hoboken Junior Senior High School happened to have the perfect blend of students to pull off “Grease.”
“We had a lot of seventh graders coming in this year,” she said, “and so we knew we’d have enough boys to be able to fill all the roles that Grease requires. Last year, we wouldn’t have been able to.”
From over 30 who auditioned, a cast of 20 players was selected. Though the cast contains students from every grade, almost all of the members of the Pink Ladies and the Burger Palace Boys – as the T-Birds greaser gang is known in the original musical – are juniors and seniors, close to the age of the characters they are playing.
“Everything’s just clicking. It just flows and feels natural.” – Gina Rotondi
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“Grease” also features the HJSHS Theater Company’s biggest set ever, with scenery simulating a variety of different locales, from the Rydell High School gym to the Greased Lightnin’ car itself. Every inch of the set is constructed and painted by students under the supervision of retired stagecraft teachers Jon Zaccone and Anthony Minni.
The musical is also fully choreographed under the direction of Maria Kent and Britteny Schruefer, and Kristen Dziuba served as the musical director. “The dance numbers are huge in this show,” said Miller.
When “Grease” opens this coming Friday, it will be the culmination of a 10-week process, eight of which were rehearsals. “The students are essentially taking on a full-time job after school, especially the leads,” said Miller.
Meet the cast
In just his second production, sophomore Jesse Ocasio was tapped to play Danny Zuko, the lead male character. “Danny is kind of a tough guy, but he’s also a gentle-hearted person when it comes down to it,” said Ocasio. “He always has a cool attitude, he always tries to play things off one after another.”
Though Ocasio has none of these characteristics – “I’m the biggest goofball you know,” he said – he has done his best to enter the mind of Danny Zuko, which he said involves “a lot of studying and looking at myself in the mirror.”
His on-stage love interest, Sandy Dubrowski, is played by junior Allison Feinstein. Sandy is “very pure and wholesome,” said Feinstein, “and then throughout the whole show, she changes for Danny because she thinks Danny likes a badass chick like Rizzo, so she changes to be his perfect girl,” – a strange moral, Feinstein admitted.
She said singing is her strong suit, but she has enjoyed getting deeper into acting and hopes to continue performing in college. “It’s good to get to know yourself” through acting, she said. “It helps you warm up to people too.”
The hardest part for Feinstein was practicing the kissing scenes with Ocasio, since he is her friend outside of the production.
Senior Anthony Gigante plays Kenickie, the leader of the Burger Palace Boys. “He’s the toughest one of the crew,” said Gigante. “He shows no fear, no weakness.”
Getting into Kenickie mode was not hard for Gigante. “I kind of am that person,” he said. “He’s the type of guy that when he sees girls he starts flirting with them. It’s not that hard to do, but it’s nice sometimes to be somebody else.”
Though “Grease” is his first production at the high school, Gigante said he has been acting for years with his father Frank, a local producer and filmmaker.
Junior Gina Rotondi plays Jan, one of the Pink Ladies. “Jan loves to eat,” said Rotondi, “and she is in love with one of the T-Birds, whose name is Roger,” but she is too shy to make a move. Rotondi said she knew the feeling.
Unrequited loves aside, Rotondi said “Grease,” her fifth production with the HJSHS theater company, feels better than previous ones. “Everything’s just clicking,” she said. “It just flows and feels natural.”
Carlo Davis may be reached at cdavis@hudsonreporter.com.