Our Steelmen are known for many things, such as: our school mascot, band and choir programs, and various sports. What every single member of the community should know about though is how fantastic our drama department is. This weekend the talented cast put on their rendition of Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey’s Grease. The music was directed by Mr. Jones and student director Zachary Meditz. The lead roles were Max Hillman as Danny Zuko and Zariya Butler as Sandy, who were both perfectly selected for their roles. It seemed as if the leads were born for the roles they acted as. This could also be argued for almost every member of the cast, as seemingly not a single person was miscast.

The cast of Rydell high school preformed the story about a summer fling between Danny and Sandy, which then ends as each supposedly returns to their respective high schools. When their groups of friends collide and both realize that the other is indeed at the same school, things take a turn for the worse as Sandy continues to trust Danny and he continues to find and pursue other women. Throughout the musical, both try to fit in with their groups of friends while dealing with both their own relationship problems such as where they stand with each other, and those flings of their peers. This was an interesting choice in a high school musical, because even though it has themes that high schoolers can relate to, it got very inappropriate at times with sexual remarks, rude language, and the occasional offensive humor. Nonetheless, these minor questionable moments did not stop the masses from coming out to see what Joliet Central has to offer. While attending the last showing, the auditorium was still more than halfway filled, with an excited crowd that was eager to applaud loudly as much as possible.

Ultimately, Grease turned out to be a success in my opinion, due to how well-prepared the cast was, as well as the crew as they quickly changed sets, focused lights or perfected hair in addition to doing everyone’s makeup. Every note was hit, and those who had solos blew everyone in the audience away with how well they preformed. What I found most amazing, however, was the choreography, especially in songs such as, “Born to Hand Jive,” and “We Go Together,” which included the whole cast dancing together, even in synchronization. Grease was an impressive rendition, and everyone should be proud of the actors and actresses for doing such a fantastic job.