When Robin Wood and Michael Butterworth announced that the spring musical would be Grease at the homecoming assembly, the whole school knew that it was a going to be a special show. Grease, the most successful movie musical of all time, is a favorite for many, so from the beginning, the interest was high.
However, what people didn’t anticipate were the differences between this musical and previous Liberty productions. From the diversity of the cast to the abnormal size and instruments of the pit orchestra, Liberty’s Grease is going to be quite different from both the 1978 film and our usual musicals.
“There are a lot of new faces,” junior Molly Keegan, who will be playing Cha-Cha, said. “It’s been a lot of fun getting to know all the new kids from different social groups and different clubs and activities who I didn’t know before.”
Grease appealed to a wide variety of people: rather than just the usual theater crowd, this year’s cast includes cross country runners, Patriot Press editors, football players, cheerleaders, and more, making it incredibly socially diverse.
The pit orchestra is another major change. Rather than the classic assortment of strings and brass instruments, the pit orchestra has only eight musicians, with two tenor saxophonists, two guitarists, one pianist, one bassist, and two percussionists. This change is due to the soundtrack of Grease, as the songs are more pop-oriented than those of the average musical. The pit orchestra has had to adjust, giving different musicians a chance to shine, like junior Ruby Poile, a drummer who has participated in the pit orchestra in the past.
“I’m super excited for my part this year because I’ll be able to use my drum set skills rather than playing on the chimes or auxiliary percussion, which I did for last year’s musical,” Poile said. “I also love the soundtrack for Grease so I’m actually excited to learn how to play the music!”
One newcomer to the pit orchestra is senior Krista Kroiss, a talented guitar player who got the opportunity to participate in the musical because of its guitar-heavy soundtrack.
“I’ve always wanted to be in the pit orchestra and I knew that Grease was my only chance. When I found out that it was the musical for this year, I was ecstatic, but I was hesitant because of my busy schedule. I was finally convinced by Mr. Tanner and I’m so glad that I got this opportunity,” Kroiss said.
Kroiss is accompanied on the guitar by senior Ty Aramaki, who is also trying pit orchestra for the first time.
“Liberty can look forward to hearing the same songs that they know and love from the movie with a fun twist. We’ve been working really hard on them,” senior Lili Galluzzo, who will be playing Rizzo, said.
“I’m so excited for the school to see the final product,” Keegan said.