Scene by Scene Evaluation:
Act 1:
Scene 1: (Alma Mater Acapella, Reunion Speech, Alma Mater Parody)
Overall, I believe that this scene was a great opening to the show. I liked how Beth (Miss Lynch) added in the opening lines of 'Okay, 1 2 and...' as it gave the scene a much more realistic 'Reunion' feel. I think the first Alma Mater sounded good but there were still members of the group who were struggling with the lyrics. They should have ensured that they knew all of the lyrics as it was clear at times throughout the song that there were members of the cast who didn't know the words as the volume dipped at parts. After the first song, Miss Lynch and Patty Simcox (Beth and Lizzy) did a great job on the opening speech Their characterisation was brilliant. However, the Alma Mater parody which followed could have been SO much better. I feel like I was the only one who was projecting my voice and the fact that no one else was putting in much energy made me feel as though I couldn't put in as much energy as I would have liked to. I think projection of voice and energy were problems throughout the performance but during this song was when it was at it's most obvious. I hope that the energy and voice projection issues in this scene were simply down to confidence and that if we were to do this scene again, there would be a lot of improvement.
Scene 2: (Canteen, Summer Nights)
This scene turned into a bit of a mess due to certain members of the group forgetting their lines. However, the audience wouldn't have realised this as I believe we covered the lines well- especially Matt. I think it was clear that Matt had some lines ready in his head and, as a performer, this is extremely important as you never know what could happen on stage. Sonny (Michael) forgot the opening line of Danny's (matt) entrance. Matt covered it incredibly well by saying something along the lines of 'you see those broads over there? Nah man, everybody's made it with them.' I also liked Beth's movement in presence in this scene. As soon as she walked in she had a huge presence and I believe this was also down to the Greaser's reaction. I tried to act as scared as possible when she walked in as my character is quite geeky and I believe acting scared added to his comedy value. Summer Nights went tremendously well although line confidence was still a problem for some members of the group- for example Sarah forgot to sing 'How much dough did he spend' and I was the only boy who remembered to say 'But you don't gotta brag'. I don't think this effected the performance at all really as we all expected to make a few mistakes in this song. However, the lines SHOULD have been learned before the show. The girl's choreography in Summer Nights was perfect and I was especially surprised at how quickly Emily P picked it up as she hadn't done a full run through with the cast before the performance as she was a last minute replacement for Frenchie. However, the boys choreography could still have done with a bit more polishing. The moves were there but at times it looked sloppy- especially the move where we walk with our fists held up in front. Overall though, Summer Nights sounded and looked very good. Matt and Polly did a great job on the main vocals. The dialogue after the song also went really well and Danny and Sandy's 'collision' was timed perfectly! Tech-wise- I feel like the lighting was very effective during this scene as we used cross fades. However, I think it would've been better if we had used proper blackouts on each side of the stage as the 'freeze frames' didn't look particularly great as some people forgot it was a freeze and started to mime.
Scene 3: (Lockers, Those Magic Changes)
Overall, this scene also worked very well. The opening bit of dialogue of this scene was simple and effective and was a nice lead up to my solo; Those Magic Changes. However, I think there should have been more reaction from the group to when I (doody) sing the song badly. The reactions from the rest of the group were all very quiet and I don't feel it was right for this scene as Doody is one of those people who everyone enjoys making fun of. Projection of voice was once again a problem as some cast members weren't speaking loud enough. The song itself went well although in the evening performance my voice did crack on a high note. I think my voice crack came down to a mixture of nerves and 'dry mouth'. I should have been more prepared and had a sip of water before this scene. I think my projection was really good during this song and I think my characterisation was too. I tried to act quite geeky throughout the song and also tried to convey the message that Doody dreams of becoming a rock star- I think the raised arm at the end of the song signalled this to the audience. I also liked the rest of the cast's background singing in the song as they put in some nice harmonies. However, the boy's choreography was pretty darn awful! I think it was okay because the T-Birds are meant to be 'cool' and dancing isn't really that cool. However, I think if we'd spent a bit more time on the movement it would have made the song a lot better aesthetically.
Scene 4: (Marty's Sleepover Party, Freddy My Love)
I felt like this scene was to a very high level. The energy that was used by the girls was fantastic and they really made this scene feel as 'girly' as possible- after all, this is the only scene in the entire script where it is just the girls on their own. Whenever something happened- for example when Emily shows them the picture of Freddy, all the girls react and move. This action/reaction sequence made the scene come alive and made it much more realistic- as if it was a real teenage girl's bedroom. The one character that really stood out in this scene was Marty (played by Emily). She really did come across as a stereotypically shallow and brutally honest girl. The politest way to describe Marty is a bit of a 'cow'. This is the first scene where we get a true introduction to Marty's character and Emily did a great job of showing off Marty's true colours. What was really clear in this scene is that all the girls were line perfect- the scene flowed incredibly well and was, in my opinion, the smoothest scene in the entire performance. Emily sang Freddy My Love beautifully as usual and the rest of the girls did the dance and backing singing well too- although I felt as though they could've sang a little bit louder. Tech-wise, I would change the projected image as I didn't feel the image was the way Marty's bedroom would have looked and for me, it took away from the warm, intimate feel of the scene due to the white and green colour. It should've used warm colours like red and pink and the design should have followed 1950's interior design- not modern day interior design.
Scene 5: (Garage, Greased Lightening)
The main thing that this scene lacked was energy. There was a minimal 'boyish' feel which should have been a lot stronger. It was clear that a lot of the energy problems came down to the fact that members of the cast, once again, weren't completely confident with their lines. I do believe that the energy levels got better with every performance we did but during the evening performance, there was a reason that the energy level was so low. One of the Production team had knocked over a bottle of water on stage and there was a big puddle that was restricting our movement as we didn't want to fall over and hurt ourselves. As a performer, you have to expect the unexpected, and although the energy levels weren't as great, it was best to be slightly less energized then break a leg by slipping on some liquid! The song, Greased Lightening, went really well- especially the choreography. Sam, our dance teacher, decided to keep the choreography very similar to the film's choreography which I believe was a good idea. This song is iconic and it would've lost it's magic had we changed it too much. I felt like dance-wise, this was my most confident song. The only room for improvement during this song was that Kenickie (max) was out of time with the music for quite a long time. I believe this was down to nerves and although it was quite clear that he was out of time, once he got to the first chorus, he pulled it back perfectly. After the song, the dialogue went really well. Rizzo (lindzie) bought a lot of energy to the scene and got really into character- she got right on Kenickie's lap and went straight in for the kiss. Lindzie's confidence with her character was something that stood out to me throughout the performance (even if her American accent was sometimes a bit wobbly). Tech-wise, I liked the slideshow of the moving car in the background for this scene. The only disappointing thing was that the sound effect of the police was never played at the right time- it should have been played before Max's line 'it's the fuzz' but it was always played after.
Scene 6: (Cheerleading)
I could see nothing wrong with this scene. The energy was good and Lizzy's portrayal of Patty Simcox was great- she managed to emphasise Patty's annoying and bubbly nature through the use of 'over the top' cheer leading and using an excited tone in her speech. This was the first scene where it became clear that Patty likes Danny and doesn't want him to get with Sandy. This is also the first scene where Sandy shows she's not going to be taken for an idiot and tries to make him jealous by saying that she was going to see all the 'jocks'. All three of them had really strong characterisation and emphasised the 'love triangle' really well.
Scene 7: (Picnic in the Park, Mooning, Look at me- I'm Sandra Dee, We Go Together)
Like a lot of other scenes in the play, this scene lacked energy at times. Don't get me wrong- at some points of the scene; during the songs, in particular, the energy is fantastic but we failed to maintain a high level of energy through dialogue. Projection was also something that could have been improved as well as some characters didn't speak loud enough. For example, Abi and Sarah were positioned at the back of the stage and when they spoke it wasn't loud enough. One part of the scene that made me cringe was when Roger did a comedy run to mock Danny as no one laughed very loud. The reaction should've been a lot louder and over the top to make it clear to the audience that the whole group finds it funny that Danny has started doing athletics. During Mooning, the choreography looked very bad. On the night, everyone found it very hard to click in time with the music. The vocals were also good from Abi and Sarah although I still feel as though the projection could've been a lot better as it was still very quiet. Abi was really nervous before the show but she managed to deal with nerves really well and put on a good performance. Roger and Jan's relationship was portrayed so well. It had comedy value and at the same time you really got the feeling that they had a lot of affection for each other- whether it be roger asking out jan or them holding hands. The song Look At Me I'm Sandra Dee also had sloppy choreography but Rizzo's characterisation shone through and it didn't really matter. The fight scene was fantastic. Lindzie got right into the character and was fantastic. She really was trying to break away from me when I was restraining her which made it look really realistic. The energy climaxed here as everyone got up and reacted to what was happening. During We Go Together, everyone got into character and had so much energy. It was choreographed really well and even though at times some of the moves were sloppy, it looked great. Our singing was projected really well too an it was a perfect end to the first act.
Act 2:
Scene 1: (High School Dance, Hopelessly Devoted To You, Born to Hand Jive)
Like many other scenes, this scene needed more energy but a looked a lot better than I thought it would- I was pleasantly surprised. My favourite part of this scene was Miss Lynch's comedy moment when she sang 'anything' in a squeaky screech. Miss lynch was in my opinion the most consistently strong character in the show. Beth did a great job of bringing in comedy and plate the ditsy teacher really well. This scene involved a lot of movement- constant movement, in fact, and I feel like me and my partner Frenchie (Emily) did a great job of constantly dancing and miming even when it wasn't our lines. I liked the blackout/spotlight that happened for Sandy's solo of hopelessly devoted to you. She sang it brilliantly and I liked how everyone else was still present on stage as it made it clear that sandy is still an outsider at this point in the play. The dance to hand jive was very sloppy but I think it suited my character a earlier on in the scene frenchie is complaining about how doody isn't spinning her round or doing anything fancy. I think Chelsea and Danny's duet dance in hand jive was really good. The great thing about them is that they both dance in character and was clear that she was ChaCha- a stuck up girl from another school. Vince Fontaine's character was great- it was obvious that he was a little bit dodgy and when he was kissing Emily during Miss Lynch's scene it was a fantastic comedy moment. The kiss was incredibly realistic and the audience reacted to it very well.
Scene 2: (Burger Palace, Beauty School Dropout, Ready to Rumble)
This scene was particularly challenging for me as I had to make incredibly fast costume changes! After Scene 1 I had to change from my Dance suit back into a T-Bird, then after the dialogue in the scene change into my Beauty School Dropout costume and finally straight back into my T-Bird outfit. I managed to sort out a routine which involved me leaving my costume changes right next to the curtain entrance. This was the only way I would manage to make the change in time. However, after Beauty School Dropout, it was actually the other boys who also had to make a very quick costume change who held up the show. What made the costume changes hard is that there isn't enough room in our wings for everyone to get changed. I do believe that we did the costume changes as quickly as we possibly could. In terms of acting, I feel like this scene was really good. I tried to make my Character, Doody, seem incredibly nervous and by wandering the stage shaking whilst holding a hammer, I feel as though I managed to heighten Doody's comedy value. The energy as a whole was a lot more powerful then most of the other scenes involving just the boys. We had run this particular scene over and over again I believe I sang Beauty School Dropout very well and characterised the Teen Angel to a high standard. I wanted to make him come across as stern and in order to do this tried to use powerful body language and a mocking tone of voice during certain parts of the song- for example, 'Spending all that dough to have the doctor fix your nose up.' The choreography for Beauty School Dropout was okay. It was basic and I feel as though this was important as some people in the dance weren't particularly good at dancing. There were times during the song where the audience were laughing because of the comedy value of Matt and Max (who were dressed in the Beauty School Dropout robes and were wearing rollers) and I feel like Max, in particular, started to act up for the laughs. Tech-wise, this scene was absolutely fine as there was only one projection- Burger Palace.
Scene 3: (Drive in, Sandy)
Before watching the performance back on video I had never seen this scene properly. I think it worked really well- particularly the staging. I liked how the 'car' was placed at an angle and the 'film' (which Sarah Beth and Dylan acted out) was placed on the left stage blocks. I think the way we decided to act out the film on stage and not just have voice overs was a nice touch. It gave Beth, Dylan and Sarah an opportunity to be a different character Matt and Polly had great chemistry and it took a lot of maturity to be able to kiss someone that you know that well- especially for Polly who has a boyfriend! Matt sang 'Sandy' really well and his characterisation was very good. His body language was perfect and he looked as if he genuinely was upset and frustrated at the fact that Sandy had walked out of the drive in. In the middle of the song, there's a spoken section which is really hard to time correctly. Matt managed to do this perfectly and it sounded brilliant.
Scene 4: (House Party, Rock n Roll Party Queen, There Are Worse Things I Could Do, Look At Me I'm Sandra Dee)
I feel like this scene went really well. The scene opened with my solo Rock n Roll Party Queen and I think I performed it really well. I tried to convey the message that Doody wants to be a rock star by dancing round and finishing the song by raising my arm. I finished with this move in Those Magic Changes as well as I wanted to show a clear difference between when I was playing Doody to when I was playing the Teen Angel (in Beauty School Dropout). However, I wish the rest of the group would have danced with me as the energy was a bit dead when it was just me dancing. With the exception of Sarah and Abi, I felt like no one was doing much in this song. If we were to do Grease again, I think we should choreograph the song properly as this would make it look a lot more clean and everyone would know why they are supposed to be doing. The dialogue in this scene was much better then the other big scenes involving most of the cast. I think this is because everyone was a lot more line confident towards the end of the performance. We'd spent a lot of time on act 2 and this, coupled with the fact that by the end of a performance everyone is feeling a lot more confident, made this scene run a lot more smoother. Rizzo's pregnancy scare was portrayed really well. Lindzie's portrayal of Rizzo was consistent throughout the entire performance and she handled such a tricky subject really well. Everyone's reactions were really good as well as each character had a different reaction. For example, doody made the sarcastic comment of 'tough luck' whereas Sandy showed real concern. Rizzo and Sandy both sang there solos really well as well- especially Rizzo as I felt she really managed to show her feelings of fear and guilt in the song 'there are worse things I could do'. She really thought about the context of the situation- being a teenage girl who's still in school and pregnant in 1950s america would have been absolutely terrible.
Scene 5: (Burger Palace, Sandy's Transformation, You're The One That I Want
The start of this scene was terrible as line confidence once again came back to haunt us. When the boys were talking there was a long awkward silence. At this point the girls come on stage with the 'Sandy'. However, on the night Sandy's quick change didn't go as smoothly as we would have liked. We were stood there waiting for a few extra seconds which seemed like forever. However, it's well known that a silence on stage feels a lot longer then it actually is and I believe this was true. When Sandy came onto stage everyone's reactions were great. I wanted to play my character to be shocked, excited and 'in awe'. I made the decision that Doody isn't very good with girls and hasn't had much experience. This contributed to my reaction to Sandy. I used childish body language and was constantly tapping the other boys getting excited. If I had more time, I would have planned to do even more gestures like pretending to faint to emphasise Doody's immaturity and lack of experience when it comes to girls. Polly played the new reformed sandy very well and wasn't afraid to act sexual towards Matt. The song 'you're the one that i want' was sung really well but the choreography was once again quite messy. However, it didn't matter as we were all in our couples and characterisation was the most important thing. Frenchie and I acted as if we were completely in love and hugged each other. We rarely broke eye contact and I think this looked good as it made our relationship believable and realistic. The reprise of the song We Go Together was really good. We performed it much better than the first We Go Together as we were feeling much more confident by the end of the show.
Overall Synopsis:
Overall, it was a very high quality performance. Of course, at times, things weren't perfect- voice projection was a problem and the cast's energy tended to dip at times. However, our characterisation, on the whole, was brilliant I believe I sang my solos to a very high standard. I can't help but feel sad that we won't get the chance to perform Grease as a cast again. If I was to do Grease again, there are lots of things I would do to improve my character but, on the whole, I feel like I played Doody and the Teen Angel in a great way and I'm pleased with the final outcome of the show.
Links that helped me with character decisions:I
We Go Together- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pyA6jAM3_I
