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McHenry County College to put on popular musical 'Grease'

As part of its 50th anniversary celebration, the Black Box Theatre at McHenry County College will present "Grease," by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey.

Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, Oct. 19-21, 26-28, Nov. 2-4, and 2 p.m. Sundays, Oct. 22 and 29.

Tickets for "Grease" are $10 for students, MCC employees, senior citizens, veterans and MCC alumni and $15 for the general public.

The musical features Rydell High's senior class of 1959: ducktailed, hot-rodding "Burger Palace Boys" and their gum-snapping, hip-shaking "Pink Ladies" in bobby sox and pedal pushers, evoking the look and sound of the 1950s.

Director Jay Geller of Kildeer said the wide appeal of "Grease" was one of the reasons it was chosen.

"We put together a list of musicals and decided on 'Grease,' he said. "It is a show that is enjoyed by all ages and most people know the music. Most of all, it is a fun show that would be great for the students at the college."

As popular as "Grease" is, the production wasn't without its challenges, Geller said.

"The first challenge was designing a set that would allow for all the dancing and setting of the play in our small 80-seat Black Box Theatr," Geller said. "Then it was to find a car to use for 'Greased Lightnin'.' With the help of great designers - Thomas Kesling, Rick Amundsen and Kathy Brunke - we were able to figure out all the logistics of the setting including lights and costumes. Our chair of automotive technology, Mike Albamonte, found and put together a 1948 Chevy for us to use in the show."

Geller believes everyone's hard work and creativity will pay off when the show opens on Thursday, Oct. 19.

"We have a wonderful cast of MCC students, alumni, high school students and community members in the cast which have made directing the production a delight," Geller said. "I also have an amazing and talented choreographer, Maggie McCord, and a musical director who is a musical genius in Michael Hillstrom. I am very proud of the work we have done."

Asked what he thought audiences would like best, Geller responded, "The music! Everyone is knows the words to 'Summer Nights,' 'Greased Lightnin', 'You're the One That I Want' and other songs from the play. Some will be expecting all the songs from the film, but the play is a little different. The music, the dancing, the relationships of all the characters on stage will make this one of the most memorable performances we have ever done at the college. The audience is going to love this production."

The cast includes Matthew Lucchetti, Jessica Oliver, Jessica Santos, William Bauer, and Gary Mackowiak, all of Crystal Lake; Angelina Straus of Harvard, Nicolas Mule, Ethan Sherman, Julius Alfaro, all of Huntley; Ben Carver of Island Lake; Liam Bell and Larisa Bell, both of Johnsburg; Monica Hauschild and Heidi Boring, both of McHenry; Peri Sindberg of Oakwood Hills; Ariella Simandl of Wonder Lake; and Patrick Wicklow and Mary Beth Brown, both of Woodstock.

For reservations, email jgeller@mchenry.edu or call (815) 455-8746.

The T-Birds looking cool in the McHenry County College production of "Grease." Pictured are, from left, bottom row: Matthew Lucchetti and Ben Carver, center row, Patrick Wicklow and top row, Ethan Sherman and Julius Alfaro. Courtesy of McHenry County College
Danny (Patrick Wicklow) tries to sweet talk Sandy (Larisa Bell) in the McHenry County College production of "Grease." Courtesy of McHenry County College

'Grease' actors on their characters

<b>Larisa Bell, 'Sandy'</b>Q. How are you similar to (or different from) the character you're playing?

Bell. Boy, Sandy and I are very similar! We are both hopeless romantics, sweet natured, but also headstrong when need be. It's funny because most of my life people have compared me to Sandy; we're almost the same person. She has been a dream role of mine ever since I got to play her in a middle school Broadway choir review. And wearing the black leather outfit has been pretty fun too.

Q. What have been some of the challenges in playing this role?

Bell. To me, Sandy isn't just what people see on the surface level. When people think of Sandy, they think "sweet and naive goody two-shoes who changes herself for a boy," which is correct in some ways, but I think there's more to her than what meets the eye. I love thinking about who Sandy is as a person, how her summer was with Danny, what she thinks about the kids at Rydell, and ultimately why she chooses to rock some leather at the end of the show. That's why I love acting and the challenge of becoming somebody else and sharing her story.

<b>Ben Carver, 'Kenickie'</b>Q. What challenged you in this role?

Carver. Right off the bat I was a little nervous about the role. Kenickie is such a different role than what I am used to. I have always been cast as the nerdy/nice guy so this is a big change for me. I believe expanding my acting ability and getting out of my comfort zone is challenging.

Q. What do you have in common with Kenickie?

Carver. Kenickie and I have similarities, but not many. We both have love for cars and think the ugliest hunk of junk is cool. One difference is that I wear my heart on my sleeve, and he doesn't. He's a great character. I have fallen in love with playing Kenickie. It's given me so much more than I could ever imagine.

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