‘Grease’ is the wor
By JAMES SPEED
Staff Writer
JKSSI6I@PSU.EDU
Hey Eugeeene, did you happen
to catch the Capital Players
production of Grease, or were
you shocked, and bummed out
when you learned that tickets
were sold out for all four shows
four days before opening night?
That’s right, the Capital Players
packed the house April 16 through
the 19 lh with its rendition of the
Broadway smash hit “Grease.”
With twenty-four cast members,
all students at PSH, “Grease” was
the largest production ever done
on the Penn State Harrisburg
campus. Many long, hard horns
went into making it a success
including building the set, which
was a team effort of the entire cast
and crew. Dances were learned,
lines were memorized, and songs
were harmonized, but all that hard
work paid off when cast and crew
showed off in front of a packed
house.
Jim Johnson, the director of the
show, said he thought “Grease”
was a huge success and that he is
very proud of how the cast came
together and put on a great show.
The six-piece orchestra headed
up by Penn State’s adjunct music
professor, David Deitz was a
phenomenal addition to the
stage and really brought out the
energy in the crowd and the cast.
The standing ovation the show
received on Sunday is testament
that “Grease” was a success and
the audience thoroughly enjoyed
it. Some standout performances
include Eugene, played by Kevin
Conti, who could not walk on stage
without getting a barrel of laughs.
Another gut buster was Frenchy
played by Neferteri “Nefi”
Shada Zula, who had the perfect
Frenchy voice and a spunky
attitude to boot. Teen Angel, Leon
Voughs was another hit with the
crowd with his sparkling white
angel costume and Little Richard
hair and Steven Williams, who
played Danny Zuko, showed no
signs of being a rookie on stage
and wowed the audience with
his shrieking version of “All
Choked Up”. Eric Stump gave
his last performance at Penn State
Harrisburg as Kenickie - a part
his hair was bom to play.
There were also some amazing
full cast dance numbers
choreographed by Melia Tucker
including the “Hand Jive”, a real
crowd pleaser with cartwheels,
lifts, and spins, and of course
“We go Together.” The highlight
of the night, or should I say
the “moon’Tight of the night,
was when Roger and Jan bore
it all for the audience to
There were shouts of horror
amazement; shrieks of laujj
and bewilderment and mayl
camera flash or two.