BHS to present "Grease"

There’s a new hand at the helm of Buffalo High School’s fall musical, and this year’s iconic show has created a full-circle moment for first-time director Brandon Aldrich.

“‘Grease’ was actually the first Buffalo High School performance I ever saw when (Tracy Hagstrom-Durant) directed it back in 2001 or so,” said Aldrich, who graduated from Buffalo High School in 2009 and now teaches English there. “So it’s a very fond memory of mine, and I’m really happy that it’s the first show I get to take on because it’s so much fun. There are little homages to things I remember her doing in the show that I added in because they were so memorable.”

“Grease” opens at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 13, in the Performing Arts Center. Additional 7 p.m. shows are planned for Saturday, Nov. 14, and Friday, Nov. 20, and a 2 p.m. matinee is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 21.

While new leadership always requires some adjustments, a strong cast of experienced actors will help lead the energetic 1950s high school love story. Senior Kyler Jaunich plays Danny Zuko, the greaser made famous by John Travolta in the 1978 movie of the same name, while senior Kaylee Anderson takes the role of strait-laced newcomer Sandy Dumbrowski, played by Olivia Newton-John in the movie. After a summer romance, the two unexpectedly meet at Rydell High, where Danny struggles to maintain his image as tough-guy leader of the greaser gang while trying to show Sandy a softer side.

“It’s a challenging character to play because he has to decide, does he want his true love or his ego?” said Jaunich.

Anderson said it’s been fun to delve into a pop culture role after last year’s lesser-known production of “Hadestown.”

“It’s really exciting because I can tell people ‘We’re doing ‘Grease’ this year,’ and they’ll be like, ‘Oh my goodness, “Grease!”’ Because it was a big thing for the adults I talk to,” said Anderson. “It still is, just not as much for younger generations, but all of the adults I’ve talked to have been super excited. It’s nice to not have to explain things. I can just say, ‘We’re doing “Grease” and I get to play Sandy,’ rather than, ‘I’m one of three omniscient Fates.’”

Along with last year’s “Hadestown,” the 2024 production of “Hunchback of Notre Dame” challenged actors with more intense themes, and students are enjoying a more light-hearted subject this fall.

“It’s just a fun show compared to the last two that were dark and grim,” said Jaunich. “We get to have smiles on our faces now.”

Iconic roles
While Anderson is enjoying the familiarity of the story, there is a certain degree of difficulty that comes with such an well-known role.

“There is pressure that comes with it because people have pretty high expectations that it will be a certain way. And, especially based on the movie, there’s also nostalgia tied to it,” she said. “I enjoy being able to kind of create my own character, but there’s only so much I can add to this one without completely taking away the essence of the character that people are used to. So in general I think I prefer playing lesser-known characters, but there is also a lot of excitement that comes with a recognizable role.” 

From the director’s chair, Aldrich said he feels like the audience’s general familiarity with the story actually takes some of the pressure off the performers.

“Lots of people know the songs, so if the kids go out there and give it their all and they sing those songs well and they do the parts well, it’s going to land,” he said. “So I’m very excited about that.”

Fresh perspective
While the leads will be familiar to BHS theater fans, several performers are also making their debuts this fall. One of those individuals is freshman Nolan Koltes who, at the urging of friends, was one of 72 students who tried out for a role.

“I just decided to do it because I’ve watched a lot of the musicals that Buffalo has done, and I really enjoyed them,” Koltes said. “And I like ‘Grease.’ It’s a great movie and has really good music.”

As a first-timer, Koltes said the amount of effort that goes into a show has been eye-opening.

“It’s more involved than I thought it would be, but it’s also more fun than I expected,” he said. “Aldrich makes it really fun because he takes it easy, but he also knows when to push us. There are a lot of great people and everybody is really nice, so I’m really happy I joined.”

While this is Aldrich’s first time directing a high school show, he previously directed middle school shows, helped with high school productions and even performed alongside some of the actors in Buffalo Community Theater’s summer production of “Cinderella.”

“It’s a big undertaking, but it’s also something that I’ve wanted to do ever since I started teaching,” Aldrich said of his high school director’s role. “One of the reasons I got into teaching is because of theater and the English teachers and other teachers who worked around it.”

Crew’s eye view
In all, about 44 cast members will take the stage, supported by 30 student crew members. Junior Anna Utsch is the show’s set designer, student tech director, and assistant stage manager. She and others had to scramble when they realized that set plans from a previous production of “Grease” would not work due to insufficient notation.

“Normally, you would plan choreography based off of the set, or it would be working together, but in this case our choreography was already planned, so we had to base the set off that choreography,” she said.

Why is she interested in the behind-the-scenes work of theater?

“I used to do acting, but once I stepped into the high school theater there’s a lot more to do backstage, and I have a bit of stage fright,” she said. “I just really wanted that community that theater has. I really enjoy that part of it.”

In the normal course of a show, it can be easy for audience members to overlook the logistics that go into scene changes, but Utsch said the coordination needed to make set pieces flow on and off stage efficiently is one of her favorite aspects of the work.

“We have to choreograph set changes like how you would choreograph a dance, and it’s a lot to work with,” she said.

While the focus tends to be on the actors, Utsch takes pride in small touches to the set that most audience members may not directly notice, but that contribute to the overall realism of the action.

“Try and look deeper into it, because there’s a lot more planning that goes into it than just the singing and dancing,” she said. “It’s the whole picture that I want people to see.”

What to expect
There are a number of differences between the movie and theatrical version of “Grease,” including Sandy’s last name, the name of Danny’s gang (Burger Palace Boys in the play rather than T-Birds as in the movie), and some of the songs.

“A lot of things people see in the movie, they’re going to sound familiar, but they’re probably not quite in the same order,” said Aldrich. “It doesn’t mean the play version or the movie version is better, they’re just a little different.”

While the movie actually toned down some of the ribald content from the original 1971 play, Aldrich made some further revisions for a high school performance.

“Just little lines and quips and cursing and things like that, we took that out,” he said. “It doesn’t make the show any better just because you say those things, and our actors are still kids.”

The general exuberance and humor remain.

“It’s funny,” said Jaunich. “All the Burger Palace Boys have their jokes, and I’m always laughing backstage when they’re saying their lines. It kills me every time, so just come and have a laugh.”

“This one’s really fun,” Aldrich agreed. “We want people to have that that fun escape from reality and go back to the past, so I’m really hoping that’s what this show can bring.”

• Tickets are available at the door, or online at https://www.gobound.com/mn/schools/buffalohs/tickets. The cost is $6 for adults and $4 for students.