Thunder Road rules!

Shoo bop along to rock ’n roll musical Grease by Cambridge High School at the Guild Theatre this week — milkshakes, poodle skirts, a live band and all.

Dedicated teachers and the young cast have spent the past nine months learning the beats, painting diner sets, as well as a flaming-hot old car. 

Best known for the 1978 film starring John Travolta as bad boy Danny Zuko and Olivia Newton-John as delicate flower-turned-greaser Sandra “Sandy” Dombrowski, the two lovebirds reconnect after a summer romance at Rydell High.

The musical follows a group of working-class teenagers navigating the complexities of youth. 

True to the theme, the Friesland Milk Bar will be setting up a stall in the foyer.

The show’s director, drama teacher Cameron McEwan, said the musical was chosen because its themes still resonated with teenagers today. 

“The show is amazing. We went big with everything, the set is going to be huge, the singing is beautiful, the dancing magnificent, it’s going to be one of the biggest productions I’ve seen in a while in East London.” 

Many of the school’s teachers, from the sports to the maths department, have been painting sets and joining rehearsals.

“Grease is still very relevant, it’s set in a high school.

“Its got to do with high school kids so the pupils can relate to it, plus who doesn’t love a good love story? 

“They deal with issues that are still relevant — ‘am I cool enough, am I going to be accepted, what should I wear?’

“The cast relates to it very well. All the themes of being cool, fitting in, finding a job, being smart enough at school are things high school kids have to deal with at this age,” McEwan said.

Rehearsals started in August 2023, with the cast moving into the Guild Theatre on Saturday.

“Our pupils are extremely busy with extra-curricular activities so we had to spread out rehearsals, which takes time, and now closer to the show it’s crunch time. 

“Jan loves her food, Rizzo is the wild party animal and Sandy is the ever-conservative in the beginning ...

“The cast had to do character studies and find as much information as they could before we started.

“One thing they’ve learnt is dedication and time management, and after so many rehearsals together, they started to become a family, and when that happens, everything clicks into place.

“They began inspiring each other and helping each other.

“Dedication, hard work, it was a fun process, everyone wanted to be here, they even started inspiring us as teachers,” McEwan said.

Grade 11 pupil Uzile Mojake, 17, who plays Danny, initially auditioned for T-Bird member Sonny, but ended up snagging the male lead.

“I missed the auditions for last year’s play so when I heard there was a play this year, I was the first to audition.

“I auditioned for Sonny but got [the role of] Danny,” Uzile said.

“I struggled with the singing and pronunciation of American words like skiviez and jocks, I used to say ‘jorks’ because I’m used to saying boerewors — it made sense.

“I’m excited for the opening, I’m hoping to give the audience the show that they came for, it’s what we’ve been working towards.” 

Grade 9 pupil Mbali Phetela, 15, who plays Sandy, hoped audiences would feel the excitement in the air from the cast. 

“There are definitely nerves, the pressure is on,” Mbali said.

“It’s very time-consuming, I had to let go of my other commitments and commit to Grease, it was very tough.

“The process has been nice, being in a group where everyone understood what you are going through, we have got closer as a cast.” 

Mbasi said her favourite song to perform was Hopelessly Devoted to You.

She found Sandy’s transformation from innocence to bad girl a challenge, she said.

“It’s so weird going from this small person to this big person. It’s been hard to work on but really fun.” 

In the role of sassy character Rizzo is Grade 12 pupil Roche Draghoender, 18.

“It’s very exciting and this experience is amazing,” Roche said.

“I was shocked when I saw some of our teachers from school doing things you never knew they could do.

“Having them here takes a weight off your shoulders, you know you have support, it’s comforting having them around.”

Catch Grease: The Timeless High School Musical at the Guild Theatre from Wednesday to Saturday, at 6.30pm.

Tickets are available from Computicket: Friday — R140 adults; R100 scholars. Saturday — R140 adults; R100 scholars. Contact: 043-743-0704.

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