KADS brings ‘Grease’ to town

The summer is done and what an unforgettable experience it was. Rydel High fancy boy, Danny Zuko (Douglas Dubois Sebamala), gets his crew the T-birds, envious with the juicy bits of his romantic rendezvous at the beach. Town newbie Sandy (Rebecca Richards), trying to fit into the Pink Ladies crew, gets her girls drooling with own tales of prince charming. Two different scripts, one story, who is telling the truth?

Acted by the Kampala Amateur Dramatics Society (KADS) at the National Theatre, the 1978 movie, Grease, a musical starring John Travolta, was brought to life again. Set in the 1950’s in Rydell High School, Chicago, United States, it tells the story of teenage friendships, love and angst as the main characters and their friends try to impress one another

The play is laced with music and has a lot of expressive acting, which manages to capture the characters perfectly. It is also depictive of school environments, complete with peer pressure as one witnesses the characters coerced into disagreeable behaviour. Sandy, a goody two shoes, has never smoked and drunk alcohol before and rejects to smoke, upsetting her friends.

The lighting, which is used to differentiate scenes and also time, accompanied with creative costumes, give life to the play. The directors did justice to the original Grease by sticking to the story line and following the script. The lead actors also showed a mastery of the talent by being vocal and singing out beautiful, guided by the band.

Behind the play
Director. Colum Hatchell.
Musical director. Natasha Chong.
Producer. Helen O’Flinn.
Showing. At the National Theatre Saturday and Sunday. Tickets cost Shs20,000 for adults and Shs15,000 for students.