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The Citizen, 1999-05-12, Page 22PAGE 22. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 1999. Review Madill’s ‘Grease’ a rocking, rolling hit At the prom Musician Johnny Casino (Joshua Gropp) and radio per­ sonality Vince Fontaine (Sjaan Gerth) get the crowd geared up for the Hand Jive . By Mark Nonkes Student witer To Freddy Marty (Ashley Gropp) pines for Freddy My Love in this scene from F.E. Madill Drama Guild's performance of Grease, presented last week from Wednesday to Saturday. Lending friendly support are Pink Ladies, from left: Rizzo (Ange Chippa), Frenchie (Karen Prentiss) and Jan (Amy Reidner). Ready to rock and roll The T-Birds, from left: Justin Ruttan, Arras Hopkins, Gelan Hopkins, Mark Weir, William Kugler and Craig Fair as Danny Zuko had the crowd geared up with their rocking rendition of Grease Lightning. The students of F. E. Madill's Drama Guild, directed by teacher Louanna Alexander presented the rock-and-roll ode to the 1950's to sold-out crowds for four nights. While the musical is a good deal of fun with lots of energetic music and dancing, it also deals with many serious issues such as teen pregnancy, peer pressure and values. The 50s were alive and rocking at F. E. Madill May 5 - 8. Grease was the word as the rock- and-roll musical was presented to large audiences.by the F. E. Madill Drama Guild. The play, similar to the hit movie, focuses on two teenagers meant to be together, however the peer pres­ sure that surrounds them almost pre­ vents it. Sandy (Virginia Schenk) enters a new school after having a summer fling with Danny (Craig Fair). The innocent Sandy meets the Pink Ladies who warn her of her summer fling. Danny doesn't show his affection towards Sandy because of his repu­ tation. This causes a load of music and fun as the two try to find their way to each other despite the social difficulties. The band, directed by Vicki Gerth, produced spectacular live music capturing the sounds of the 1950's. It creates a lot of energy for the pro­ duction and exhibits the depth of tal­ ent of the youths, not only in act­ ing but musically.. The lead up to the first all-cast tune, Summer Nights was very enjoyable, characters were estab­ lished and much was happening about the stage. Schenk portrayed Sandy with an innocence and right­ eous personality. She made the char­ acter and her emotions very real and easy to identify with, and was a pleasure to watch. The Pink Ladies and T-Birds were fun as they kept the action in the show. The energetic Summer Nights had the audience tapping their feet as the cast delivered a wonderful opening number. All of the other all-cast songs were equally enjoyable. Marty, (Ashley Gropp) who sang the solo Freddie My Love stood out among the Pink Ladies and was par­ ticularly magnetic to watch. The T-Birds three stooges, Doody (Gelan Hopkins), Roger (Mark Weir) and Sonny (Justin Ruttan) brought a great deal of comedy and amusement to the show. The song Mooning Over You was particularly funny as one sings and the other answer's in a womanly voice and manner. Darryl Manjin, who appears in one scene as the Teen Angel has a very strong accomplished voice, demonstrated in the song Beauty School Dropout. A great addition to the show was minor character, Patty Simcox (Heather Sande), the peppy high strung student council president who stole every scene she appeared in. The pieces that had large amounts of the cast dancing were also a delight to watch. All the choreogra­ phy, every small step had been worked out to a tee. The costuming captured the 1950s as did the set and props, in particular the car that was rolled on stage. Perhaps F. E. Madill should look into a new sound system. On many occasions the actors were not done justice; either the sound system was too loud or too soft, often making the viewer straining to hear. The students and staff involved proved that we need not travel far to see a fun-filled musical with excellent acting, dancing and singing. Blyth PS news Kindergartens learn letter sounds By John Battyc For the past few months the Blyth JK/SK class has been very busy learning the sounds and actions of the letters O, U, L, F, B, J, Z, and V, through stories, games rhymes, crafts and songs. At Easter they made Easter bunnies, painted eggs, and made Easter baskets (I hope the Easter Rabbit gave them lots of eggs)! Recently, they went for a walk to learn about the signs of spring, like robins, daffodils, tulips, green grass, and warm weather. The JK/SK class had fun making spring crafts like daffodils and symmetrical butterflies. They have been very busy this term focusing on the theme of spring. By Lindsay Nicholson The Grade 4/5 class would like to welcome two new members to their classroom. Cookie and Blackie, are the classroom goldfish, welcome additions to the room. Dragons have been discovered in their classroom. The Asiatic Dragon is said to be a distant cousin to the goldfish. In their imaginations students are travelling around the world discovering various species of dragons and sharing their magic through poetry. In science, students are currently studying rocks and minerals. They have brought in some very interesting samples that will be' classified according to how the rocks are formed. By the end of this unit, they will have learned how rocks and gems are formed and why some types are found in certain areas. They will be discussing the changes that take place in the earth's crust over time. Hopefully the goldfish will be happy in their new home with the Grade 4/5's! Obert Hvude ' on Saturday, May 15, 1999 to celebrate the Or maybe you couldn't speak clearly. Or your vision was blurred . That’s what it’s like to live with multiple sclerosis. But with your help, we can connect with a cure. 1-800-268-7582 Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada 9OF Birthday of Emerson Rodger (May 13, 1999) ...at The MacKay Centre Goderich, from 2-4 pm! Love & Best Wishes from your family.