Grease Analysis

What is your character's main purpose in the piece? My character's main purpose is to add humour to the play with Roger as we are the least cool of the two groups and we love our food and we're much more immature than the others. With our bad jokes and chumpy nature it adds silly humour to the piece. 
How is your character different? My character is different from the others because the others are popular, fashionable and flirty. For example Marty wears the latest fashion, has lots of boys that are chasing her and always looks her best whereas i am always eating, being silly and giggling at immature things.
Is your character a stereotype? Jan is a stereotype of a glutenous person, obsessed by food. She is also a stereotype of someone who does not act their age and still has fun acting like a kid an example of this is her curly pigtails which is a hairstyle a younger person would have.

http://youtu.be/Iyo3FdHXq-s i used this link from youtube of a performance of Grease at the West End as part of my inspiration for my duet with Roger 'mooning' i took the sillyness out of it but put it in my own way, for example i always have a cheeky grin on my face and when Roger says the line 'at your front door' i mimic the action of swinging my door open to him. 

GREASE– Synopsis/song list

Title/Content		Strengths/Areas for development - add your opinion. How were the scenes performed at the end of the process/in performance?
Act 1
1	(Alma Mater Acapella) Reunion Speech	I feel that in the performance we sang it well but the things that stood out to me that could of been better is that we got mixed up with some of the words such as 'for' and 'to' and 'cling' and 'sing'. So one of the main analytical points i can make is that we needed better lyric confidence to ensure there were no mistakes made. I think we had good energy but i think some people looked a bit bored and were focusing too much on the lyrics and not on their facial expression, i think it would of been improved if everyone had big smiles on their face. I think the speech went really well, Beth had really good projection and kept her characterisation very well. Lizzie could of improved her projection but her characterisation of an over excited cheerleader was very good. She made it funny with the high kick when she said about the athletic teams. I also think the way we set it out was very good and how we excited in a staggered way one after the other to the back. Also how we had a block at the back for Lizzie and Beth to stand on looked good.   Personal analysis: I felt that i had good projection however some of the words i got mixed up, so for me i just needed a bit more lyric confidence. I kept up the accent throughout the song so that was effective as i was at the front so the audience would have heard me.
1b	(Alma Mater Parody)	I feel that this song was very static and there was not enough movement used, there should of been more jokey shoving included and more energy to make it more of a funny parody. I think that Joe and Max had very good projection but the others could of been a bit louder to make it more exciting. I like how the came down from the blocks and from different areas and met in the middle so it used all the stage but when they met in the middle they stopped moving.
2	Flashback to high school cafeteria (Summer Nights)	I feel that this scene went well except some people needed a lot more projection including my self, i felt Emily projected very well and even being at the back kept the same loudness. I felt that me and Emily (Jan and Marty) showed a good relationship in this scene and i liked how all the girls gradually joined us, it showed a good friendship grouping. I think that we could of used much more energy though because we were very static sitting in almost the same space for the whole scene. However when it went from one group to another i felt that each group freezed very well in the same position and did not move and take the focus away from the group in the spotlight. I think that Beths (Miss Lynch) first impression was very effective and her authority was very noticeable from the moment she walked in, she kept good posture throughout and even though she was a lot smaller than the boys she still showed she had authority over them, for example when she came in the boys sitting down stood up and the boys who were standing up stood back to give her space. On the tech side of things i felt that the stage blocks looked very effective and gave us levels and means we werent just all sitting in the same line, also the silvery fabric that was stapled on the blocks looked great and added colour to the scene.  I really liked summer nights i felt the backing dances were simple but very effective, clicking, following the main singer etc. Matt and Pollys (Danny and Sandy) projection was very good and did the song very well. There was a verse in the song that the girls did not have proper choreography for but we managed to cover it well so i don't think it was noticeable but i lost a bit of confidence in that bit as i didn't know what i was doing properly. It was good that we came down from the blocks at points for 'we went bowling in the arcade' and 'we went strolling, drank lemonade' so we covered more of the stage. It was effective how we all were very impressed and intrigued with Polly's (sandys) summer and this mystery boy except from Lyndsey (Rizzo) who just sat down looking down her nose for most of it, and when she did join in she did it mockingly, i felt that Lyndsey played that part very well.   Personal analysis: I felt that did this scene pretty well, i stayed in character and when i wasn't in the spotlight i still kept it up. I think i needed to be a lot louder after watching the video of the performance, when i was on stage i felt that i was loud enough but when i was right at the back of the stage i was only just loud enough so i definitely needed to be a lot louder. I felt i kept up the characterisation because i was getting excited about the food and i made silly jokes like 'hey, where'd you get shoes like that' and kept up my giggly nature.
3	Lockers (Those Magic Changes)	I think that how we entered was good, that we entered individually, got stuff from our lockers then sat with friends, stood with friends, then when we heard Joe (Doody) with the guitar we all gradually went over to him and showed interest. Then when he sang terribly we all moved away a bit holding our ears showing we found it awful. I think the choreography worked really well, again very simple but again simple was good, even though the boys wasn't properly choreographed it looked good because those boys wouldn't of danced very well anyway being the 'T birds' they're all about looking cool. The harmony in 'Those Magic Changes' sounded good. When the girls clicked off and the boys moved around Joe it changed the energy into a very boyish feeling.   Personal analysis: In those magic changes i kept up the choreography but made a couple of mistakes to the end. I kept in time and kept a smile on my face.
4	Marty's pajama party (Freddy, My Love)	I think the props really helped this scene but i still think it lacked a bit of energy, we should of moved around a bit more and used the space we had.  We showed a very good reaction to the bottle of wine, we were all very excited and moved to get a bit. We needed to of kept the accent going and not slip into british which i did. We remembered our lines very well and when someone did forget theirs (which was only for a couple) we quickly covered for them. In Freddy My Love Martys vocals were really good, but the backing vocals could of been more powerful. I think the lighting was really good and showed a very girly scene. I think the actions and reactions in this scene were very good and effective. The scene flowed very well and wasn't too patchy and static. I think for the tech it was lacking something, the picture didn't suit very well and was not in the right century. I think if we have had a bed it would of made the scene more believable.   Personal analysis: I feel that i kept up the characterisation, and kept using props when i wasn't talking so i wasn't just waiting until my next line. I feel like i again could of been a little bit louder and try not to mumble some of my lines. I felt like i reacted well to the actions being made. I tried not to just stay in one place by going over to stand by Polly and fiddle with her hair and show interest in her. In Freddy my love i feel like i could of been a lot louder, especially as Emily has such a powerful voice so to back her we needed a lot of projection. I felt like i kept up the giggly silly girly feel of the backing singers to the song, so that was good.
5	Garage (Greased Lightening)	I think this scene lacked some energy, i think it doesn't build up very well for Greased Lightening. When they run in carrying the tires that looked good. I think Abbie and Michael should of been alot louder as compared to the others they weren't heard as well. They used good actions using the car. Abbie's characterisation was very good even though she was the only girl she fitted into the boy scene very well. I think the scene needed more boyish energy, joking about with eachother etc.  Greased Lightening is one of my favourite songs in the show and the choreography for this is very effective and works so well, there was very good movement in the song, however the song was a bit out of time. I liked how some people were on the car, Max (Kenickie) was in front of the car, and the others were each side of the car, it showed good spacing and levels. I liked the clapping in the song and how they moved to a different position for each clapping set.  Tech notes: the sound effects needed to be on time, the background picture was effective and was in the right time period.
6	Cheerleading	I think this scene started very well, Polly (Sandy) using good space for her cheerleading practise, then she showed a very good reaction to Matt (Danny) entering by throwing her pom-poms to the floor suddenly in embarrassment, i think that was very effective and showed off her character very well. There was very good improvisation in this scene when their character was not talking they were always doing something and keeping in character. I think Lizzy (Patty) mumbled a bit and needed more projection but other then that her characterisation was great, always trying to get Dannys attention, trying to take Sandy away from him etc. However because it was an unenergised scene everyone started to shuffle all over the place and move too much whilst talking which made them mumble their lines a bit. I think Matts reaction to the track tryouts was good, trying to impress Sandy and Patty but knowing that he wouldn't be able to do it properly and a bit embarrassed.
7	Picnic in the park (Mooning) (Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee). (We Go Together)	In the park we had good movement whilst not speaking but i feel that the scene lacked a lot of energy that a party in the park with a couple of drinks would of had. I think that there was good miming in the background whilst not speaking. I think there needed to be more interaction with eachother and more movement around the stage and not just staying static in one place. I felt that mooning went very well, me and Abbie (Roger) had good lyric confidence, i liked the simple choreography for this, Roger was singing to me for the first bit then i followed him then he held me in his arms, so it's like a gradual attraction and getting closer to eachother. However, i feel that the backing dancers were a bit out of time and the clicking needed to be a lot slower and i think they weren't confident enough with the choreography. There was a late change to everyone singing the last line 'theres a moon out tonight' so that went a bit wrong. I think we needed a bit more volume just so the song had more of an impact. I felt that me and Abbie showed a really good relationship in this song and it showed our silly side.  There was a good reaction to the fight and to the radio. There was noticeable aggression between Max and Lyndsey and it looked believable.  In Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee i think because we all gathered at the radio getting into the position for the song was a bit awkward. Lyndsey sang the song well with good characterisation, but because we did the choreography right at the beginning and we did not go over it, it was a bit slow and unconfident.  Second reaction to fight was good as well, however i think that Lyndsey went a bit ghetto and too fiesty for that fight, but apart from that very good how the energy was kept up. It was very effective when Abbie brought me up to the front to talk to me, because then it was centre stage and not pushed to the back and it meant the audience could hear us clearer. We go together: projection good, however, when the choreography got more extravagant the vocals got quieter and were mumbled a bit and were lost. So for me i think the choreography could of been a bit more simple, and when we were meant to do silly moves, everyone cramped to the back and i think we should of moved around the stage a lot more. Personal analysis: I feel that i needed to be a lot louder as i was sitting right at the back. I felt mine and Rogers relationship and how we acted together went really well. We used the props well and we added our humour and cheeky grins which worked well. I liked how when Abbie (Roger) started telling me about how he's a mooner we started walking towards the front, i also liked how when i say 'i wish i'd been there... i mean.. you know what i mean' i started moving away in embarrassment and then Abbie said 'I wish you'd been there too' we met in the centre and held hands and it showed the first of our proper relationship. I felt that mooning went really well for me, my projection in the song was good and i showed how loved up i was for Roger. However when i was walking back and Abbie was following i nearly fell over the radio but Abbie managed to pull me back and kept in character so that was avoided well.
Act 2
1	High School Hop (Hopelessly Devoted to You) (Born to Hand Jive).	  The opening to this scene worked really well, the spotlights on the boys and the girls getting ready made it look really effective. Pollys projection for Hopelessly devoted to you was really good, and she hit the notes very well, whilst she was singing the people in the background freezed well so the attention on Polly was kept. I felt like the music after the song came in a bit too late. The dancing was very energetic but i feel that sometimes it dipped a little so the main thing would be that we would need to keep the energy up throughout. I think the line dancing looked really good and it really showed the relationships between the different couples, me (Jan) and Abbie (Roger) went down the line flapping our arms like chicken to show our silly, immature relationship whereas Emily (Marty) and Dylan (Vince) went down the line doing a provocative style dance to show their sexual based mature relationship. There was a good reaction to Miss Lynch and Vince Fontaine, reacted to the things they said and were focussed on them when they were talking. Dyland forgot his lines but Beth covered very well and so it would not of been noticed by the audience. I think Chelsea (Cha-Cha) and Max's (Kenickie) entrance was really good as they came on in spotlight at the top of the blocks and walked down and everyone moved out there way and grouped round like 'who is this girl?'. Eugene and Cha-Cha's dance was really good, Ben/Josh (Eugene) showed the real awkwardness of dancing with someone that confident and out of his league, and Chelsea did really well sexually dancing around him to make Max (Kenickie) jealous. I feel that there was not enough excitement leading up to hand-jive, however, the actual dance looked really well, there were a few mistakes made, for example i kicked opposite to everyone else but i put it into character because i see Jan as not a very good dancer anyway. Miss Lynch's lines after Hand Jive were drowned so i feel she should've waited for the audience to stop clapping because she wasn't heard. I feel that the 'how low can you go' section where we shuffle along the stage again in our partners looked really good because again it showed what sort of relationship we have. I think that when Cha-Cha and Danny went up to get their prizes it looked good how we all crowded round and reacted to the different prizes they were accepting. I think it worked really well how the boys went off first (for their costume change) and the girls stayed on and had a little chat on the blocks and then gradually left and then Patty (Lizzie), Eugene and Miss Lynch cleaned up.   Personal Analysis: I felt that i kept up my characterisation and the couple of lines i did have i felt i had good projection. I think my reactions to Vince and Miss Lynch worked well and i think that i kept my energy up and even though i got some of the moves wrong in the hand-jive i managed to put it into character. 
2	Outside Burger Palace   - ready to rumble (Beauty School Dropout)	Needed a lot more energy! Max came out of character when he mixed up one of his lines. When Max came on he also should of started talking before he got to centre stage because it looked really unnatural. Frenchie (Emily P) sounded really good, good accent, good projection. Danny needed to come out a lot earlier, awkward silence but Sonny (Michael) covered very well and improvised 'hey, where's Danny?'. I think Emily's monologue went really well, and she didn't rush it. In beauty school dropout Joe's (Doody) vocals were really good, good projection and he hit the high notes really well. The costume for the angels was really simple but so effective, and also with the choreography that was simple but worked really well with the lyrics, however we weren't in time with the other group, so we should of gone over that a bit more. The backing vocals were great, went with Joe's voice really well.
3	Twi-Light Drive In (Sandy)	Good movie sequence, good freeze-frame whilst Sandy and Danny scene. Dylan, Beth and Sarah good projection in movie scene. Good use of flickering green light for movie scene looked really effective. Polly (Sandy) needed to be a bit louder towards the beginning of the scene. When Matt (Danny) tried to get his ring off i felt that was really good comedy and the audience enjoyed it. I thought the kiss was a bit too short, but Polly showed really good awkwardness towards Matt. Matt sang 'Sandy' really well with really good projection, good movement and he hit the notes well.
4	House Party (Rock and Roll Party Queen) Rizzo is worried (There Are Worse Things I Could Do). Sandy wants to fit in at Rydell (Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee Reprise).	Good energy, good use of space, good use of props. Joe sang RARPQ really well, he was able to hit all the notes fine and characterised it very well, he had good projection and movement. Awkward bit after Rock and Roll Party Queen, energy dropped. Lyndsey's accent dropped at one point. I felt it was really good how Lyndsey brang Emily up to the front to tell her about her possible pregnancy, a sense of secrecy was made. I feel that some people needed to be louder and to say their lines more slowly (me). Max knocked over plastic cup but kept it in character and the rest of the T-birds looked at him and made it not look like a mistake. Good actions and reactions. Lyndsey (Rizzo) paced too much in There are worse things i could do. Polly (Sandy) used very good projection and good movement in Look at me, I'm Sandra Dee however the spotlight came on at the wrong point and lit her as she walked off from the blocks.
5	Burger Palace – Sandy’s transformation (You’re the one that I want) (We Go Together Reprise).	Lighting was bad - the t-birds were not lit, good projection, good action and reaction but needed more energy! the scene started a bit dead. Very good reaction when the new Sandy walked in, everyone stood up, Danny broke through the crowd and looked Sandy up and down.  The Pink Ladies kept a good stance and kept in character when not in spotlights. For You're the one that i want: very good lighting, good background dances, simple but effective with clicks, bops, moves reacting to Sandys lines, good movement and using space well by using blocks. Good harmonies and it worked really well how all the couples got together and did individual dances together and then all together did the same movements (of which we copied from the dance from the movie). After the song i felt it was good how we all progressed to the middle after our lines so we showed our friendship and closeness. Lizzie needed to be a bit louder as she was towards the back on the blocks, but her characterisation was really good and humerous. The We Go Together reprise was really good, tight movement, good projection and good facial expressions. The lighting was really good and the projection behind us fit well. However the music should of been cut on 'wop bam boom' which is when the lights went off and we stopped dancing.