Nostalgia was the key to the success of this year’s Stars Over Veishea production of “Grease” this weekend at Stephens Auditorium.

Most people in attendance were familiar with the popular story filled with leather jackets, wisecracks, pink ladies and the almost uncannily catchy songs. Many attendees would judge this production against the famous movie version of “Grease” starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.

The storyline in the musical “Grease” differs slightly from the movie in some aspects. The characters are the same for the most part, but involve more solos in the way of secondary characters.

The main drama takes place between two clique-crossed lovers named Sandy Dumbrowski played by Sadie Shelton, senior in communication studies, and Danny Zuko played by Chris Newman, sophomore in advertising and graphic design.

On the first day of school at Rydell High in 1959, the two main characters separately tell their friends about a magical encounter they had with a member of the opposite sex at the beach during the past summer. Their plight is expressed through the classic song “Summer Nights,” which is the first big number of the evening.

Right off the bat, the two leads showed they had excellent voices and established their stage presence by expanding on their larger-than-life characters, giving each an individual touch.

The summer fling ends with the return to school. The two lovers have no clue they would be attending the same school in the fall. But Sandy is heartbroken when Danny, in order to stay hip in front of his friends, ignores her.

The musical moves to the classic song, “Greased Lightning,” which this time involves Danny’s wisecracking friend Kenickie, played by Scott Morehead Jr., sophomore in performing arts. Kenickie spends all summer working to get a car to impress ladies, such as his girlfriend. In this song, Morehead gets into the music by bouncing around on the stage and singing about his newfound roadster and woman-magnet Greased Lightning.

The cast as a whole did a fine job, but one cast member stood out the most, said “Grease” attendee Phill Ross, junior in construction engineering,

“Overall it was pretty good,” said Ross. “I like Kenickie the best. I think he has the funniest part.”

The costumes in this production were vivid and expressive, modeling and expanding on the 1950s fashion.

Unlike the other ISU Theatre productions, most of which are performed at Fisher Theater, “Grease” took full advantage of the size and technology of Stephens Auditorium. The sets created for the show were professional and rolled smoothly around the stage.

Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of the performance was the cast’s ability to sing along with the classic songs, and every soloist of the evening showed exceptional musical ability as they projected the words and notes to the tops of the auditorium’s balcony.

Sadie Shelton was excellent as Sandy, and several times made the audience laugh at her humorous version of her character, before serenading the crowd with her superb vocal talent.

The most well-received number of the evening was the song “Beauty School Dropout,” sang by Kareem Dixon, graduate in liberal arts. His take on the song featured a sudden burst into laughter in the middle, and a range from a deep swing to high held notes. After this performance, the crowd cheered and whistled enthusiastically.

“Beauty School Dropout” made the show a success, said Jordan Sertich, freshman in psychology.

“`Beauty School Dropout’ was the best song by far,” said Sertich. “I loved it.”

Overall, the ISU production of “Grease” was a success, and the actors and directors did a fine job. The second act was stronger than the first, but caused a build of excitement in the audience as the show moved forward.

As a whole, this was a good version of “Grease” and did not leave the attendees in disappointment.

Luke Rolfes is a junior in English from Polk City.