What's love without hair products, leather jackets, and a little rock and roll? In a commendable performance, Marquette High School's production of "Grease" was full of the classic energy and excitement that has come to be expected with this show, adding its own personal spin on it. A 1972 Broadway premiere and the release of the 1979 film catapulted "Grease" to the top of the charts, ensuring its place as one of the best-loved musicals of all time.

Set in the 1950s, "Grease" follows the story of Sandy Dumbrowski (Gabby Mancuso), a wholesome do-gooder, and Danny Zuko (Tony Rodriguez), a smooth-as-silk greaser with a golden heart. The two have a summer fling, but must part ways as the school year begins. Conflict arises when the pair reconnects, leading Danny and Sandy to fight it all for their love to triumph.

Gabby Mancuso embodied the two sides of Sandy with ease. She fully committed to her character, especially with her transformation into "bad" Sandy at the end. Her rendition of the ballad "Hopelessly Devoted to You" was among the most emotional moments of the night, and she never fell flat. Likewise, Tony Rodriguez was cool and charismatic as Danny. His dance performance with Cha-Cha (Alyssa Wolf) during "Born to Hand Jive" was both explosive and fun to watch. The scenes between these characters were charged with romantic tension, which Mancuso and Rodriguez were able to convey believably.

Kenickie (Andrew Larson) captured the hearts of many with his cool-guy drawl and overall attitude. Larson's lively performance of "Greased Lightning" was enthusiastic and dynamic. Paige Woodley was a charmingly hilarious Frenchy, and her comical outbursts and facial expressions stole the show. Her reactions during "Beauty School Dropout" were spot-on. The true star of this particular song, however, was the Teen Angel (Christian Hamilton.) Hamilton's interpretation of the song was both soulful and harmonious. During the first act, it felt as though some actors were merely reading lines and the energy was somehow off, but the dial was turned up and stayed there for the entire second act.

The set pieces in this show were quite elaborate. The car cutouts in the drive-in scene (Sean Cowell, Caitlin Hunter, Emily Rogers and Wendy Chen) were superb, with accurate detailing from the time period. Likewise, the costumes were true to life, and the variety- with poodle skirts, neck scarves, T-Bird and Pink Lady jackets- was impressive. The minor pops and crackles of the sound system were forgivable because of the swiftness with which the sound crew (Arjun Suresh, Samantha Wilkerson and Marissa Ranchel) fixed the problems.

It is hard to live up to the success of such a popular show, but Marquette's efforts in "Grease" were up to par. The strong vocals and rising energy kept this performance going, ending on a high note with cast members running throughout the audience and giant red balloons floating down on the crowd.