Two schools cancel their productions of Grease over its outdated themes
Two high schools in Perth have cancelled their upcoming productions of the musical Grease, after students have called out the "outdated" themes of the story.
Year 7 - 10 students from Scotch College and Presbyterian Ladies‘ College in the Western Australia capital were due to perform their rendition of the iconic musical later this month, but decided against it.
The young women involved in the production believed that the play was inappropriate for modern times, saying the themes of the show were sexist, offensive and anti-feminist.
The kids at Scotch College also agreed that a different production would be better suited to a modern audience, but a replacement musical has not yet been announced.
PLC Principal Cate Begbie and Acting Scotch College Headmaster Mr Peter Burt issued a brief joint statement about the decision.
“A number of PLC students raised concerns whether the musical was appropriate in modern times,” it read.
“Scotch College listened respectfully to the girls’ concerns and both schools agreed a different musical would be better suited for their joint production in 2022.”
The 1978 movie, based on the 1971 musical, tells the story of good girl Sandy Olsson and bad boy greaser Danny Zuko falling in love during a summer fling, and later finding out they go to the same high school.
In recent times, the movie has been called out for its outdated themes, as star Olivia Newton-John claimed critics need to take into account the times in which the film as made.
"It's a movie," the 72-year-old told The Guardian. "It's a story from the Fifties where things were different. Everyone forgets that, at the end, he changes for her, too. There's nothing deep in there about the #MeToo movement.
"It's just a girl who loves a guy, and she thinks if she does that, he'll like her. And he thinks if he does that, she'll like him. I think that's pretty real. People do that for each other. It was a fun love story."
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