Grease (musical)

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Original cast recording
This article is about the stage musical. For the film, see Grease (film).

Grease is a musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey.

It takes its name from the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture, the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 in fictional Rydell High in Chicago, tackles such social issues as teenage pregnancy and gang violence; its themes include love, friendship, teenage rebellion and sexual exploration during adolescence, and, to some degree, class consciousness/class conflict.

The show premiered in 1971 as "a play with music"[1] at the Kingston Mines Theater in the Old Town section of Chicago. Producers Ken Waissman and Maxine Fox saw it and suggested to the playwrights that it might work better as a musical, and told them if they were willing to rework it and if they liked the end result, they would produce it off-Broadway. The team headed to New York City and after additional collaboration and refinements, Grease which opened at the Eden Theatre in downtown Manhattan on February 14, 1972. Excellent reviews and brisk box-office business prompted the producers to move it uptown.

The Broadway production, directed by Tom Moore and choreographed by Patricia Birch, opened June 7, 1972 at the Broadhurst Theatre, where it ran for five months before transferring to the Royale. It remained there for more than seven years before moving to the Majestic, where it closed on April 13, 1980, after 3,388 performances.

The original cast included , Barry Bostwick (as Danny), Carole Demas (as Sandy), Adrienne Barbeau, Timothy Meyers, and Walter Bobbie.

The show went on to become a West End hit, a hugely successful film, a popular 1994 Broadway revival, and a staple of regional theatre, summer stock, community theatre, and high school drama groups. A new Broadway production, directed by Kathleen Marshall and produced by British theatre mogul David Ian, is scheduled for June 2007 and Sandy and Danny were cast via NBC's show "Grease: You're the One that I Want!". The winners were musical theatre acting veterans Max Crumm, from California, and Laura Osnes from Minnesota. Another West End production is also scheduled (also produced by David Ian), with Sandy and Danny similarly being cast via a TV show, ITV's "Grease Is The Word". The songs from the 1978 movie that were not featured in the original musical will be featured in the 2007 US revival (save for "Rock n' Roll is Here to Stay", "Blue Moon", and "Tears on My Pillow").

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

In 1959, Rydell High School's rebellious, thrill-loving students welcome new student Sandy Dumbrowski. She and the leader of the tough Burger Palace Boys gang, Danny Zuko, had a brief love affair the summer before, but the summer ended for them with unresolved feelings. In describing the fling, Sandy focuses on the emotional attachment she and Danny had, while Danny stresses the physical aspects of their relationship. Sandy and Danny soon bump into each other at school, and while Sandy is happy to see Danny, he blows her off, pretending to be too cool. At Marty's pajama party, the girls experiment with wine, cigarettes and pierced ears, and Marty tells about her long-distance courtship with a Marine. The boys focus on fast cars, mooning and the upcoming school dance. Danny sees Sandy again and tries to apologize for his behavior, but she is hurt to find out that he has told his friends that she is "easy."

Sandy stays away from the school dance. Danny and Cha-Cha win the dance contest, and Rizzo gets back together with her guy, Kenickie. But Danny misses Sandy and takes up track to win back her affections. But when they meet next, he moves too fast for her. Meanwhile, Danny doesn't know that the Boys have been challenged to a rumble by Cha-Cha's friends. Rizzo is worried that she's pregnant, but she's so mad at Kenickie that she tells him he's not the father. Rizzo doesn't want Sandy's sympathy, and Sandy still feels she has trouble fitting in at the new school. The next time Sandy sees Danny and the Burger Palace Boys, she has transformed herself into a greaser's dream date, leaving Danny "All Choked Up." Rizzo is relieved to learn that she isn't pregnant, and she and Kenickie reunite. All ends happily.

[edit] Roles

  • Betty Rizzo — Leader of the Pink Ladies. (mezzo-soprano)
  • Danny Zuko — Leader of the Burger Palace Boys. (tenor or high baritone)
  • Frenchy — A Pink Lady who eventually drops out of school to enter Beauty School. (soprano)
  • Kenickie — A tough member of the Burger Palace Boys and a car fanatic. (baritone)
  • Sandy Dumbrowski — New, wholesome, and innocent girl in town. (soprano)
  • Doody — The youngest member of the Burger Palace Boys. (tenor)
  • Jan — Loud member of the Pink Ladies gang. (mezzo-soprano)
  • Roger — A jolly, prankster member of the Burger Palace Boys. (tenor)
  • Cha-Cha — (soprano)
  • Eugene Florczyk — A pompous but gullible nerd.
  • Johnny Casino — Leads a rock 'n' roll band. (baritone)
  • Marty — Most attractive member of the Pink Ladies gang. (mezzo-soprano or contralto)
  • Miss Lynch — A grumpy English teacher.
  • Patty — A cheerleader.
  • Sonny — The "Wise Guy" of the Gang. (baritone)
  • Teen Angel — An extremely attractive singer. (tenor)
  • Vince Fontaine — An egotistical radio disk jockey into teenage girls.
  • Burger Palace Boys — The boys' gang working-class "greasers".
  • Pink Ladies — The girls' gang.

[edit] Musical numbers

Act 1

  • Alma Mater - Miss Lynch, Patty Simcox and Eugene Florczyk
  • Alma Mater Parody - Pink Ladies and Burger Palace Boys
  • Summer Nights - Sandy Dumbrowski, Danny Zuko, Pink Ladies and Burger Palace Boys
  • Those Magic Changes - Doody, Burger Palace Boys and Pink Ladies
  • Freddy, My Love - Marty, Jan, Frenchy and Betty Rizzo
  • Greased Lightning - Kenickie and Burger Palace Boys
  • Mooning - Roger and Jan
  • Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee - Betty Rizzo
  • We Go Together - Pink Ladies and Burger Palace Boys

Act 2

  • Shakin' at the High School Hop - Company
  • It's Raining on Prom Night - Sandy Dumbrowski
  • Shakin' at the High School Hop (Reprise) - Company
  • Born to Hand Jive - Johnny Casino and Company
  • Beauty School Dropout - Teen Angel, Frenchy and Company
  • Alone at a Drive in Movie - Danny Zuko and Burger Palace Boys
  • Rock N'Roll Party Queen - Doody and Roger
  • There are Worse Things I Could Do - Betty Rizzo
  • Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee (Reprise) - Sandy Dumbrowski
  • All Choked Up - Sandy Dumbrowski, Danny Zuko and Company
  • We Go Together (Reprise) - Company

The songs that will be added to the score for the 2007 US revival of Grease are as follows:

  • Hopelessly Devoted to You
  • Sandy
  • Grease
  • You're the One That I Want

[edit] Awards

1972 Tony Awards:

  • Best Musical [nominee]
  • Best Book [nominee]
  • Best Actor in a Musical - Barry Bostwick [nominee]
  • Best Featured Actor in a Musical - Timothy Meyers [nominee]
  • Best Featured Actress in a Musical - Adrienne Barbeau [nominee]
  • Best Costume Design - Carrie F. Robbins [nominee]
  • Best Choreography - Patricia Birch [nominee]

1972 Theatre World Award - Adrienne Barbeau [winner]

1972 Drama Desk Awards

  • Outstanding Choreography - Patricia Birch [winner]
  • Most Promising Costume Design - Carrie F. Robbins [winner]

[edit] New Broadway Cast

Actor Role
Max Crumm Danny Zuko
Laura Osnes Sandy Dumbrowski
Daniel Everedge Roger
Robyn Hurder Marty
Lindsay Mendez Jan
Jenny Powers Betty Rizzo
Jose Restrepo Sonny LaTierri
Matthew Salvidar Kenickie
Kirsten Wyatt Frenchie

[edit] See also

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Sharbutt, Jay. Associated Press (Nov. 4, 1979): Untitled article about Grease; quoted in The Estate Project for Artists with AIDS: Warren Casey - Music Archive Catalog

[edit] References

[edit] External link

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