''Grease'' is a 1971

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

with music, lyrics, and a book by

Jim Jacobs Jim Jacobs (born October 7, 1942) is an American actor, composer, lyricist, and writer for the theatre, long associated with the Chicago theater scene. Jacobs is best known for creating the book, storyline, characters, and lyrics for the 1971 m ...

and

Warren Casey Warren Casey (April 20, 1935 – November 8, 1988) was an American theater composer, lyricist, writer, and actor. He was the writer and composer, with Jim Jacobs, of the stage musical '' Grease''. Career Warren Casey was born on April 20, 1935, ...

. Named after the 1950s United States

working-class The working class is a subset of employees who are compensated with wage or salary-based contracts, whose exact membership varies from definition to definition. Members of the working class rely primarily upon earnings from wage labour. Most c ...

youth subculture Youth subculture is a youth-based subculture with distinct styles, behaviors, and interests. Youth subcultures offer participants an identity outside of that ascribed by social institutions such as family, employment, work, home and school. Youth ...

known as greasers and set in 1959 at the fictional Rydell High School in Northwest

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

(based on Taft High School in Chicago, Illinois, and named after rock singer

Bobby Rydell Robert Louis Ridarelli (April 26, 1942 – April 5, 2022), known by the stage name Bobby Rydell (), was an American singer and actor who mainly performed rock and roll and traditional pop music. In the early 1960s, he was considered a teen idol. ...

), the musical follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of peer pressure, politics, personal core values, and love.Woulfe, Molly
Grease' has deep, dark Chicago roots"
''NW Times'', January 2, 2009, retrieved January 10, 2017 The score borrows heavily from the sounds of early

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

. In its original production in Chicago, ''Grease'' was a raunchy, raw, aggressive, vulgar show. Subsequent productions toned down the more risqué content. The show mentions social issues such as

teenage pregnancy Teenage pregnancy, also known as adolescent pregnancy, is pregnancy in a female under the age of 20. Worldwide, pregnancy complications are the leading cause of death for women and girls 15 to 19 years old. The definition of teenage pregnancy i ...

peer pressure Peer pressure is a direct or indirect influence on peers, i.e., members of social groups with similar interests and experiences, or social statuses. Members of a peer group are more likely to influence a person's beliefs, values, religion and beh ...

, and

gang violence A gang is a group or society of associates, friends, or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collecti ...

; its themes include love, friendship,

teenage rebellion Teenage rebellion is a part of social development in adolescents in order for them to develop an identity independent from their parents or family and a capacity for independent decision-making. Teenage rebellion usually begins at around 13 years o ...

sexual exploration Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied wi ...

during adolescence. Jacobs described the show's basic plot as a subversion of common tropes of 1950s cinema, since the female lead, who in many 1950s films transformed the alpha male into a more sensitive and sympathetic character, is instead drawn into the man's influence and transforms into his wild, roguish fantasy. Since it was first performed on February 5, 1971, at Kingston Mines nightclub in Chicago, ''Grease'' has been successful on both stage and screen, but the content has been diluted and its teenage characters have become less Chicago habitués (the characters'

Polish-American Polish Americans () are Americans who either have total or partial Polish ancestry, or are citizens of the Republic of Poland. There are an estimated 8.81 million self-identified Polish Americans, representing about 2.67% of the U.S. population, ...

backgrounds in particular are ignored with last names often changed, although two

Italian-American Italian Americans () are Americans who have full or partial Italians, Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeastern United States, Northeast and industrial Midwestern United States, Midwestern ...

characters are left identifiably ethnic) and more generic. The first

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

production opened on June 7, 1972; when it closed in 1980, ''Grease''s 3,388-performance run was the longest yet in Broadway history, although it was surpassed by ''

A Chorus Line ''A Chorus Line'' is a 1975 musical conceived by Michael Bennett with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, and a book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante. Set on the bare stage of a Broadway theater, the musical is cent ...

'' on September 29, 1983. It went on to become a West End hit, a successful feature film, two popular Broadway revivals in 1994 and 2007, and a staple of regional theatre,

summer stock In American theater, summer stock theater is a theater that presents stage productions only in the summer. The name combines the season with the tradition of staging shows by a resident company, reusing stock scenery and costumes. Summer stock ...

community theatre Community theatre refers to any Theatre, theatrical performance made in relation to particular Community, communities—its usage includes theatre made by, with, and for a community. It may refer to a production that is made entirely by a communit ...

, and high school and middle school drama groups. It remains Broadway's 17th longest-running show. ''Grease'' was adapted in 1978 as a

feature film A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (Film, motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole present ...

, which starred

John Travolta John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He began acting in television before transitioning into a leading man in films. List of awards and nominations received by John Travolta, His accolades include a Primetime Em ...

(who himself had been in stage productions in a different role) and British-Australian singer and actress

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British and Australian singer and actress. With over 100 million records sold, Newton-John was one of the List of best-selling music artists#100 million to 119 million record ...

, removed the musical's Chicago urban setting, and changed some plot elements, characters, and songs while adding new songs and elaborating on some plot elements only alluded to in the musical. Some of these revisions have been incorporated into revivals of the musical. A 2016 live TV musical used elements from both the original stage version and the film. A 1982 film sequel, ''

Grease 2 ''Grease 2'' is a 1982 American Musical film, musical romantic comedy film, and a standalone sequel to the Grease (film), 1978 film ''Grease'', adapted from the 1971 Grease (musical), musical of the same name by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Orig ...

'', included only a few supporting characters from the film and musical and had no involvement from Jacobs or Casey; Jacobs has gone on record to voice his disapproval of ''Grease 2''.

Production history

Original productions and Broadway

The show's original production was directed by Guy Barile, choreographed by Ronna Kaye and produced by the Kingston Mines Theatre Company founded by June Pyskacek on Chicago's Lincoln Avenue. The script was based on

' experience at William Taft High School, Chicago. Warren Casey collaborated with Jim and together they wrote the music and lyrics. It ran for eight months. The cast: Doug Stevenson (Danny), Leslie Goto (Sandy), Sue Williams (Rizzo), Polly Pen (Patty), Gary Houston (Roger),

Marilu Henner Marilu Henner (born April 6, 1952) is an American actress and author. She began her career appearing in the original production of the musical ''Grease (musical), Grease'' in 1971, before making her screen debut in the 1977 comedy-drama film ''B ...

(Marty), James Canning (Doody), Hedda Lubin (Frenchy), Bruce Hickey (Kenickie), Sheila Ray Ceaser (Jan), Bill Cervetti (Miller), Jerry Bolnick (Sonny), Judy Brubaker (Miss Lynch), Mike O'Connor (Vince Fontaine), Steve Munro (Eugene), Barbara Munro (Cha Cha), Mac Hamilton (Teen Angel) and George Lopez (Bum). In addition to the "R-rated" profanity and deliberate use of

shock value Shock value (or shock factor) is the potential of an image, text, action, or other form of communication, such as a public execution, to provoke a reaction of sharp disgust, shock, anger, fear, or similar negative emotions. In advertising Sho ...

, the Chicago version of ''Grease'' included a substantially different songbook, which was shorter and included multiple references to real Chicago landmarks. Producers Ken Waissman and Maxine Fox saw the show and made a deal to produce it

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

. The team headed to New York City to collaborate on the New York production of ''Grease''. It was after test runs of the original Chicago production had drawn extremely poor reviews that the production team transformed ''Grease'' into its familiar form. The new production, directed by Tom Moore and choreographed by

Patricia Birch Patricia Ann Birch (born October 16, 1934) is an American dancer, choreographer, film director, and theatre director. Early life Born in Englewood, New Jersey, Birch began her career as a dancer in Broadway musicals, including '' Brigadoon'', '' ...

(who later choreographed the film adaptation, and directed the ill-fated sequel), opened Off-Broadway at the Eden Theatre in

lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan, also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York City, is the southernmost part of the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The neighborhood is History of New York City, the historical birthplace o ...

on February 14, 1972. Though ''Grease'' opened geographically off-Broadway, it did so under first class Broadway contracts. The show was deemed eligible for the 1972

Tony Awards The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cere ...

, receiving seven Tony Award nominations. On June 7, 1972, the production moved to the

Broadhurst Theatre The Broadhurst Theatre is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 235 West 44th Street (Manhattan), 44th Street in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1917, the thea ...

, and on November 21, it moved to the

Royale Theatre The Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (formerly the Royale Theatre and the John Golden Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 242 West 45th Street ( George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened ...

there, where it ran until January 27, 1980. For the five final weeks of the run, the show moved to the larger

Majestic Theatre Majestic Theatre or Majestic Theater may refer to: Australia * Majestic Theatre, Adelaide, former name of a theatre in King William Street, Adelaide, built 1916, now demolished *Majestic Theatre, Launceston, a former cinema in Tasmania designed by ...

. By the time it closed on April 13, 1980, it had run 3,388 performances. The original Broadway cast included

Barry Bostwick Barry Knapp Bostwick (born February 24, 1945) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Brad Majors in '' The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' (1975) and Mayor Randall Winston in the sitcom '' Spin City'' (1996–2002). Bostwick has also ...

as Danny,

Carole Demas Carole Demas (born May 26, 1940, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American actress, best known for originating the roles of Sandy in the 1971 Broadway musical '' Grease'' and the title role in the original 1976 production of '' The Baker's Wife'', ...

as Sandy,

Adrienne Barbeau Adrienne Jo Barbeau (born June 11, 1945) is an American actress and author. She came to prominence in the 1970s as Broadway's original Rizzo in the musical ''Grease (musical), Grease'', and as Carol Traynor, the divorced daughter of Maude Findl ...

as Rizzo, and Timothy Meyers as Kenickie, with

Alan Paul Alan Paul Wichinsky (born November 23, 1949) is an American Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstan ...

Walter Bobbie Walter Bobbie (born November 18, 1945) is an American theatre director and actor. Bobbie has directed both musicals and plays on Broadway and Off-Broadway, and was the Artistic Director of the New York City Center Encores! concert series. He di ...

and Marya Small in supporting roles. Replacements later in the run included

Jeff Conaway Jeffrey Charles William Michael Conaway (October 5, 1950 – May 27, 2011) was an American actor. He portrayed Kenickie in the film ''Grease (film), Grease'' and had roles in three television series: struggling actor Bobby Wheeler in ''Taxi (TV ...

as Danny,

Candice Earley Candice Jean Earley (August 18, 1950 – January 31, 2019) was an American actress and singer born in Oklahoma. Early years Earley was born in Lawton, Oklahoma, to Harold and Jean (née Daily) Earley. She won the Miss Lawton title. She had 14 y ...

as Sandy, John Lansing as Danny,

Peter Gallagher Peter Killian Gallagher (born August 19, 1955) is an American actor. Since 1980, he has played roles in numerous Hollywood films. He is best known for starring as Sandy Cohen in the television drama series '' The O.C.'' from 2003 to 2007, and ...

as Danny,

Richard Gere Richard Tiffany Gere ( ; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began appearing in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in ''Looking for Mr. Goodbar (film), Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977) and a starring role in ''Days of Hea ...

as Sonny,

Ilene Graff Ilene Graff (born February 18, 1949) is an American actress and singer. Early years Graff was born on February 28, 1949, in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of musician Jerry Graff, and piano teacher Judy Graff. She attended Ithaca College. L ...

as Sandy,

Randee Heller Randee Heller (born Randee Antzis; June 10, 1947) is an American television and film actress. Her first high-profile role was as Alice in the 1970s sitcom ''Soap'', portraying one of television's first lesbian characters. Heller is also known f ...

as Rizzo,

as Marty,

Judy Kaye Judy Kaye (born October 11, 1948) is an American singer and actress. She has appeared in stage musicals, plays, and operas. Kaye has been in long runs on Broadway in the musicals '' The Phantom of the Opera'', ''Ragtime'', '' Mamma Mia!'', an ...

as Rizzo,

Marcia Mitzman Gaven Marcia Mitzman Gaven is an American actress from New York. Since studying at the High School of Performing Arts and the State University of New York at Purchase, she has appeared in many musicals during her career singing in both mezzo-soprano a ...

as Rizzo,

Patrick Swayze Patrick Wayne Swayze ( ; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, singer, songwriter, and dancer. Known for his romantic, tough, and comedic roles in blockbusters and cult films, Swayze was nominated for three Golden Glob ...

as Danny,

as Doody,

Treat Williams Richard Treat Williams Jr. (December 1, 1951 – June 12, 2025) was an American actor, whose career on stage and in film and television spanned five decades. He received many accolades for his work, including nominations for three Golden Globe ...

as Danny, Laurie Graff as Frenchy, and

Jerry Zaks Jerry Zaks (born September 7, 1946) is an American stage and television director, and actor. He won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play and Drama Desk Award for directing '' The House of Blue Leaves'' (1986), '' Lend Me a Tenor'' (1989), ...

as Kenickie.

1973 London run and 1979 return engagement

After an out-of-town tryout in

Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...

, ''Grease'' made its London debut at the

New London Theatre The Gillian Lynne Theatre (formerly the New London Theatre) is a West End theatre located on the corner of Drury Lane and Parker Street in Covent Garden in the London Borough of Camden. The Winter Garden Theatre occupied the site until 1965. On ...

on June 26, 1973, with a cast that included

as Danny, Stacey Gregg as Sandy, and Jacquie-Ann Carr as Rizzo. Later

Paul Nicholas Paul Nicholas (born Paul Oscar Beuselinck; 3 December 1944) is an English actor and singer best known for starring as Vince Pinner in the BBC television sitcom '' Just Good Friends'' (1983—86). The show won a BAFTA and Nicholas was nominated ...

and

Elaine Paige Dame Elaine Jill Paige (born Elaine Jill Bickerstaff, 5 March 1948) is an English singer and actress, best known for her work in musical theatre. Raised in Chipping Barnet, Barnet, Hertfordshire, Paige attended the Aida Foster Theatre School, m ...

took over the leads. The production closed on February 14, 1974. The show was revived at the Astoria Theatre from June 7 to September 22, 1979, with Michael Howe as Danny, Jacqueline Reddin as Sandy, and Hilary Labow as Rizzo. The company also included

Tracey Ullman Tracey Ullman (born Trace Ullman; 30 December 1959) is a British-American actress, singer, dancer, screenwriter, producer, and director. Despite being frequently referred to as a comedian, Ullman considers herself a character actress. Critics h ...

as Frenchy and

Su Pollard Susan Georgina "Su" Pollard (born 7 November 1949) is a British actress, singer, songwriter and author whose career has spanned over 50 years. Pollard is most known for her role in the sitcom '' Hi-de-Hi!'' She also appeared in the sitcoms '' Y ...

as Cha-Cha.

1993 London revival

The revival opened at the

Dominion Theatre The Dominion Theatre is a West End theatre and former cinema on Tottenham Court Road, close to St Giles Circus and Centre Point, in the London Borough of Camden. Planned as primarily a musical theatre, it opened in 1929, but the following ye ...

before transferring to the

Cambridge Theatre The Cambridge Theatre is a West End theatre, on a corner site in Earlham Street facing Seven Dials, London, Seven Dials, in the London Borough of Camden, built in 1929–30 for Bertie Meyer on an "irregular triangular site". Design and const ...

in October 1996, where it ran until September 11, 1999. Directed by David Gilmore and produced by

Robert Stigwood Robert Colin Stigwood (16 April 1934 – 4 January 2016) was an Australian-born British-resident music entrepreneur, film producer, and impresario, best known for managing musicians such as Cream, Andy Gibb, and the Bee Gees; theatrical produc ...

(who had also produced the film), the opening cast included

Craig McLachlan Craig Dougall McLachlan (born 1 September 1965) is an Australian actor, musician, singer and composer. He has been involved in film, television, the music industry and music theatre for over 30 years. He is best known for appearing in the soap o ...

(Danny);

Debbie Gibson Deborah Ann Gibson (born August 31, 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She released her debut album ''Out of the Blue (Debbie Gibson album), Out of the Blue'' (1987) at age 16, writing and largely producing the material. The a ...

(Sandy —

Sonia Sonia, Sonja or Sonya, a name of Greek origin meaning wisdom, may refer to: People * Sonia (name), a feminine given name (lists people named, Sonia, Sonja and Sonya) :* Sonia (actress), Indian film actress in Malayalam and Tamil films :* Soni ...

, then Samantha Janus later replaced Gibson as Sandy); Mike Doyle (Vince Fontaine);

Tamzin Outhwaite Tamzin Maria Outhwaite (; born 5 November 1970) is an English actress, presenter and narrator. From 1998-2002, and again from 2018-2019, she played the role of Mel Owen in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. She has also starred in a number of ...

(Patty);

Shane Ritchie Shane Patrick Paul Roche (born 11 March 1964), known as Shane Richie, is an English actor, comedian, presenter and singer. Following initial success as a stage and screen performer, he became best known for his portrayal of the character Alfie ...

(Kenickie) and

Sally Ann Triplett Sally Ann Triplett (born 15 April 1962, London, England) is a British singer and actress. She participated in two editions of the Eurovision Song Contest and West End productions. Career Triplett first represented the United Kingdom in the Eu ...

(Rizzo). (''Variety'', Review Abroad Grease, August 2–August 8, 1993) McLachlan was succeeded by Shane Richie,

Luke Goss Luke Damon Goss (born 29 September 1968) is an English actor, and drummer of the 1980s band Bros. He has appeared in numerous films including '' Blade II'' (2002) as Jared Nomak, '' One Night with the King'' (2006) as King Xerxes, '' Hellboy ...

Ian Kelsey Ian Kelsey (born 17 December 1966) is an English actor. He is known for his roles as Dave Glover in the ITV (TV channel), ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', Patrick Spiller in the BBC One, BBC medical drama ''Casualty (TV series), Casualty'', DI Rich ...

and

Darren Day Darren Day (born 17 July 1968) is an English actor, singer and television presenter, known for his West End theatre starring roles. Early life Day undertook drama classes at evenings and weekends until he was 13, when he turned his attention t ...

. The production's success led to the first British national tour which featured Shane Ritchie as Danny, Helen Way as Sandy, Toby Hinson as Vince Fontaine/Teen Angel, Ben Richards/Alex Bourne as Kenickie and Michele Hooper as Rizzo. The score included four songs written for the film adaptation: "Hopelessly Devoted to You", "Sandy", "You're the One That I Want", and the title number. As in the film, the Burger Palace Boys' were renamed the T-Birds for this revival.

1994 Broadway revival and U.S. tour

After 20 previews, a Broadway revival directed and choreographed by Jeff Calhoun premiered on May 11, 1994, at the

Eugene O'Neill Theatre The Eugene O'Neill Theatre, previously the Forrest Theatre and the Coronet Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 230 West 49th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. The theater was designed by Her ...

, where it ran for 1,505 performances. The opening cast included

Ricky Paull Goldin Richard Paull Goldin (born January 5, 1965) is an American actor, producer, director and television personality. He is best known for his roles in daytime drama as Dean Frame on NBC's '' Another World'', Gus Aitoro on CBS' ''Guiding Light'', a ...

(Danny), Susan Wood (Sandy),

Rosie O'Donnell Roseann O'Donnell (born March 21, 1962) is an American talk show host, comedian, and actress. She began her comedy career as a teenager and received her breakthrough on the television series ''Star Search'' in 1984. After a series of television ...

(Rizzo),

Sam Harris Samuel Benjamin Harris (born April 9, 1967) is an American philosopher, neuroscientist, author, and podcast host. His work touches on a range of topics, including rationality, religion, ethics, free will, determinism, neuroscience, meditation ...

(Doody),

Hunter Foster Hunter Foster (born June 25, 1969) is an American musical theatre actor, singer, librettist, playwright and director. Career After touring in several shows and playing on Broadway, in 2001 he was cast in his breakthrough role of Bobby Strong ...

(Roger),

Megan Mullally Megan Mullally (born November 12, 1958) is an American actress. She is best known for playing Karen Walker in the NBC sitcom '' Will & Grace'' (1998–2006, 2017–2020), for which she received eight Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outst ...

(Marty), and Billy Porter (Teen Angel). The production set a new standard for star replacements, casting celebrities from different entertainment sectors for limited engagements. Some of these notable performers were

Linda Blair Linda Denise Blair (born January 22, 1959) is an American actress and activist. Her portrayal of Regan MacNeil in the horror film ''The Exorcist'' (1973) established her in popular culture and as a scream queen, earning her a Golden Globe Award ...

Debby Boone Deborah Anne Boone (born September 22, 1956) is an American singer, author, and actress. She is best known for her 1977 hit, " You Light Up My Life", which spent ten weeks at No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and led to her winning the G ...

Chubby Checker Chubby Checker (born Ernest Evans; October 3, 1941) is an American singer and dancer. He is widely known for popularizing many dance styles, including the Twist, with his 1960 hit cover of Hank Ballard & The Midnighters' R&B song " The Twis ...

Dominique Dawes Dominique Margaux Dawes (born November 20, 1976) is a retired American artistic gymnast. Known in the gymnastics community as 'Awesome Dawesome', she was a 10-year member of the U.S. national gymnastics team, the 1994 U.S. all-around senior Nat ...

Micky Dolenz George Michael Dolenz Jr. ( ; born March 8, 1945) is an American musician and actor. He was the drummer and one of two primary vocalists for the pop rock band the Monkees (1966–1970, and reunions until 2021), and a co-star of the TV series ''T ...

Sheena Easton Sheena Shirley Easton (; born 27 April 1959) is a Scottish singer and actress who achieved recognition in an episode of the reality television series ''The Big Time (TV series), The Big Time: Pop Singer'', which recorded her attempts to gain a ...

Jasmine Guy Jasmine Chanel Guy (born March 10, 1962) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and director. She portrayed Dina in the 1988 film ''School Daze'' and Whitley Gilbert-Wayne on the NBC ''The Cosby Show'' spin-off '' A Different World'', which or ...

Al Jarreau Alwin Lopez Jarreau (March 12, 1940 – February 12, 2017) was an American singer and songwriter. His 1981 album '' Breakin' Away'' spent two years on the ''Billboard'' 200 and is considered one of the finest examples of the Los Angeles pop and ...

Lucy Lawless Lucille Frances Lawless (; born 29 March 1968) is a New Zealand actress and director. She is best known for her roles as Xena in the television series ''Xena: Warrior Princess'', as Number Three (Battlestar Galactica), D'Anna Biers on the re-im ...

Darlene Love Darlene Wright (born July 26, 1941), also known by the stage name Darlene Love, is an American R&B and soul singer and actress. She was the lead singer of the girl group the Blossoms and also a solo recording artist. She began singing as a ch ...

Maureen McCormick Maureen Denise McCormick (born August 5, 1956) is an American actress, best known for her role as Characters of The Brady Bunch#Marcia Brady, Marcia Brady on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television sitcom ''The Brady Bunch'' (1969–1 ...

Joe Piscopo Joseph Charles John Piscopo ( ; born June 17, 1951) is an American actor, comedian and conservative radio talk show host. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1980 to 1984, where he played a variety of recurring characters. His f ...

Mackenzie Phillips Mackenzie Phillips (born November 10, 1959) is an American actress. Her best-known roles include Carol Morrison in the film ''American Graffiti'', Julie Cooper Horvath on the sitcom '' One Day at a Time'', Molly Phillips on Disney Channel’s su ...

Jon Secada Juan Francisco Secada Ramírez (born October 4, 1961), better known as Jon Secada, is a Cuban-born American singer, songwriter, actor and record producer. He has won two Grammy Awards and sold 15 million records, making him one of the best-se ...

, and

Brooke Shields Brooke Christa Shields (born May 31, 1965) is an American actress. A child model starting at the age of 11 months, Shields gained widespread notoriety at age 12 for her leading role in Louis Malle's film ''Pretty Baby (1978 film), Pretty Baby ...

. Shields proved so popular in the role of Rizzo that the cast album was re-released with her voice substituting for O'Donnell's. A U.S. national tour of the 1994 production started in September 1994 in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

, and ran for several years. The opening tour cast included

Sally Struthers Sally Anne Struthers (born July 28, 1947) is an American actress and activist. She played Gloria Stivic, the daughter of Archie Bunker, Archie and Edith Bunker in ''All in the Family'', for which she won two Emmy Awards, and Babette on ''Gilmor ...

(Miss Lynch), who stayed with the tour for several years, Angela Pupello (Rizzo),

Rex Smith Rex Smith (born September 19, 1955) is an American actor and singer. Smith made his acting debut in the Broadway musical '' Grease'' in 1978. He is noted for his role as Jesse Mach in the 1985 television series ''Street Hawk'' and for being the ...

(Danny), Trisha M. Gorman (Sandy), and Davy Jones (Vince Fontaine). Brooke Shields (Rizzo) started on the tour in November 1994 before joining the Broadway cast.

1996 U.S. tour

This tour, produced by the Troika Organization, was a non-union bus & truck playing mostly one-nighters and split week engagements primarily in smaller markets. The production, which ran for two years, was directed by Ray DeMatteis with choreography by Tony Parise and music direction by Helen Gregory. The original cast featured Randy Bobish (Danny Zuko), Nicole Greenwood (Sandy Dumbrowski), Gary Martin (Kenickie), Christine Hudman (Betty Rizzo), Timothy Quinlan (Roger), Kimberly Wharton (Jan), Bruce Smith (Doody), Kathleen Connolly (Frenchy), Jeffrey Shubart (Sonny LaTierri), Laura Hornberger (Marty), Debbie Damp (Patty Simcox), Michael Giambrone (Eugene Florczyk), Juan Betancourt (Johnny Casino), Jamie Patterson (Teen Angel), Holly Ann Kling (Cha-Cha DiGregorio) and Steven Sackman (Vince Fontaine).

Frankie Avalon Francis Thomas Avallone (born September 18, 1940), better known as Frankie Avalon, is an American singer, actor and former teen idol. He had 31 charting U.S. ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' singles from 1958 to late 1962, including Record ...

starred as the Teen Angel for a one-week engagement at the

Jackie Gleason Theater The Miami Beach Convention Center (originally the Miami Beach Exhibition Hall) is a convention center located in Miami Beach, Florida. Originally opened in 1958, the venue was renovated from 2015 to 2020 for $640 million. The re-imagined and enha ...

in Miami Beach (December 10–15, 1996).

2003 U.S. tour

This tour was directed by Ray DeMattis and featured choreography by

Christopher Gattelli Christopher Gattelli is an American choreographer, performer and theatre director. Early life and career Gattelli grew up in Bristol, Pennsylvania. He started dancing at the age of 8 and is a "Star Search" grand champion.

. The cast starred Frankie Avalon as the Angel, with Jamey Isenor (Danny Zuko) and Hanna-Liina Võsa (Sandy Dumbrowski), Jason Harper (Roger), Danny Smith (Sonny LaTierri), John Ashley (Kenickie), Sarah Hubbard (Frenchy), Craig McEldowney (Doody), Kirsten Allyn Michaels (Marty), Jaqueline Colmer (Betty Rizzo), Cortney Harper (Jan) and Arthur J. Callahan (Vince Fontaine).

2007 Broadway and London revivals and UK tours

A second Broadway revival, directed and choreographed by

Kathleen Marshall Kathleen Marshall (born September 28, 1962) is an American director, choreographer, and creative consultant. Early life, career Born in Madison, Wisconsin, Marshall graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 198 ...

, began previews at the

Brooks Atkinson Theatre The Lena Horne Theatre (previously the Mansfield Theatre and the Brooks Atkinson Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 256 West 47th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1926, it was desi ...

on July 24, 2007, and opened on August 19, 2007.

Max Crumm Aaron Maximillian Crumm (born October 8, 1985) is an American actor and singer known for their work on the New York City stage. They have originated starring roles on Broadway in both the revival of '' Grease'' as Danny Zuko, after winning NBC's ...

and

Laura Osnes Laura Ann Osnes (born November 19, 1985) is an American actress and singer known for her work on the Broadway stage. She has played starring roles in '' Grease'' as Sandy, '' South Pacific'' as Nellie Forbush, '' Anything Goes'' as Hope Harcour ...

were selected to portray Danny and Sandy via viewer votes cast during the run of the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

reality series Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

'' Grease: You're the One that I Want!''. The original score includes four songs written for the film adaptation: "Hopelessly Devoted to You", "Sandy", "You're the One That I Want", and the title number. The Burger Palace Boys' name is the T-Birds in this revival. The production ended on January 4, 2009, after 31 previews and 554 performances. At the announcement of its closure, the producers revealed that the production recouped its entire investment during its 52nd playing week. A West End revival opened at the

Piccadilly Theatre The Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at the junction of Denman Street and Sherwood Street, near Piccadilly Circus, in the City of Westminster, London. It opened in 1928. In its early years the theatre presented a wide range of ...

, London on August 8, 2007, and ran for nearly four years (the longest running show in the

's history). The leads were similarly cast via

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including: **ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...

's '' Grease Is the Word'', with Danny Bayne and Susan McFadden playing Danny and Sandy. The production closed on April 30, 2011, after over 1,300 performances with a U.K. tour to begin on May 6, 2011, in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

. The UK tour features Danny Bayne as Danny, Carina Gillespie as Sandy, Ricky Rojas as Kenickie, Kate Somerset How as Rizzo, Derek Andrews as Roger, Laura Wilson as Jan, Richard Vincent as Doody, Lauren Stroud as Frenchy, Josh Dever as Sonny, Lois Urwin as Marty, Darren John as Eugene, Sammy Kelly as Patty, Jason Capewell as Teen Angel/Vince Fontaine, Nancy Hill as Miss Lynch, and Sophie Zucchini as Cha Cha. In 2017, Grease started touring the UK again, this time starring the Wanted's Tom Parker as Danny Zuko, BBC Over the Rainbow winner

Danielle Hope Danielle Hope (born 26 April 1992) is an English actress and singer. She was the winner of the BBC talent contest ''Over The Rainbow'' and as a result played the part of Dorothy in the Andrew Lloyd Webber production of '' The Wizard of Oz'', wh ...

as Sandy and ''

Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (commonly referred to as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly Ballroom dance, ballroom and Latin dance, Latin dance. Each couple is ...

Louisa Lytton Louisa Claire Lytton (born 7 February 1989) is an English actress, best known for portraying the role of Ruby Allen in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' and Beth Green in the ITV police procedural series ''The Bill'' (2007–2009). She also ...

. A further UK and Ireland tour of Grease was scheduled to commence from Curve, Leicester, on 30 July 2021. This production will star

Peter Andre Peter Andre (born Peter James Andrea; 27 February 1973) is a British-Australian singer, songwriter, and media personality. Born in England to Cypriot parents and raised in Australia, Andre achieved success in the mid-1990s as a singer, topping ...

as Teen Angel and Vince Fontaine. The production will be directed by Nikolai Foster and choreographed by

Arlene Phillips Dame Arlene Phillips (born 22 May 1943) is an English choreographer, theatre director, talent scout, former television judge, presenter, and dancer. She reached mainstream fame on television as a judge on ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (2004-2008) a ...

. It is unknown if this tour went to production or not, as it was repeatedly rescheduled from earlier 2021 dates as well as its originally scheduled tour in 2020, owing to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

2008 U.S. tour

A U.S. national tour began on December 2, 2008, in Providence, Rhode Island, and closed on May 23, 2010, at the

Palace Theatre Palace Theatre, or Palace Theater, is the name of many theatres in different countries, including: Australia *Palace Theatre, Melbourne, Victoria *Palace Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales Canada *Palace Theatre, housed in the Robillard Block, Mo ...

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

, Ohio.

Taylor Hicks Taylor Reuben Hicks (born October 7, 1976) is an American singer who won the American Idol (season 5), fifth season of ''American Idol'' in May 2006. Hicks got his start as a professional musician in his late teens and performed around the Sout ...

reprised his role as the Teen Angel after playing the part on Broadway, with Eric Schneider as Danny and

Emily Padgett Emily Padgett (born September 20, 1984) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. She is known for her work on Broadway as Daisy Hilton in ''Side Show'' and Sherrie Christian in ''Rock of Ages'', as well as for originating the roles of Lucy G ...

as Sandy. Lauren Ashley Zakrin replaced Emily Padgett as Sandy in October and

Ace Young Brett "Ace" Young (born November 15, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He gained national recognition while appearing on the fifth season of ''American Idol''. Young is married to ''American Idol'' season-three runner-up Dian ...

joined the tour as Danny on December 1, 2009.

2011 Chicago revival - ''The Original Grease''

In 2011, a revival of the original Kingston Mines production was run in Chicago. It was titled ''The Original Grease'' and carried the tagline "Restored. Revised. R-Rated. Returned to Chicago". It featured songs and scenes from drafts of both the original Chicago and Broadway productions. Unlike the school version, this version reinstated the raunchiness of the original show and references to Chicago locations. The sixth Burger Palace Boy was restored and named Miller. The Chicago production of ''The Original Grease'' opened on May 2 and closed on August 21. This version was presented once more in Australia in 2016 from April 6 to May 7. In Chicago, Adrian Aguilar played Danny and Kelly Davis Wilson played Sandy.

2019 UK and Ireland tour and 2022/2023 London runs

A new production of Grease ran from 17 May to 29 October 2022 at the

in London's West End, following a UK and Ireland tour in 2019–2021. This revival was directed by Nikolai Foster (artistic director of the

Curve In mathematics, a curve (also called a curved line in older texts) is an object similar to a line, but that does not have to be straight. Intuitively, a curve may be thought of as the trace left by a moving point. This is the definition that ...

) and choreographed by

, with scenic and costume design by Colin Richmond, orchestrations and musical supervision by Sarah Travis, lighting by Ben Cracknell, projections Douglas O'Connell, sound design by Tom Marshall and Richard Brooker, and casting by David Grindrod. The production played a return engagement at the Dominion Theatre from 2 June to 28 October 2023.

International productions

There have been professional productions of Grease in

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

(with

Florencia Peña María Florencia Peña (born 7 November 1974) is an Argentine actress. She played Mónica Argento in the sitcom ''Casados con hijos (Argentine TV series), Casados con hijos'' (2005–2006). Filmography Television Theater Movies ...

and

Gustavo Monje Gustavo Monje (born 8 June 1971) is an Argentine stage actor and director. He has also had minor roles in films like '' Burnt Money'' (2000) and '' Arregui, la noticia del día'' (2001), but his work is mainly in stage. In 2005 he appeared in ''Ste ...

), Austria (with

Pia Douwes Pia Douwes (born 5 August 1964) is a Dutch actress in musical theatre in Europe. She is best known for having created the title role in the German-language musical '' Elisabeth''. Biography Douwes was born in Amsterdam, North Holland, The Nether ...

) and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

(a 1998 French spoken/English sung version incorporating songs from the movie starring

Marina Orsini Marina Orsini C.M. (born January 4, 1967) is a Canadian actress. Early life Orsini was born in Ville-Émard, Montreal, Quebec, Canada to an Italian-Canadian family. Career Orsini first had a brief career in modeling in which she participated i ...

as Rizzo and Serge Postigo as Danny). In 1984, the Mexican hen pre-teenpop band

Timbiriche Timbiriche (also known for a brief time as La Banda Timbiriche) was a Mexican pop music group. The group started as a children's group in 1981 and managed to evolve successfully into adulthood. Timbiriche is considered one of the most iconic Lat ...

starred in the musical, with

Sasha Sokol Sasha Sökol Cuillery (Mexico City June 17, 1970), known during her childhood and adolescence as Sasha and, from 1997 onwards, as Sasha Sökol, is a Mexican singer, actress, songwriter and television presenter. She began her artistic career as ...

and

Benny Ibarra Benny Ibarra de Llano known as Benny Ibarra is a Mexican singer, musician, producer and actor. He was born into a family of artists. His mother, Julissa, was a singer and actress in the 1960s; and his father, Benny, an actor and 1960s rock si ...

in the leading roles, which was an overwhelming success. The band also released an album ( Vaselina) featuring themes from the musical. The cast included other members of Timbiriche (

Diego Schoening Diego Schoening (born August 5, 1969 in Mexico City), is a Mexican singer, actor and television host. Schoening started his career in the band Timbiriche in 1981, where he remained until its disbanding in 1994. In Timbiriche, he recorded 19 r ...

Mariana Garza Mariana Garza Alardín, (born October 19, 1970, in Madrid, Spain) is a Mexican singer and actress. Biography Mariana Garza is the daughter of Ana Silvia Garza, (and the granddaughter of Ramiro Garza and Mexican poet Carmen Alardín). She has ...

Alix Bauer Alix Bauer Tapuach (born December 16, 1971) is a Mexican singer of Ashkenazi Jewish origin. She was a member of the pop music band Timbiriche from its formation in 1982 until her departure in 1989. She released her only solo album ''Por Vez Pri ...

Paulina Rubio Paulina Susana Rubio Dosamantes (; born 17 June 1971) is a Mexican singer, songwriter and television personality. Referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Golden Girl", she first achieved recognition as a member of the successf ...

and

Erik Rubin The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, Eirik, or Eiríkur is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Nor ...

), along with other child singers and actors such as

Eduardo Capetillo Eduardo Capetillo Vázquez (born April 13, 1970) is a Mexican actor and singer. Life He was born in Mexico City, Mexico. He belongs to the Capetillo family, who have a long tradition of being bullfighters. While still very young, he particip ...

Stephanie Salas Stephanie Salas Banquells (born February 15, 1970) is a Mexican singer and actress. She was born into one of the most famous show business families in all of Mexico. She is the daughter of actress Silvia Pasquel and musician Micky Salas; she ...

Thalía Ariadna Thalía Sodi Miranda (; born 26 August 1971), known mononymously as Thalía, is a Mexican singer, songwriter and actress. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Latin Pop", she is considered one of the most ...

Edith Márquez Edith Márquez Landa (; born 27 January 1973) is a Mexican singer and actress. Life She is a dramatic mezzo-soprano. She started her professional career by winning the television musical contests "Juguemos a cantar" (1978) and "Canta, Canta ...

, Lolita Cortés, Hector Suarez Gomis, Usi Velasco and Angélica Ruvalcaba. The musical was produced by the Mexican actress and producer

Julissa Julissa (born Julia Isabel de Llano Macedo; 8 April 1944) is a Mexican actress, producer and singer. She is the daughter of radio and television personality Luis de Llano Palmer and actress Rita Macedo. Her children are: Benny Ibarra (a singe ...

. In 1994, the musical was revived at the Hidalgo Theater in Mexico City, by producers

Alejandro Ibarra Alejandro Ibarra (born José Alejandro Ibarra De Llano on April 28, 1973, in Mexico City, D.F., Mexico) is a Mexican actor and singer. Filmography Awards and nominations Premios TVyNovelas The Premios TVyNovelas are presented annually b ...

and

. The revival cast included

Juan Carlos Casasola ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of '' John''. The name is of Hebrew origin and has the meaning "God has been gracious." It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking countries around the world and in the Philip ...

, and Arturo G. Alvarez. A Spanish revival ran successfully at Teatre Victòria,

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

from October 3, 2006, to January 6, 2008. After a short national tour, the production was transferred to Teatro Nuevo Alcalá,

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, where it ran from October 14, 2008, to January 31, 2010, and then continued touring Spain until it finally closed on August 1, 2010, becoming one of Spain's all-time longest running musical productions, with 1,090 performances. Directed by Ricard Reguant, the original cast included Carlos Solano (later alternating the role with Tony Bernetti) as Danny Zuko, María Adamuz as Sandy (later Replaced by

Edurne Edurne García Almagro (; born 22 December 1985) is a Spanish singer, actress, and television presenter. She rose to fame in late 2005 when she took part in the Spanish casting show ''Operación Triunfo (Spain), Operación Triunfo'' on Televisi ...

and Gisela), and

Elena Gadel Elena Gadel (born in Barcelona on 29 October 1982) is a Catalan singer. Early life and education Gadel was born in Barcelona from parents from Granada and Estremadura. She loved music and started performing at a very young age. TV beginnin ...

as Betty Rizzo, A New Zealand Production, ran at the Civic Theatre in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

during August 2010. The production featured the South African cast, with Jonathan Roxmouth as Danny, Bethany Dickson as Sandy and Genna Galloway as Rizzo. A second Spanish revival directed and choreographed by Coco Comín ran at Cúpula Las Arenas,

from November 15, 2011, to January 22, 2012, and then was transferred to Teatro Coliseum,

from March 6, 2012, to May 6, 2012, before starting a national tour.

reprised the role of Sandy, During the Madrid run, the singer

Julio Iglesias Jr. Julio Iglesias Jr. (born Julio José Iglesias Preysler; 25 February 1973) is a Spanish singer-songwriter. Early life and education Iglesias Jr. was born Julio José Iglesias Preysler in Madrid, Spain, the son of Spanish singer Julio Iglesias an ...

guest starred as Teen Angel in some performances. In

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, the first production of ''Grease'' opened in November 1999 at

Palais des Sports Palais des Sports (French: Palace of Sports) is a generic name of comprehensive indoors sports venue, mostly in the French-speaking world, including: ; France: *Palais des Sports de Beaulieu, Nantes * Palais des sports Ghani-Yalouz, Besançon * Pal ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. The production moved to the Dôme Disney Village in Chessy in 2005. The show was revived in 2008 at the Comédia in

with

Cécilia Cara Cécilia Cara (born 5 June 1984) is a French actress and singer. She is best known for playing the role of Juliet in the French musical ''Romeo and Juliet''. Career During her time in ''Roméo & Juliette'', she recorded duets with French reco ...

as Sandy. This new production win a

Globe de Cristal Awards The Awards (English: Crystal Globe Awards) is a set of awards bestowed by members of the French Press Association recognizing excellence in home art and culture. The annual formal ceremony and dinner at which the awards are presented happens eac ...

in 2009 and moved to Palais des congrès in 2009 and to

Le Palace Le Palace is a Paris theatre located at 8, Rue du Faubourg-Montmartre in the 9th arrondissement. It is best known for its years as a nightclub. Created by impresario Fabrice Emaer (1935–1983) in 1978, intellectuals, actors, designers, artists, ...

in 2012, after a break in 2011. A third revival opened on September 28, 2017 at

Théâtre Mogador Théâtre Mogador (), founded in 1913 with design by Bertie Crewe, is a Parisian music hall theatre located at 25, Rue de Mogador in the 9th arrondissement. It seats 1,600 people on three tiers (orchestra: 787 seats, boxes: 432 seats, balconies ...

. It is the first production completely in French, the previous ones were in French with English songs. Despite originally being billed as a limited engagement, it was extended to July 8, 2018 following its success. An Australian revival opened at Brisbane's Lyric Theatre on August 27, 2013, before heading on an Australian tour. The cast included

Rob Mills Robert Mills (born 21 June 1982) is an Australian actor, television host and singer-songwriter. He was one of the finalists from the first season of ''Australian Idol'' in 2003. He co-hosted the late-night quiz show '' The Mint'' with his child ...

as Danny,

Gretel Scarlett Gretel Scarlett Jahnke (), known as Gretel Scarlett (born 9 November 1987) is an Australian actress and performer. Having appeared in theatre productions including ''Wicked (musical), Wicked'' and ''Mamma Mia! (musical), Mamma Mia!'', she is b ...

as Sandy,

Anthony Callea Anthony Cosmo Callea (born 13 December 1982) is an Australian singer-songwriter and stage actor who rose to prominence as the runner-up in the 2004 season of ''Australian Idol''. Callea's debut single, a cover of Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli' ...

as Johnny Casino, Stephen Mahy as Kenickie,

Lucy Maunder Lucy Maunder is an Australian cabaret and theatre performer. She originated the role of Lara in the Australian premiere of ''Doctor Zhivago (musical), Doctor Zhivago'' in 2011 opposite Anthony Warlow, and toured with her own cabaret ''Songs in t ...

as Rizzo,

Todd McKenney Todd McKenney (born 31 May 1965) is an Australian dancer, theatre performer and TV personality. He got his big break on the Chanel 7 Series, Simon’s Battered Sav. He is best known as a judge on the Australian television talent show ''Dancing ...

as Teen Angel, and

Bert Newton Albert Watson Newton (23 July 1938 – 30 October 2021) was an Australian media personality. He was a Logie Hall of Fame inductee, quadruple Gold Logie–winning entertainer, and radio, theatre and television personality and compère. Ne ...

as Vince Fontaine. In 2016 a 90-minute version of the show premiered on Royal Caribbeans

Harmony of the Seas ''Harmony of the Seas'' is an built by STX France at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, for Royal Caribbean International. With a gross tonnage of 226,963 GT, she is the fifth largest passenger ship in the wo ...

in May and

Independence of the Seas ''Independence of the Seas'' is a operated by Royal Caribbean International. The 15-deck ship was built in the Aker Finnyards Perno shipyard, Turku Shipyard, Finland. At 154,407 GT, she joined ''Freedom of the Seas'' and ''Liberty of the Seas'' ...

in July. A June 2022 Australian production, directed by

Drew Anthony Drew Anthony (born 14 January 1969) is an Australian performer, director, choreographer, and producer. He has directed productions including '' Grease'', ''Chicago'', ''Strictly Ballroom'', ''The Wedding Singer'', and ''Saturday Night Fever''. ...

and choreographed by Jamie and Susie Rolton, was staged at Perth's Royale Theatre, with John Berry as Danny, Elaina O'Connor as Sandy, Peter Cumins as Teen Angel, Blake Williams as Vince Fontaine and Lucy Williamson as Miss Lynch. A 2023-24 Australian tour production, directed by Luke Joslin and choreographed by Eric Giancola was announced in May 2023. The principal cast was later revealed in June 2023 with

Patti Newton Patricia Anne Newton (née McGrath) is an Australian singer, actress, dancer, stage performer and radio and television presenter. Life and career Before her marriage, Newton worked under her birth name, Patti McGrath, when she appeared on pr ...

as Miss Lynch,

Marcia Hines Marcia Elaine Hines AM (born July 20, 1953) is an American-born Australian singer and TV personality. Hines made her debut, at the age of 16, in the Australian production of the stage musical ''Hair'' and followed with the role of Mary Magdalen ...

as Teen Angel, Jay Laga’aia as Vince Fontaine, Annelise Hall as Sandy and Joseph Spanti as Danny Zuko.

Adaptations

Film

The

Organization adapted ''Grease'' into a 1978 feature film, directed by

Randal Kleiser John Randal Kleiser (born July 20, 1946) is an American film and television director, producer, screenwriter and actor. He is best known for directing the films ''Grease (film), Grease'' (1978), ''The Blue Lagoon (1980 film), The Blue Lagoon'' (1 ...

, who had played Doody on Broadway and the national tour, performed as lead Danny Zuko, while

, an English Australian country-pop singer, was cast as Sandy; to accommodate the casting move, the character was rewritten as Australian immigrant Sandy Olsson (named after the maiden name of

Ann-Margret Ann-Margret Olsson (born 28 April 1941), credited as Ann-Margret, is a Swedish-American actress and singer with a career spanning seven decades. Her many screen roles include '' Pocketful of Miracles'' (1961), ''State Fair'' (1962), '' Bye Bye B ...

, who was briefly considered for the role in the film), and parts of the score were replaced. Substantial portions of the script — which included replaced or reduced supporting character roles and added on-screen roles for characters unseen in the stage version — were written in by

Bronte Woodard Bronte may refer to: People ;Surname * Brontë family, an English literary family that included: ** Anne Brontë (1820–1849), novelist and poet ** Branwell Brontë (1817–1848), painter and poet ** Charlotte Brontë Charlotte Nicholls (; ...

. ''Grease'' was a major success both for Stigwood and for

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

, the latter of which re-released the film several times; the

film soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured ...

made international hits out of several of the songs. Paramount also produced a sequel ''

'' in 1982, which featured a younger class of students at Rydell High School led by

Maxwell Caulfield Maxwell Caulfield (born Maxwell P.J. Newby; 23 November 1959) is a British actor. He has appeared in ''Grease 2'' (1982), ''Electric Dreams (film), Electric Dreams'' (1984), ''The Boys Next Door (1985 film), The Boys Next Door'' (1985), ''The S ...

and

Michelle Pfeiffer Michelle Marie Pfeiffer ( ; born April 29, 1958) is an American actress. She was one of the most bankable stars in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood during the 1980s and 1990s, and her List of Michelle Pfeiffer performances, performances ...

. ''Grease 2'' was both a financial disappointment and a critical failure that Jim Jacobs disowned after its release. In the 2010s, work began on expanding the ''Grease'' brand into a full-fledged

media franchise A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program, o ...

, with two

prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term ...

s in production, ''Summer Lovin' '' (a film focusing on Danny and Sandy's summer before the events of the original ''Grease'') and '' Rise of the Pink Ladies'' (a television series documenting the ascent of the Pink Ladies clique).

Television production

On January 31, 2016, in the wake of similar productions that

had performed for other musicals,

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

broadcast a live production of ''Grease'', known as '' Grease: Live'', as a television special starring

Julianne Hough Julianne Alexandra Hough (; born July 20, 1988) is an American dancer, singer, actress and television personality. In 2007, she joined the cast of ABC's ''Dancing with the Stars'' as a professional dancer, winning two seasons with her celebrit ...

Aaron Tveit Aaron Kyle Tveit (; born October 21, 1983) is an American actor and singer. Tveit originated the lead role of Christian in the stage adaptation of ''Moulin Rouge! (musical), Moulin Rouge!'' on Broadway theatre, Broadway, a performance for which ...

Vanessa Hudgens Vanessa Anne Hudgens ( ; born December 14, 1988) is an American actress and singer. After making her feature film debut in '' Thirteen'' (2003), Hudgens rose to fame portraying Gabriella Montez in the ''High School Musical'' film series (200 ...

and

Jordan Fisher Jordan William Fisher (born April 24, 1994) is an American actor, singer, and dancer. He began his career with recurring roles on several television series, including '' The Secret Life of the American Teenager'' in 2012 and '' Liv and Maddie'' ...

Synopsis

Because of changes to the musical that have been made since the 1978 film adaptation, several variants exist. In the event two songs are listed at any given point, the first is from the 1972 Off-Broadway version, and the second is from revivals that use the film music, such as the 2007 version.

Act I

At revivals that use the 1978 song " Grease", it is typically inserted at or near the beginning of the show. At the Rydell High Class of 1959 reunion ("Alma Mater"),

old maid Spinster or old maid is a term referring to an unmarried woman who is older than what is perceived as the prime age range during which women usually marry. It can also indicate that a woman is considered unlikely to ever marry. The term origin ...

English teacher Miss Lynch introduces former cheerleader/yearbook-editor Patty Simcox Honeywell and class

valedictorian Valedictorian is an academic title for the class rank, highest-performing student of a graduation, graduating class of an academic institution in the United States. The valedictorian is generally determined by an academic institution's grade poin ...

Eugene Florczyk. Eugene gives a rousing speech, mentioning that the alumni who are missing from the reunion are surely present in spirit. The scene segues to bring in the greaser gang known as the Burger Palace Boys (known in later versions as the "T-Birds") and their auxiliary, the "Pink Ladies", as they sing a cruder version of the Rydell ''alma mater'' ("Alma Mater (Parody)"). Flashing back to the first day of high school in fall 1958, the Pink Ladies sit in the lunchroom, and the Burger Palace Boys sit at the entrance to the school. One of the Pink Ladies, Frenchy, introduces her new neighbor Sandy Dumbrowski, who had been unjustly rejected from a

Catholic school Catholic schools are Parochial school, parochial pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest parochial schools, religious, no ...

, to the others (Marty, Jan and Rizzo), as well as Patty. Sandy tells of how she had a brief love affair the summer before, which ended with unresolved love. Meanwhile, womanizing greaser Danny Zuko is telling the Burger Palace Boys (Kenickie, Roger, Doody and Sonny) the story of his own summer fling (" Summer Nights"). The Pink Ladies soon after realize that Sandy's summer fling was the same Danny Zuko that attends Rydell High and arrange for the two to bump into each other at school; the resulting meeting is tense and awkward, as Danny had previously told Sandy that he attended

Lake Forest Academy Lake Forest Academy (also known as LFA) is a co-educational college preparatory school for boarding and day students in grades 9 through 12. The school is located on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore in Lake Forest, Illinois, United States ...

and does not want to admit to the Burger Palace Boys that she was the woman he was talking about. As the Burger Palace Boys leave, Sandy is hurt and angry, but the Pink Ladies cheer her up, by inviting her over to Marty's pajama party. Shortly afterwards, the teenagers gather in the hall as Doody shows off his new guitar and performs a song ("Those Magic Changes"). At Marty's pajama party, the girls experiment with wine, cigarettes, pierce their ears and talk about boys. The sheltered Sandy goes into shock and falls ill from seeing blood when the Pink Ladies try to pierce her ears, leading them to mock her when she's not in the room (in some revivals, the song "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee" is placed here, mirroring the film). Marty tells about her long-distance courtship with a Marine named Freddy and it is implied that she maintains it only because of the lavish gifts he sends her from Japan ("Freddy, My Love"). That same night, the Burger Palace Boys are busy stealing hubcaps, unaware that the hubcaps are on Kenickie's car, Greased Lightnin'. Unfazed by the others' skepticism, Kenickie sings of the upgrades needed to make the car a racing-worthy chick magnet (" Greased Lightnin'"). Danny sees Sandy again at her cheerleader practice, and tries to apologize for his behavior. Patty interrupts and flirts with Danny. Patty informs Danny that track try-outs are nearing, and Danny tells Sandy that he will join the track team to prove himself; he leaves as Patty and Sandy practice cheering ("Rydell Fight Song"). As the Burger Palace Boys and Pink Ladies gather at the park, Danny reveals to the rest of the greasers that he has joined the track team, much to their dismay and skepticism. After Roger and Jan bicker about food, drink and religion, she asks him how he earned the nickname Rump; he explains that, as "King of the Mooners", he has a hobby of baring his backside to unsuspecting victims, and in the process, both reveal their affections for each other ("Mooning"). Rizzo teases Danny for falling for a girl who resembles the excessively proper teenage ''

ingénue The ''ingénue'' (, , ) is a stock character in literature, film and a role type in the theater, generally a girl or a young woman, who is endearingly innocent. ''Ingénue'' may also refer to a new young actress or one typecast in such role ...

'',

Sandra Dee Sandra Dee (born Alexandra Zuck; April 23, 1942 – February 20, 2005) was an American actress. Dee began her career as a child model, working first in commercials and then film in her teenage years. Best known for her portrayal of ingénues ...

, and the other greasers join in as she makes fun of Sandy, who has not arrived at the picnic yet ("Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee"). Sandy, working on a biology assignment with Eugene, comes in just as the greasers finish making fun of her. She attacks Rizzo in a fit of rage and erroneously assumes Danny is the one behind the mockery. Furious, she tells Danny that she wishes she never met him and storms out of the picnic. Danny shrugs off Sandy's negative response, and the greasers pair off for the upcoming

sock hop A sock hop or sox hop, often also called a record hop or just a hop, was an informal (but officially organized) dance event for teenagers in mid-20th-century North America, featuring popular music. The term sock hop came about because dancers wer ...

. Danny teases Marty for not having a date (recommending Eugene), and the greasers all laugh ("We Go Together"). For revivals that use "

Hopelessly Devoted to You "Hopelessly Devoted to You" is a song recorded by British-Australian singer, songwriter and actress Olivia Newton-John for '' Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture'' (1978). It was written and produced by John Farrar and origin ...

", the exact placement varies. It sometimes replaces the first rendition of "We Go Together" and in other examples, such as the 2007 revival, it is placed early in Act II.

Act II

The night of the sock hop arrives ("Shakin' At the High School Hop"). Sandy is at home by herself, listening to the radio and crying over how much she misses Danny ("It's Raining on Prom Night"). Meanwhile, Kenickie comes into the dance with his date, Cha-Cha DiGregorio, a girl from Saint Bernadette's Academy. Patty tries to pair up with Danny, trash-talking Sandy's cheerleading skills in the process, but is unable to get out of her promise to dance with Eugene despite Rizzo trying to seduce Eugene as a distraction. Kenickie ends up paired off with Rizzo, and Danny with Cha-Cha. The MC Vince Fontaine, a radio

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music fes ...

, begins the

hand jive The hand jive is a dance particularly associated with music from the 1950s, rhythm and blues in particular. It involves a complicated pattern of hand moves and claps at various parts of the body. It resembles a highly elaborate version of pat-a ...

dance contest, and everyone eagerly participates as he tags the contestants out ("Born to Hand Jive"). In the end, Danny and Cha-Cha are the winners. Amongst the awards given to the couple, Danny receives two free drive-in movie tickets. Sometime later outside of the Burger Palace hangout, Kenickie, Doody, and Sonny run into Frenchy. The boys are armed with an "arsenal" of household items and reveal that, to their surprise, Cha-Cha was the girlfriend of someone in the boys' rival gang, the Flaming Dukes; the Dukes, hearing of Cha-Cha's dancing with the Burger Palace Boys, challenged the boys to a rumble. Danny sprints into the scene wearing his track suit, to the disbelief of the other boys. Danny tells the boys he cannot partake in the rumble because of a track meet and sprints off. The three remaining boys go into the Burger Palace for a snack before the fight, and Frenchy laments at what to do with her life, having dropped out of

beauty school Cosmetology (from Greek , ''kosmētikos'', "beautifying"; and , ''-logia'') is the study and application of beauty treatment. Branches of specialty include hairstyling, skin care, cosmetics, manicures/pedicures, non-permanent hair removal such as ...

in frustration at failing all of her classes. The heavenly Teen Angel appears with a chorus of back-up singing angels and tells her to return to high school ("

Beauty School Dropout "Beauty School Dropout" is a song from the musical '' Grease''. It was written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, and was performed by Frankie Avalon for the film version and soundtrack album. Overview In the musical, the song is the showcase pie ...

"). The three boys exit the Burger Palace, bemoaning Danny's betrayal while only halfheartedly noticing Roger is unaccounted for. They wait for the Flaming Dukes, but the rival gang never turns up. Roger finally turns up with only a broken antenna as a weapon; in response, the other three proceed to strip Roger of his pants and shoes. At the drive-in, Danny tries to make up for his behavior and offers Sandy his class ring. She initially is thrilled, but pulls back and exits the car when he tries to move beyond a kiss. Danny laments his loneliness ("Alone at a Drive-In Movie" or "Sandy"). Several days later, Sandy and the greasers — without Danny — are gathered in Jan's basement ("Rock 'N' Roll Party Queen"). Rizzo, who missed her period, fears she is pregnant and tells Marty (who herself laments that Vince tried to spike her drink at the dance) that the father is a stranger who had sex with her with a cheap, broken condom; word gets back to everyone else. The boys offer support as they leave; Rizzo rejects it, which leads Sandy to ask her why and concludes that Kenickie is the presumed father. Rizzo responds by saying that she is a better person than others make her out to be and that showing weakness is the worst thing she knows ("There Are Worse Things I Could Do"). Rizzo leaves, and Sandy decides what she needs to do to fit in with the greasers ("Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee" (Reprise)). The next day, the boys are hanging out at the Burger Palace. A dejected Patty reveals Danny, who follows her in, has reverted to his old ways and quit the track team. Sandy comes in alongside the Pink Ladies, having transformed herself from an innocent schoolgirl into a greaser's fantasy, punching out a dismayed Patty. Danny is delighted at this change and the couple express their mutual feelings for each other ("All Choked Up" or "You're the One That I Want"). Afterwards, the greasers prepare to head to Roger's to watch ''

The Mickey Mouse Club ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' is an American variety television show that aired intermittently from 1955 to 1996 and briefly returned to social media in 2017. Created by Walt Disney and produced by Walt Disney Productions, the program was first te ...

'', inviting Patty along. Frenchy takes a job as a makeup saleswoman at

Woolworth's Woolworth, Woolworth's, or Woolworths may refer to: Businesses Australia and New Zealand * Woolworths Group (Australia), the largest retail company in Australia and New Zealand; named after the American F.W. Woolworth company, but unrelated * W ...

, Rizzo reveals that she is not pregnant, and she and Kenickie reunite. All ends happily, and the Burger Palace Boys, the Pink Ladies, Sandy, and Patty sing about how they will always be friends to the end ("We Go Together" (Reprise)).

Revival changes

Due to the popularity of the 1978 film adaptation, which made several changes to the musical's songs and themes (many to accommodate its casting choice for singer

as Sandy), the subsequent revivals adopted several of the changes made in the film, particularly the replacement of several songs, Sandy is portrayed with blonde hair instead of the original brunette, and the renaming of the Burger Palace Boys to their film name, the T-Birds. However, in the revival, the role of Sandy Dumbrowski is not changed from the original Broadway production.

School version

In order to make the original musical suitable for young performers and audiences, Jim Jacobs decided to write a "school version" of the musical. This edition eliminates all of the references to cigarettes and alcohol, and also any swearing or bad language. Most of the songs have also undergone changes as well; the numbers are all shortened greatly and edited for content/language. Some plot lines are missing from the school version, such as Rizzo's pregnancy and her song "There Are Worse Things I Could Do." This section is entirely cut from the script and score. The beginning of the pajama party in Marty's bedroom is also cut. (In this version, the Pink Ladies do not offer Sandy cigarettes or wine. Instead it begins directly with piercing her ears.) Overall, this version is considered to be

G-rated The Motion Picture Association film rating system is used in the United States and its territories to rate a motion picture's suitability for certain audiences based on its content. The system and the ratings applied to individual motion picture ...

. In addition to the removal of "There Are Worse Things I Could Do", the following songs of the School Version have undergone lyric changes: * "Alma Mater Parody" * "Summer Nights" * "Freddy, My Love" * "Greased Lightnin'" * "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee" * "Beauty School Dropout" The remainder of the songs have been greatly edited for time, deleting several verses from the original songs. A version of the play is available that keeps some of the adult references and

innuendo An innuendo is a wikt:hint, hint, wikt:insinuation, insinuation or wikt:intimation, intimation about a person or thing, especially of a denigrating or derogatory nature. It can also be a remark or question, typically disparaging (also called in ...

but excises some of the more explicit lyrics.

Cast and characters

* Danny Zuko: A smooth greaser from

and successful womanizer, the ''de facto'' leader of the Burger Palace Boys has his life upended when he falls for a strait-laced

square In geometry, a square is a regular polygon, regular quadrilateral. It has four straight sides of equal length and four equal angles. Squares are special cases of rectangles, which have four equal angles, and of rhombuses, which have four equal si ...

during his summer vacation leading into senior year. Danny was based upon Tom Meyer, Jacobs's cousin.Cavendish, Dominic (May 7, 2022)
Drugs, Knives, Knickers – the Grit Behind Greased Lightnin’
''The Telegraph''. Retrieved June 3, 2023. * Sandra "Sandy" Dombrowski: An ingénue when she moves into the neighborhood, she experiences severe

culture shock Culture shock is an experience a person may have when one moves to a cultural environment which is different from one's own; it is also the personal disorientation a person may feel when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life due to immigration ...

as she learns her summer boyfriend's true nature but eventually transforms into Danny's fantasy dame after she is unable to resist her continued attraction to him. Renamed with surname Olsson for the film and Young for the 2016 TV production. Sandy was based upon Meyer's high school girlfriend, Jeanie Kozemczak. Jacobs noted that Meyer and Kozemczak broke up after high school and that Meyer never fully got over her, while Kozemczak eventually married another man. * Betty Rizzo: Described by Jim Jacobs as a "tough little Italian", Rizzo is the cynical leader of the Pink Ladies and a strong

alpha female Marie Kristin Gabert (June 4, 1982) is a German Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former professional Powerlifting, powerlifter, strongwoman, Bodybuilding, bodybuilder, and Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist under the names A ...

who embraces the

low culture Low or LOW or lows, may refer to: People * Low (surname), listing people surnamed Low Places * Low, Quebec, Canada * Low, Utah, United States * Lo Wu station (MTR code LOW), Hong Kong; a rail station * Salzburg Airport (ICAO airport code: ...

and refuses to show her feelings. While she is condescending toward almost everyone, she and Danny have a particularly longstanding hostility toward each other, and she openly mocks Sandy in song. * Kenickie: A hard-nosed tough guy, Kenickie has great pride in his investment, a used car he has named ''Greased Lightning''. He has a tempestuous on-again, off-again relationship with Rizzo and is often at odds with Roger. Kenickie is given a larger role in the film as Danny's best friend. He was named Miller in the original Chicago production. *Doody: A member of the Burger Palace Boys, Doody has some childlike mannerisms and is shown to have great difficulty when approaching his crush, Frenchy, or handling tense situations. He fantasizes about being a great rock-and-roll guitarist. Doody was one of two characters based upon Jacobs himself, representing his more innocent side. * Roger "Rump": A sardonic yet very self-confident Burger Palace Boy who is easily able to win over Jan and willing to go into a rumble with only a whip antenna as a weapon. He is frequently seen eating

fast food Fast food is a type of Mass production, mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. ''Fast food'' is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheat ...

and earned his nickname because he was a proficient mooner. He is stated to be a Roman Catholic. Roger is the other character Jacobs based upon himself, representing his more confident side. Rump does not appear in the film or television versions. Putzie, a non-singing character, appears in Rump's stead (though ostensibly sharing the legal first name Roger), and his songs are included on the film's soundtrack, performed by Louis St. Louis. * Dominic "Sonny" LaTierri: The only member of the Burger Palace Boys without a musical number, Sonny is a character who imagines himself a Casanova, but most high-school girls find him repulsive. He is also quite cowardly, wilting in the face of any criticism. * Miller: The sixth member of the Burger Palace Boys, he appeared in the original 1971 production but was cut before the show opened on Broadway. He was named Kenickie in the original Chicago production. Though he did not appear in any subsequent productions, he appeared in ''The Original Grease''. * Frenchy: A member of the Pink Ladies, Frenchy is the first person (other than Danny) to meet Sandy, and the two quickly become friends. She claims to have earned her nickname from being able to "French inhale" a cigarette. She is a very poor student with aspirations of becoming a beautician, but she is equally inept when she drops out to attend beauty school. *Marty: Given the surname "Maraschino" in the film, Marty is a seasoned member of the Pink Ladies, with much experience in wine, men and cigarettes, and is bigoted against the Japanese and Polish. In Act One, she is said to be engaged to an overseas Marine, mainly because of the expensive gifts she receives by maintaining the relationship. In Act Two, she has a brief fling with DJ Vince Fontaine, and by the end she succumbs to Sonny's advances. * Jan: A member of the Pink Ladies, Jan is a quirky Lutheran who has a voracious appetite and has moments of extreme bluntness.

Jamie Donnelly Jamie Donnelly is an American actress and singer known for her portrayal of Jan in the musical, and later film, '' Grease,'' along with Magenta in ''The Rocky Horror Show'' during its run in the Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles. Career Donnelly i ...

, who played Jan in the film, described her as not being as cool as the other Pink Ladies. She and Roger develop a relationship over the course of the musical, but the two frequently bicker. * Miss Lynch: A

spinster Spinster or old maid is a term referring to an unmarried woman who is older than what is perceived as the prime age range during which women usually marry. It can also indicate that a woman is considered unlikely to ever marry. The term origin ...

English teacher and stereotypical disciplinarian. Her character role would be rewritten as Principal McGee for screen adaptions. * Eugene Florczyk: The class valedictorian is usually portrayed as an awkward nerd. He goes on to become a marketing executive after high school. Renamed Felsnick for the film. * Patricia "Patty" Simcox: A high-achieving cheerleader who befriends Sandy early in the show. Patty holds her own attractions to Danny and is especially drawn to him when he tries to change to please Sandy. Other than Rizzo (who at first treats her with contempt), the greasers are amicable with her, while acknowledging their different social cliques. At the beginning of the play, it is noted that she has since gone on to marry a Mr. Honeywell and have a successful career. * Charlene "Cha-Cha" DiGregorio: a beastly girl who appears at the school dance as Kenickie's date, later ends up dancing with Danny, and is ultimately revealed as the girlfriend of a rival greaser gang member. * Vince Fontaine: the smooth-talking 19-year-old disc jockey and Rydell High alumnus whose voice-overs serve as continuity for the musical. He appears on-stage during the school dance and serves as an on-air host at WAXX, the local top-40 radio station. * Johnny Casino and the Gamblers: a low-rent rock and roll band that plays at the school dance. * Teen Angel: Frenchy's guardian angel who has blunt advice for his subject. A number of characters in the musical are not seen: Freddy Strulka, Marty's boyfriend and a member of the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

who showers Marty with lavish gifts from Japan; the coach of the track team; the Flaming Dukes, an adversary of the Burger Palace Boys who never show up to a threatened rumble; and Mr. Drucker, a perverted economics teacher who has made passes at the Pink Ladies. In the film, the Flaming Dukes are renamed the Scorpions and have an on-screen role, as does the track coach (who is surnamed Calhoun and is portrayed by

Sid Caesar Isaac Sidney Caesar (September 8, 1922 – February 12, 2014) was an American comic actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he was best known for two pioneering 1950s live television series: ''Your Show of Shows'' (1950–1954) ...

Notable cast members

Notable cast replacements

Ref:

Broadway (1972–80)

*Danny Zuko:

Greg Evigan Gregory Ralph Evigan (born October 14, 1953) is an American film, stage, and television actor. He began his career in theater, appearing in the Broadway production of '' Jesus Christ Superstar'', followed by a stage production of the musical '' ...

Adrian Zmed Adrian George Zmed (born March 14, 1954) is an American actor, singer and television personality, noted for the roles of Johnny Nogerelli in ''Grease 2'' and Officer Vince Romano in the ''T. J. Hooker'' television series. His Broadway credits in ...

Michael Tucci Michael Tucci (born April 15, 1946) is an American actor and retired high school teacher. He played Pete Schumaker in ''It's Garry Shandling's Show'' (1986–1990), and Sonny LaTierri in the 1978 film '' Grease''. Personal life He graduated from H ...

(u/s),

Philip Casnoff Philip Casnoff (born August 3, 1953) is an American actor, known for his roles in TV series and on Broadway. He has also been a director. Early life and education Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 3, 1953, Willis, John (1994). The ...

(u/s),

Ted Wass Edward Wass (born October 27, 1952) is an American television director and former actor. He is best known for his roles as Danny Dallas on the series ''Soap'' (1977–1981) and as Nick Russo on the sitcom ''Blossom'' (1991–1995). After ''Bloss ...

(u/s),

Tom Wiggin Tom Wiggin (born July 6, 1955) is an American actor, writer, producer and director. He is best known for creating the role of nefarious businessman Kirk Anderson on the long-running soap opera ''As the World Turns''. Early life, family and edu ...

(u/s) *Sandy Dumbrowski:

Randy Graff Randy Graff (born May 23, 1955) is an American actress and singer. Early years Born in Brooklyn, New York on May 23, 1955, Graff was part of a musically oriented family. Her grandmother "was the lead soprano in temple", and her uncle sang with, ...

(u/s) *Betty Rizzo:

Joy Garrett Joyce Irene Garrett (March 2, 1945 – February 11, 1993) was an American actress and vocalist. She is best known for her role on ''Days of Our Lives'' as Jo Johnson between 1987 and 1993. In addition to her work in film and television, Garrett ...

(u/s) *Kenickie:

Paul Regina Paul Joseph Regina Jr. (October 25, 1956 – January 31, 2006) was an American actor and occasional screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Cliff Waters in the sitcom ''Brothers'' (1984–1989), as well as his roles as Felix Echeverria in ...

(u/s),

(u/s) *Doody:

Scott Ellis Scott Ellis (born April 19, 1957) is an American stage director, actor, and television director. Life and career Ellis graduated from Goodman School of Drama at the Art Institute of Chicago (now at DePaul University) in Chicago.

(u/s),

(u/s) *Roger:

(u/s),

(u/s) *Sonny Latierri:

David Paymer David Emmanuel Paymer (born August 30, 1954) is an American actor and television director. He has been in films such as '' Mr. Saturday Night'', '' Quiz Show'', '' Searching for Bobby Fischer'', ''City Slickers'', '' Crazy People'', '' State an ...

(u/s),

(u/s) *Frenchy:

Garn Stephens Garn Gaynell Stephens (November 7, 1944 – April 2, 2023) was an American film, television, stage, and musical theatre actress, and, later, a screenwriter. She was known for her roles in the television series '' Phyllis'' and the 1982 horror fi ...

, Laurie Graff,

(u/s) *Marty: Meg Bennett,

Char Fontane Char "Kaci" Fontane (January 12, 1952 – April 1, 2007) was an American actress and singer. She was born in Los Angeles, to singer Tony Fontane and his wife, actress Kerry Vaughn Fontane. Early in her career, Fontane worked as an assistant t ...

(u/s) *Jan:

Mimi Kennedy Mary Claire "Mimi" Kennedy (born September 25, 1948) is an American actress, author and activist. Best known for her roles in television sitcoms, Kennedy co-starred in numerous short-lived sitcoms before her role as Ruth Sloan on '' Homefront'' ...

Cynthia Darlow Cynthia Darlow is an American actress. Career For five seasons, Darlow was an ensemble player and announcer on the children's educational series '' Square One Television''. On television, she has made numerous appearances in three of the differe ...

(u/s) *Miss Lynch:

Sudie Bond Sudie Bond (July 13, 1923 – November 10, 1984) was an American actress on film, stage, and television. Early years Bond was one of four children of J. Roy Bond, an industrialist, and Carrie Bond. She grew up in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, and was a ...

(u/s) *Eugene Florczyk:

(u/s),

(u/s) *Patty Simcox:

(u/s) *Cha-Cha Di Gregorio:

(u/s) *Vince Fontaine:

Walter Charles Walter Charles (born Walter Charles Jacobsen; April 4, 1945 – August 3, 2023) was an American actor and singer. Charles made his Broadway debut in '' Grease'' in 1972. Additional Broadway credits include '' 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue'' (1976), '' ...

Nick Wyman Nick Wyman (born May 18, 1950) is an American stage, television, and film actor, and is a former president of the Actors' Equity Association. Early life and education Wyman was born in Portland, Maine and raised in Summit, New Jersey and atte ...

(u/s),

(u/s) *Johnny Casino:

(u/s),

(u/s) *Teen Angel:

(u/s),

(u/s)

West End (1973–74)

*Danny Zuko:

*Sandy Dumbrowski:

West End Revival (1993–94)

*Danny Zuko:

Glenn Carter Glenn Carter (born 27 March 1964) is an English stage actor and singer-songwriter performing leading roles in musicals staged in London's West End. Early life Carter was born in Staffordshire, England. He trained at the Arts Educational Scho ...

*Betty Rizzo:

Anna-Jane Casey Anna-Jane Casey (born 15 February 1972) is an English singer, dancer and actress best known for her work in musical theatre. Personal life Casey was born in Salford, Lancashire, England. Casey married fellow actor Graham MacDuff in 1998. The ...

Linzi Hateley Linzi Hateley (born 23 October 1970) is an English stage actress. At the age of 21, in 1992, she became one of the youngest nominees for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance as the Narrator in the West End ...

*Kenickie: Ben Richards *Jan:

*Johnny Casino: Ben Richards

Broadway Revival (1994–98)

*Danny Zuko:

Jeff Trachta Jeff Trachta (born October 6, 1960, in Staten Island, New York) is an American actor and singer, best known for portraying Thorne Forrester on the soap opera ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' from 1989 to 1996. He was the second of four actors to play ...

, Joseph Barbara,

(u/s) *Sandy Dumbrowski:

Sutton Foster Sutton Lenore Foster (born March 18, 1975) is an American actress. She is known for her work on the Broadway stage, for which she has been nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical seven times, winning in 2002 for her role as ...

*Betty Rizzo:

Brooke Sheilds Brooke Christa Shields (born May 31, 1965) is an American actress. A child model starting at the age of 11 months, Shields gained widespread notoriety at age 12 for her leading role in Louis Malle's film ''Pretty Baby (1978 film), Pretty Baby ...

Jody Watley Jody Vanessa Watley (born January 30, 1959) is an American singer, songwriter and producer whose music crosses genres including pop, R&B, jazz, dance and electronic soul.Paoletta, Michael (February 22, 2003) "Watley Relaxes In The Setting of The ...

, Tracy Nelson,

Joely Fisher Joely Fisher ( ; born October 29, 1967) is an American actress and singer, the daughter of singer Eddie Fisher and actress Connie Stevens, and half-sister of actress Carrie Fisher. Her breakthrough came in 1994, starring as Paige Clark in the Ame ...

Sandra Purpuro Sandra Purpuro is an American film and television actress. Her most prominent roles are those of Katherine McClain on '' Oz,'' and Liz Labella on '' DiResta''. She has also appeared in ''Lethal Weapon,'' ''Days of Our Lives'', ''The Young and the ...

(u/s),

(u/s) *Kenickie:

(u/s) *Doody: Ty Taylor,

Brad Kane Bradley Caleb Kane (born September 29, 1973) is an American actor, singer, producer and screenwriter. He has performed the singing voice of Aladdin in the titular Disney franchise since its first film (1992). Career Kane began to act with a s ...

*Sonny Latierri:

*Frenchy: Monica Lee Gradischek,

Jennifer Cody Jennifer Cody (born November 10, 1969) is an American actress and dancer. Personal life Cody was born on November 10, 1969, in Greece, New York. She began dancing at an early age. She studied acting at Fredonia State University, graduating wit ...

(u/s) *Marty:

Sherie Rene Scott Sherie Rene Scott (born February 8, 1967)Some sources give 1969, but Scott herself, at thOfficial Sherie Rene Scott Myspace Pageand at Lovece, Frank"Sherie Rene Scott is caught up in the 'Rapture'", ''Newsday'', May 6, 2010, gives 1967 is an Ame ...

Amanda Watkins Miss Willie Brown was an American country music duo consisting of Amanda Watkins and Kasey Buckley, who are respectively natives of West Virginia and Texas but met in California. They are signed to A&M/Octone Records, to which they were the firs ...

*Jan:

Marissa Jaret Winokur Marissa Jaret Winokur (born February 2, 1973), sometimes credited as Marissa Winokur, is an American actress and singer known for her Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, Tony-winning performance as Tracy Turnblad in the Broadway theatre, ...

Farah Alvin Farah Alvin (born September 28, 1976) is an American theatre actress. She is the daughter of cinematic poster artist John Alvin. Early life Alvin grew up in Los Angeles, the daughter of the artists John Alvin and Andrea Alvin. In 1993, at th ...

(u/s) *Miss Lynch:

Dody Goodman Dody Goodman (October 28, 1914 – June 22, 2008) was an American character actress. She played the mother of the title character in the television series '' Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman'', her distinctive high-pitched voice announcing the ...

Mimi Hines Mimi Hines (July 17, 1933 – October 21, 2024) was a Canadian actress, singer, and comedian, best known for her appearances on ''The Ed Sullivan Show'', ''The Tonight Show'' and her work on Broadway. She succeeded Barbra Streisand in the origi ...

Marilyn Cooper Marilyn Cooper (December 14, 1934 – April 22, 2009) was an American actress known primarily for her work on the Broadway stage. Life and career Cooper was born to Ashkenazi Jewish parents, Benjamin Cooper and Edna Becker in New York City. ...

Jo Anne Worley Jo Anne Worley (born September 6, 1937) is an American actress, comedian, and singer. Her work covers television, films, theater, game shows, talk shows, commercials, and cartoons. Worley is widely known for her work on the comedy-variety show ...

(u/s) *Patty Simcox:

*Cha-Cha Di Gregorio:

*Vince Fontaine:

Bruce Morrow Bruce Morrow (born Bruce Meyerowitz; October 13, 1935) is an American radio performer, publicly known as Cousin Brucie or Cousin Bruce Morrow. In an October 2020 interview, Morrow said he received the moniker "Cousin" while in the lobby of h ...

, Dave Konig *Teen Angel:

Mary Bond Davis Mary Bond Davis (born June 3, 1958) is a singer, actor, and dancer from Los Angeles, California. She is best known for her performance as Motormouth Maybelle in the 2002 Broadway run of Hairspray. Biography Davis began her career at the age of 1 ...

Jennifer Holliday Jennifer Yvette Holliday (born October 19, 1960) is an American singer and actress. She started her career on Broadway in musicals such as ''Dreamgirls'' (1981–83), '' Your Arms Too Short to Box with God'' (1980–1981) and later became a ...

(u/s)

West End Revival (2007–11)

*Sandy Dumbrowski:

Siobhan Dillon Siobhan Patricia Dillon (born 1 September 1984) is an English actress and singer, who rose to fame when she performed in the British talent show-themed television series '' How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?'' on BBC One in 2006. Since then ...

Lauren Samuels Lauren Alvarado (born 26 March 1988) is an English singer and actress who performs under the stage name "Lauren Samuels". She became well known to the British public as a contestant on the 2010 BBC UK TV series '' Over the Rainbow''. Since appea ...

*Marty:

(u/s)

Broadway Revival (2007–09)

*Sandy Dumbrowski: Ashley Spencer,

(u/s), Christina Rose (u/s) *Betty Rizzo:

Janine DiVita Janine DiVita is an American actress best known for her roles on Broadway and in musical theater. Theater career Janine DiVita played the principal role of Anne in the Michael Greif-directed first national tour of ''If/Then'', a role original ...

*Kenickie:

*Marty: Heléne Yorke, Christina Rose (u/s) *Patty Simcox:

(u/s), Christina Rose (u/s) *Teen Angel:

Musical numbers

Original Chicago production

;Act I * "Alma Mater" – Miss Lynch, Dr. Devlin, Eugene and Alumni * "Alma Mater (Reprise)" – Company * "Foster Beach" – Danny, Sandy, Burger Palace Boys and Pink Ladies * "Yeeughh!" – Patty * "Freddy, My Love" – Marty and Pink Ladies * " Greased Lightnin'" – Miller and Burger Palace Boys * "Mooning" – Roger and Jan * "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee" – Rizzo * "We Go Together" – Company ;Act II * "Grease"* – Company * "It's Raining on Prom Night" – Sandy * "Shakin' at the High School Hop" – Johnny Casino and The Gamblers * "Boogie Man Boogie" – Johnny Casino and The Gamblers * "

" – Teen Angel and Heavenly Choir * "Rock Progression" – Doody * "There Are Worse Things I Could Do" – Rizzo * "In My Day" – Miss Lynch * "Kiss It" – Sandy and Pink Ladies * "Grease (Reprise)" – Company * Not to be confused with Frankie Valli's song of the same name.

Original Broadway production

;Act I * "Alma Mater" – Miss Lynch, Patty, Eugene and Company * "Alma Mater (Parody)" – Pink Ladies and Burger Palace Boys * " Summer Nights" – Sandy, Danny, Pink Ladies and Burger Palace Boys * "Those Magic Changes" – Doody, Pink Ladies and Burger Palace Boys * "Freddy, My Love" – Marty and Pink Ladies * "Greased Lightnin'" – Kenickie and Burger Palace Boys * "Rydell Fight Song" – Sandy and Patty * "Mooning" – Roger and Jan * "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee" – Pink Ladies and Rizzo * "We Go Together" – Company ;Act II * "Shakin' at the High School Hop" – Company * "It's Raining on Prom Night" – Sandy and Radio Singer * "Shakin' at the High School Hop (Reprise)" – Company * "Born to Hand Jive" – Johnny Casino and Company * "Beauty School Dropout" – Teen Angel, Frenchy and Choir * "Alone at a Drive-in Movie" – Danny and Burger Palace Boys * "Rock 'N' Roll Party Queen" – Doody and Roger * "There Are Worse Things I Could Do" – Rizzo * "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee (Reprise)" – Sandy * "All Choked Up" – Sandy, Danny, Pink Ladies and Burger Palace Boys * "We Go Together (Reprise)" – Company ''* The 1972 version is the standard version licensed to professionals and amateurs through Samuel French, Inc. in the US and Theatrical Rights Worldwide Ltd in the UK/IE/Europe''

1993 West End revival

;Act I * "Sandy" – Danny and Sandy * " Grease" – Company * "Summer Nights" – Sandy, Danny, Pink Ladies, T-Birds * "Those Magic Changes" – Doody and T-Birds * "Freddy, My Love" – Marty and Pink Ladies * "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee" – Rizzo * "Greased Lightnin'" – Kenickie and T-Birds * "Rydell Fight Song" – Sandy, Patty and Girls * "Mooning" – Roger and Jan * "We Go Together" – Pink Ladies and T-Birds ;Act II * "Shakin' at the High School Hop" – The Company * "It's Raining on Prom Night" – Sandy and Donna Sue * "Born to Hand Jive" – Johnny Casino and Company * "

"* – Sandy * "Beauty School Dropout" – Teen Angel and Female Angels * "Sandy"* – Danny * "Rock 'N' Roll Party Queen" – Doody and Roger * "There Are Worse Things I Could Do" – Rizzo * "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee (Reprise)" – Sandy * "

You're the One That I Want "You're the One That I Want" is a song performed by American actor and singer John Travolta and Anglo-Australian singer and actress Olivia Newton-John for the 1978 film version of the musical '' Grease''. It was written and produced by John ...

"* – Danny, Sandy, Pink Ladies, and T-Birds * "Finale" – The Company

1994 Broadway revival

;Act I * "Alma Mater (We Go Together)" – Company * "We Go Together" – Kids, Pink Ladies and Burger Palace Boys * "Summer Nights" – Sandy, Danny, Pink Ladies, Burger Palace Boys, Eugene and Patty * "Those Magic Changes" – Doody and Burger Palace Boys * "Freddy, My Love" – Marty and Pink Ladies * "Greased Lightnin'" – Kenickie and Burger Palace Boys * "Greased Lightnin' (Reprise)" – Rizzo and Burger Palace Boys * "Rydell Fight Song" – Sandy and Patty * "Mooning" – Roger and Jan * "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee" – Rizzo * "

Since I Don't Have You "Since I Don't Have You" is a song written and composed by Jackie Taylor, James Beaumont, Janet Vogel, Joseph Rock, Joe Verscharen, Lennie Martin, and Wally Lester. It was first a 1958 hit single for the doo-wop group the Skyliners on the US '' ...

" – Sandy * "We Go Together" – Pink Ladies and Burger Palace Boys ;Act II * "Shakin' at the High School Hop" – The Company * "It's Raining on Prom Night" – Sandy, Jan and Radio Singers * "Shakin' at the High School Hop (Reprise)" – Orchestra and Kids * "Born to Hand Jive" – Johnny Casino and Company * "Beauty School Dropout" – Teen Angel and Female Angels * "Alone at a Drive-in Movie" – Danny and Burger Palace Boys * "Rock 'N' Roll Party Queen" – Doody and Roger * "There Are Worse Things I Could Do" – Rizzo * "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee (Reprise)" – Sandy and Rizzo * "Finale Medley" (includes "All Choked Up") – Cast

2007 Broadway revival

;Act I * "Prologue" – Instrumental * " Grease"* – Company * "Summer Nights" – Sandy, Danny, T-Birds, Pink Ladies, Company * "Those Magic Changes" – Doody, T-Birds, Ensemble * "Freddy, My Love" – Marty and Pink Ladies * "Greased Lightnin'" – Kenickie, Danny, T-Birds, Boys * "Rydell Fight Song" – Sandy and Patty * "Mooning" – Roger and Jan * "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee" – Rizzo * "We Go Together" – Company ;Act II * "Shakin' at the High School Hop" – The Company * "It's Raining on Prom Night" – Sandy and Jan * "Born to Hand Jive" – Vince Fontaine and Company * "Hopelessly Devoted to You"* – Sandy * "Beauty School Dropout" – Teen Angel and Female Angels * "Sandy"* – Danny * "Rock 'N' Roll Party Queen" – Doody and Roger * "There Are Worse Things I Could Do" – Rizzo * "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee (Reprise)" – Sandy * "You're the One That I Want"* – Danny, Sandy, Company * "We Go Together (Reprise)" – Full Company * "Grease Medley" – Full Company Note*: "Grease Medley" is sung during the final curtain call. :''* The 2007 revival incorporates some changes from the popular film version. Some numbers were eliminated, and others were added to the score: "Grease" was written by

Barry Gibb Sir Barry Alan Crompton Gibb (born 1 September 1946) is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Along with his younger fraternal twin brothers, Robin Gibb, Robin and Maurice Gibb, Maurice, he rose to global fame as a member ...

, "Hopelessly Devoted to You" and "You're the One That I Want" are written by

John Farrar John Clifford Farrar ( ; born 8 November 1946) is an Australian Record producer, music producer, songwriter, arranger, singer, and guitarist. As a musician, Farrar is a former member of several rock and roll groups including The Mustangs (1963 ...

, and "Sandy" is by

Louis St. Louis Louis St. Louis (May 26, 1942 – March 26, 2021) was an American songwriter, music arranger and singer, famous for songs written for '' Grease'', particularly the song "Sandy" (co-written with Screamin' Scott Simon), which was a hit in the Unit ...

and

Scott Simon Scott Simon (born March 16, 1952) is an American journalist and the host of '' Weekend Edition Saturday'' on NPR. Early life Simon was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of comedian Ernie Simon and actress Patricia Lyons.

. These additional songs require a separate license from the

Organisation.''

2022 West End Revival

;Act I * "Prologue" - Danny and Sandy * "Grease"* – Company * "Summer Nights" – Danny, Sandy, Burger Palace Boys, Pink Ladies * "Freddy, My Love" – Marty and Pink Ladies * "Greased Lightnin'" – Kenickie and Burger Palace Boys * "Greased Lightnin' (Reprise)" – Rizzo * “Tattoo Song” — Danny and Burger Palace Boys * "Rydell Fight Song" – Sandy and Patty * “How Big I’m Gonna Be” — Danny * "Mooning" – Roger and Jan * "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee" – Rizzo * "We Go Together" – Company ;Act II * "Grease"** - Company * "Shakin' at the High School Hop" – Johnny Casino and Company * "It's Raining on Prom Night" (Instrumental) * "Born to Hand-Jive" – Vince Fontaine and Company * "Hopelessly Devoted to You" - Sandy * "Beauty School Dropout" – Teen Angel and Angels * "Sandy" - Danny * "Rock 'N' Roll Party Queen" – Burger Palace Boys * "Those Magic Changes" - Doody * "There Are Worse Things I Could Do" – Rizzo * "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee (Reprise)" – Sandy * "You're The One That I Want" – Danny, Sandy, Company * "We Go Together (Reprise)" – Company * "Megamix" - Company :''* "Grease", written by Barry Gibb. Not to be confused with the song by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, also featured in this production.'' :''** "Grease", written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Not to be confused with the song of the same name, also featured in the production.''

Orchestration and chorus

Original

The original score calls for a piano, 2 saxophones, 2 guitars, bass guitar, and drums, while the original backup chorus calls for 8 singers: 4 males and 4 females. This is the version licensed for performance by amateur groups. The piano and the first keyboard is usually played by the band's conductor. The two guitarists double on acoustic and electric.

1994 revival

The 1994 revival is scored for 2 keyboards, 2 guitars, bass guitar, drums, percussion, 2 violins, viola, cello, 2 trumpets, trombone, and 2 saxophones. The 1994 revival chorus calls for 5 males and 5 females.

2007 revival

The 2007 revival is scored for 2 keyboards, 2 violins, viola, cello, 2 trumpets, trombone, 2 saxophones, 2 guitars, bass guitar, and drums and percussion. The first keyboard is played by the conductor. The two guitarists double on acoustic and electric. One guitarist plays lead while the other plays rhythm. The first woodwind doubles on tenor and alto saxophone and flute while the second one doubles on tenor, alto and baritone saxophone, flute and soprano saxophone. The 12-piece backup chorus calls for 6 males and 6 females.

Awards and honors

Original Broadway production

1993 West End revival

1994 Broadway revival

2007 Broadway revival

Footnotes

References

Synopsis and other information
* Winer, Linda
"Hopelessly Devoted to ''Grease''"
''Newsday'', January 7, 2007
''Understudy''
Vol. 1, September 2006; magazine of the Fulton Theatre, Lancaster, Pennsylvania * "The 1970s, Part I: Rock Musicals", John Kenrick, Musicals101.com, accessed on 19 May 2017, https://www.musicals101.com/1970bway1.htm * Miller, Scott. "inside ''Grease''". In ''Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll, and Musicals''. Lebanon, New Hampshire: University Press of New England, 2011. http://www.newlinetheatre.com/greasechapter.html * Gruner, Oliver & Peter Krämer. ''Grease is the Word: Exploring a Cultural Phenomenon''. London: Anthem Press, 2021.

External links

* *
Grease

Official website for Australian production

Official website for Spanish production

Official website for 2011 remake of original Kingston Mines production

Ovrtur page for original Kingston Mines production

Ovrtur page for 2011 remake of original Kingston Mines production

* ttp://www.floormic.com/show/119722 ''Grease'' on Floormic.com
Longest-running plays on Broadway, Off-Broadway, London, Toronto, Melbourne, Paris, Vienna, and Berlin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grease (Musical) 1971 musicals American rock musicals Broadway musicals West End musicals Original musicals Fiction set in 1959 Fiction set in 1960 Musicals set in the 1950s Musicals set in the 1960s Musicals set in Chicago Teen musicals Musicals set in schools Greasers (subculture)

Production history

Original productions and Broadway

1973 London run and 1979 return engagement

1993 London revival

1994 Broadway revival and U.S. tour

1996 U.S. tour

2003 U.S. tour

2007 Broadway and London revivals and UK tours

2008 U.S. tour

2011 Chicago revival - ''The Original Grease''

2019 UK and Ireland tour and 2022/2023 London runs

International productions

Adaptations

Film

Television production

Synopsis

Act I

Act II

Revival changes

School version

Cast and characters

Notable cast members

Notable cast replacements

Broadway (1972–80)

West End (1973–74)

West End Revival (1993–94)

Broadway Revival (1994–98)

West End Revival (2007–11)

Broadway Revival (2007–09)

Musical numbers

Original Chicago production

Original Broadway production

1993 West End revival

1994 Broadway revival

2007 Broadway revival

2022 West End Revival

Orchestration and chorus

Original

1994 revival

2007 revival

Awards and honors

Original Broadway production

1993 West End revival

1994 Broadway revival

2007 Broadway revival

See also

Footnotes

References

External links