Grease

On Friday, January 22, Ken and I and my mom and dad went to the Fox Theatre in St. Louis to see the latest revival of Grease the musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. This all-American musical is based on the sub-cultures of high school life in the 1950's. In 1978, Grease became "the word" with a popular feature-film adaptation starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. The 1978 movie is one of my favorites and I have seen it more times than I can count!

A Broadway revival played from 1994-1998 and mom and dad and I saw that revival at the Fox in 1995. I was a huge Debbie Gibson fan in high school and Debbie was in the tour playing the part of Rizzo. After the show we went to the stage door and I got her autograph and a photo. Sally Struthers also stared in that production playing the part of Principal Lynch. I remember waiting at the stage door and when Sally Struthers came out of the theater instead of asking her for her autograph, I asked if Debbie was on her way outside! I think I ended up getting Sally's autograph too.

The latest Broadway production featured the Sandy and Danny that won the talent competition series, "Grease: You're the One That I Want." The musical includes the smash Jacob-Casey songs made famous by the original play including "Summer Nights," "Greased Lightning" and "We Go Together" as well as the additional film songs "Grease," "You're the One That I Want," "Hopelessly Devoted to You," and "Sandy."

In this latest revival, the 2006 American Idol winner, Taylor Hicks, plays the part of Teen Angel. He ascends from the sky in a giant ice cream cone and comes out singing dressed in a rhinestone suit. He added his own touch to the song by playing harmonica. After the show he came back on stage and sang a song from his recent album. We also got to see Ace Young, another American Idol alum, playing the part of Danny and Laura Ashley Zarkin who appeared on the show "Legally Blonde the Musical: The Search for Elle Woods" playing Sandy. I think I have seen Grease more than any musical. I have seen high school productions, community theatre productions, productions at the Muny and several Broadway tours. Going to see any production of Grease is always a fun night at the theatre. Check out more about the tour at http://www.greaseonbroadway.com/

Taylor Hicks as Teen Angel in Grease.