Grease

Grease
Grease is a musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, and took its name from the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture, the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 in fictional Rydell High in Chicago, tackles such social issues as teenage pregnancy and gang violence; its themes include love, friendship, teenage revolt and sexual exploration during teens, and, to some degree, class consciousness.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Awards
1972 Tony Awards:
Best Musical [nominee]
Best Book [nominee]
Best Actor in a Musical - Barry Bostwick.
Best Featured Actor in a Musical - Timothy Meyers.
Best Featured Actress in a Musical - Adrienne Barbeau [nominee]
Best Costume Design - Carrie F. Robbins.
Best Choreography - Patricia Birch [nominee]
1972 Theatre World Award - Adrienne Barbeau.
1972 Drama Desk Awards