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Grease (musical)

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Grease is a popular musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. A very successful film version was made in 1978 starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.

The musical is based around some of the subcultures of 1950s High school America, including the "tough guy" working-class greasers from which the musical takes its name. The musical takes place at fictional Rydell High and the Chicago, Illinois in which it is located. Some of the social issues featured in the musical are teenage pregnancy and gang violence; its themes include love, friendship, rebellion and sexual exploration during adolescence, and, to some degree, class consciousness/class conflict.

The show originated in Chicago and made its premier at The Kingston Mines. The orignal production was over three hours long and had to be whittled down significantly inbetween its openning in Chicago and its premier on Broadway. When the show opened on Broadway in 1972, it was well received by the public despite less than favorable reviews from critics. Nevertheless, it was nominated for seven Tony Awards and the 1994 revival was nominated for three. In 2003, Grease was voted Best Musical of All-Time in a Channel 4 poll.

A darker, harder-edged portrayal of some of the same subcultures (though slightly later) can be found in S.E. Hinton's novel The Outsiders. Other dramatic portrayals include the classic James Dean movie, "Rebel Without A Cause", and the 1957 musical West Side Story.

Synopsis

Template:Spoilers The musical opens at a high school reunion with Ms. Lynch, Pattie, Eugene, along with a choir of chorus members dressed in graduation robes singing the Rydell alma mater. After a short speech by Eugene welcoming the alumni back, we hear the familiar sound of a school bell break out, transporting us back to the first day of school of the year, 1959. The Burger Palace boys, along with The Pink Ladies rip off their robes, and break through the chorus scaring the other students off stage. The Alma Mater Parody is sung by the Greasers and their ladies, lampooning their high school. Next we are shown The Pink Ladies and Burger Palace Boys during lunch later in the day, they are portrayed as being in different locations around the school. As Danny and Sandy begin to tell the story of their summers to their respective groups, the duet Summer Nights begins. Once the song has concluded and the girls realize who Sandy has been telling them about they drag her over to reunite her with Danny Zuko. Making sure to keep his "cool" image Danny is short, and rude to Sandy making her believe that he is "not the boy she met over the summer". Next we are shown a scene of Doody with his guitar attempting to impress his friends with his novice musical abilities. We are given a look inside his young dream of becoming a rock n roll star some day, as he performs the song Magic Changes. After the dream world collapses at the end of the song thanks to Ms. Lynch, we are moved to Marty's bedroom where the Pink Ladies along with Sandy are having a sleep over.

Songs

Act I

  1. Alma Mater - Miss Lynch, Patty, and Eugene
  2. Alma Mater Parody - Pink Ladies and Burger Palace Boys
  3. Summer Nights - Sandy and Danny, Pink Ladies, and Burger Palace Boys
  4. Those Magic Changes - Doody, Burger Palace Boys, and Pink Ladies
  5. Freddy, My Love - Mardi and Pink Ladies
  6. Greased Lightnin' - Kenickie and Burger Palace Boys
  7. Mooning - Roger and Jan
  8. Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee - Rizzo
  9. We Go Together - Pink Ladies and Burger Palace Boys

Act II

  1. Shakin' at the High School Hop - Entire Company
  2. It's Raining on Prom Night - Sandy and offstage radio voice
  3. Shakin' at the High School Hop (Reprise) - Entire Company
  4. Born to Hand-Jive - Johnny Casino and Company
  5. Beauty School Dropout - Teen Angel, Frenchie, and Choir
  6. Alone at a Drive-In Movie - Danny and Burger Palace Boys
  7. Rock 'N' Roll Party Queen - Doody and Roger
  8. There Are Worse Things I Could Do - Rizzo
  9. Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee (Reprise) - Sandy
  10. All Choked Up - Sandy and Danny, Pink Ladies, and Burger Palace Boys
  11. We Go Together (Reprise) - Entire Company


Alumni

Famous actors who have appeared in Grease include:

Danny Zuko: Barry Bostwick (original cast member), John Travolta, Richard Gere, Treat Williams, Patrick Swayze, Adrian Zmed, Rex Smith, Ricky Paull Goldin, Jeff Conaway, Greg Evigan

Sandy: Olivia Newton John, Debbie Gibson, Dannii Minogue

Rizzo: Stockard Channing, Lucy Lawless, Rosie O'Donnell, Debbie Gibson, Danica McKellar, Linda Blair, Debby Boone, Sheena Easton, Deborah Gibson, Jasmine Guy, Mackenzie Phillips, Jody Watley, Brooke Shields

Teen Angel: Frankie Avalon, Donny Most, Davy Jones, Jeff Conaway, Peter Scolari, Eddie Mekka, Chubby Checker

See also

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