Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School (loosely based on William Howard Taft School), follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love, cars, and drive-ins. The score attempts to recreate the sounds of early rock and roll. In its record-breaking original Broadway production, Grease was a raunchy, raw, aggressive, vulgar show. Subsequent productions sanitized it and tamed it down.^[1] The show tackles such social issues as teenage pregnancy and gang violence; its themes include love, friendship, teenage rebellion, sexual exploration during adolescence, and, to some extent, class consciousness/class conflict.

Grease was first performed in 1971 in the original Kingston Mines Theatre in Chicago, located in an old trolley barn (now the site of a hospital parking garage). From there, it has been successful on both stage and screen, but the content has changed drastically and its teenage characters have become less Chicago habitués and more generic. At the time that 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 few years later. It went on to become a West End hit, a hugely successful film, two popular Broadway revivals in 1994 and 2007, and a staple of regional theatre, summer stock, community theatre, and high school and middle school drama groups.^[2] It remains Broadway's fourteenth longest-running show.^[3]

Production history[link]

Original productions and Broadway[link]

The show's original, grittier 1971 incarnation has been described as either a musical from the start^[4] or a play with incidental music.^[5] In either case, it was first staged under the name Grease Lightning at the original location of the Kingston Mines in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago. The script was based on Jim Jacobs' experience at William Taft High School.

In April 2011 writer Jim Jacobs finally said Sandy's character was based on Jeanie Kozemczak.^[6]

Producers Ken Waissman and Maxine Fox saw the show and suggested to the playwrights that it might work better as a musical, and told them if the creative partners were willing to rework it and they liked the end result, they would produce it Off-Broadway. The team headed to New York City to collaborate on what would become Grease. The new production, directed by Tom Moore and choreographed by Patricia Birch (who later directed the ill-fated sequel of the film adaptation of Grease), opened Off Broadway at the Eden Theatre in downtown Manhattan on February 14, 1972. Though Grease opened geographically off Broadway, it did so under first class Broadway contracts.^[7] The show was deemed eligible for the 1972 Tony Awards, receiving seven Tony Award nominations.

On June 7, 1972, the production moved to Broadway and the Broadhurst Theatre, and on November 21, it moved to the Royale Theatre, where it ran until January 27, 1980. For the five final weeks of the run, the show moved to the larger Majestic Theatre. By the time it closed on April 13, 1980, it had run 3,388 performances.

The original Broadway cast included Barry Bostwick as Danny and Carole Demas as Sandy, with Adrienne Barbeau, Timothy Meyers, Alan Paul, and Walter Bobbie in supporting roles. Replacements later in the run included Jeff Conaway, Gail Edwards, Marilu Henner, Peter Gallagher, Ilene Graff, Judy Kaye, Patrick Swayze, John Travolta, Jerry Zaks, and Treat Williams. Richard Gere was an understudy for many roles in this production, including Danny Zuko, Teen Angel, and Vince Fontaine.

1973 London[link]

The London production opened at the New London Theatre in June 1973 with a cast that included a then-unknown Richard Gere as Danny, Stacey Gregg as Sandy, Stephen Bent as Roger, Jacqui-Ann Carr as Rizzo, and Derek James as Doody.^[8][9] Later Paul Nicholas and Elaine Paige, who had been in the London production of Hair, took over the leads. Kim Braden would also play Sandy. It was revived in London at the Astoria in 1979 with Su Pollard and Tracey Ullman.

1993 London revival[link]

The revival opened at the Dominion Theatre and transferred to the Cambridge Theatre in October 1996, where it ran until September 11, 1999. Directed by David Gilmore, the opening cast included Craig McLachlan (Danny); Debbie Gibson (Sandy) ( Sonia, then Samantha Janus later replaced Gibson as Sandy; Mike Doyle (Vince Fontaine); Tamzin Outhwaite (Patty); Shane Ritchie (Kenickie) and Sally Ann Triplett (Rizzo). (Variety, Review Abroad Grease, 8/2/93-8/8/93) Other performers who played Danny were Luke Goss, Ian Kelsey and Darren Day. The huge success led to the 1st National Tour featuring Shane Ritchie as Danny, Helen Way as Sandy, Toby Hinson as Vince Fontaine / Teen Angel, Alex Bourne as Kenickie and Michele Hooper as Rizzo to name but a few.

1994 Broadway revival and U.S. tour[link]

After twenty previews, a Broadway revival directed and choreographed by Jeff Calhoun opened on May 11, 1994 at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre, where it ran for 1,505 performances. Featured were Ricky Paull Goldin (Danny), Brooke Shields and Rosie O'Donnell (Rizzo), Susan Wood (Sandy), Hunter Foster (Roger), Megan Mullally (Marty), Heather Stokes (Jan) and Billy Porter (Teen Angel).

A U.S. national tour of the 1994 production started in September 1994 in New Haven, Connecticut, and ran for several years. The opening tour cast included Sally Struthers (Miss Lynch), who stayed with the tour for several years, Angela Pupello (Rizzo), Rex Smith (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. Other notable performers on the tour were Micky Dolenz (Vince Fontaine), Adrian Zmed (Danny), Debbie Gibson, Heather Stokes, Mackenzie Phillips and Jasmine Guy (Rizzo), Sutton Foster (Sandy) and Marissa Jaret Winoker (Jan), and Lucy Lawless (Rizzo, 1997).^[10]

2003 U.S tour[link]

This tour was directed by Ray DeMattis and featured choreography by Christopher Gattelli. The cast starred Frankie Avalon as the Angel, with Jamey Isenor (Danny Zuko) and Hanna-Liina Vosa andy 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), Kristen Bedard (Jan), and Arthur J. Callahan (Vince Fontaine).^[11]

2007 Broadway and London revivals[link]

A second Broadway revival, directed and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall, began previews at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on July 24, 2007 and opened on August 19, 2007. Max Crumm and Laura Osnes were selected to portray Danny and Sandy via viewer votes cast during the run of the NBC reality series 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.^[12]

A West End revival opened at the Piccadilly Theatre, London on August 8, 2007 and ran for nearly four years (the longest running show in the Piccadilly Theatre's history). The leads were similarly cast via ITV's Grease Is the Word, with Danny Bayne and Susan McFadden playing Danny and Sandy.^[13][14] 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.^[15]

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.

2008 U.S. tour[link]

A U.S. national tour began on December 2, 2008 in Providence, Rhode Island and closed on May 23, 2010 at the Palace Theatre in Cleveland, Ohio.^[16] Taylor Hicks reprised his role as the Teen Angel, with Eric Schneider as Danny and Emily Padgett as Sandy.^[17] Lauren Ashley Zakrin replaced Emily Padgett as Sandy in October and Ace Young joined the tour as Danny on December 1, 2009.^[18] In the U.S. Tour, before the show begins, the DJ of WAXX, Vince Fontaine, plays music from the 1950s for the audience to sing. Thereafter, he reminds about safety instructions before the show begins.

2010-2011 U.S. tour[link]

A U.S. national tour began October 12, 2010 in Denver, Colorado and closed May 15, 2011 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Directed by David John O'Brien and choreographed by Joyce Chittick, the cast featured Dominic Fortuna as DJ Vince Fontaine, Alyssa Herrera as Sandy and Matt Nolan as Danny.

The tour also included Patrick Cragin as Kenickie, Chris Duir as Eugene, Audrey Filson as Patty Simcox, Kelly Teal Goyette as Miss Lynch, Patrick Joyce as Sonny, Alicia Kelly as Marty, Brad Lawson as Roger, Ashley Rubin as Frenchy, Lauren Elaine Taylor as Rizzo, Lauren Turner as Jan and Marc Winski as Doody.

Chicago revival 2011[link]

American Theater Company artistic director P.J. Paparelli and Grease co-creator Jim Jacobs staged the restored original version of Grease on Chicago’s North Side, starting on April 21, 2011 and ending on August 21, to coincide with the fortieth anniversary of the musical's début.^[19] This was a revival of the original 1971 version first staged at the old Kingston Mines Theatre in Chicago. Procuring the rights to the original music was, for the most part, easy, while certain legal issues were preventing this production from being staged.^[20]

This production went on to win Best Production - Musical at the 2011 Equity Joseph Jefferson Awards on November 7, 2011. The Original Revival Cast reconvened to perform their A Cappella version of "We Go Together," the finale to Act 1 in the production. Despite many nominations and personal wins for performers and designers, this is the first time in the storied history of "Grease" that the show itself has actually won an award.

International productions[link]

There have been professional productions of Grease in Argentina (cast: Zenon Recalde/Marisol Otero/Florencia Peña/Gustavo Monje), Austria (cast:Pia Douwes, Andreas Bieber, Susanne Eisenkolb, Brian Carmack, Eric Minsk), Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Estonia, Czech Republic, Colombia, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and Poland.

In 1984, the Mexican group Timbiriche, starred in the musical, with Sasha Sokol and Benny Ibarra in the leading roles, getting an overwhelming success. Also recorded a CD with musical themes. Also participating: Diego Schoening, Mariana Garza, Eduardo Capetillo, Alix Bauer Paulina Rubio, Alejandro Ibarra, Erik Rubin, Stephanie Salas, Thalía, Edith, Lolita Cortés, among others.

In 1994, the musical was revived at the Hidalgo Theater in Mexico City, by producers Alejandro Ibarra and Julissa. The cast included Alejandro Ibarra, Juan Carlos Casasola, and Arturo G. Alvarez, among others.^[21][22]

A Spanish revival ran successfully at Teatre Victòria, Barcelona from October 3, 2006 to January 6, 2008. After a short national tour, the production was transferred to Teatro Nuevo Alcalá, Madrid, 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 the Spain's longest running production in history with 1090 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 and Gisela), Elena Gadel as Betty Rizzo, Daniel Millet as Kenickie (later replaced by Marc Parejo), Marisa Gerardi as Miss Lynch and Xavier Mateu as Vince Fontaine/Teen Angel (later replaced by Victor Díaz).

The New Zealand Production, based on the London West End Revival, ran at the Civic Theatre in Auckland during August 2010. The production featured the South African cast, with Jonathan Roxmouth as Danny, Bethany Dickson as Sandy and Genna Galloway as Rizzo.^[23][24]

A second Spanish revival directed and choreographed by Coco Comín ran at Cúpula Las Arenas, Barcelona from November 15, 2011 to January 22, 2012 and then was transferred to Teatro Coliseum, Madrid from March 6, 2012 to May 6, 2012, before starting a national tour. The original cast included Jordi Coll as Danny Zuko, Edurne reprising the role of Sandy, Manuela Nieto as Rizzo, Iván Santos as Kenickie, Patrizia Barbieri as Miss Lynch and Carles Torregosa as Vince Fontaine/Teen Angel (later replaced by José Antonio Moreno). During the Madrid run, the singer Julio Iglesias, Jr. guest starred as Teen Angel in some performances.

Synopsis[link]

Act I[link]

In 1959, Rydell High School's rebellious, happy, thrill-loving students start a new year. The "greasers" are the Burger Palace Boys (in the revival, the T-Birds) and the Pink Ladies ("Alma Mater Parody") are their auxiliary. In the revival, the play begins with the T-Birds and the Pink Ladies singing, "Grease (Is the Word)". The start of the new school year means lousy food ("You want my coleslaw?") and dreaded teachers ("I got Old Lady Lynch for English again. She hates my guts."). The Pink Ladies sit on one side of the lunchroom, and the Burger Palace Boys sit on the other.

There is a new girl at school, Sandy Dumbrowski. She and the leader of the T-Birds, Danny Zuko, had a brief love affair the summer before, but the summer ended for them with unresolved feelings of love. In describing the fling to the Pink Ladies (Jan, Marty, Frenchy, and Betty Rizzo), Sandy focuses on the emotional attachment that she and Danny had, while Danny lies to the Boys (Roger, Doody, Sonny, and Kenickie) about the physical aspects of their relationship ("Summer Nights"). Sandy and Danny soon bump into each other at school, and while Sandy is happy to see Danny, he brushes her off, pretending to be too cool. Meanwhile, the teenagers gather in the hall as Doody, the youngest Burger Palace Boy, shows off his new guitar. The rock star wannabe gives an impromptu concert in the hall ("Those Magic Changes").

At Marty's pajama party, the girls experiment with wine, cigarettes, and pierced ears, and talk about boys. Marty tells about her long-distance courtship with a Marine ("Freddy, My Love"). Meanwhile, the Burger Palace Boys are busy stealing hubcaps and teasing Kenickie about his new (used) car ("Greased Lightning").

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". Head cheerleader Patty Simcox interrupts to prompt Sandy to join the squad and to tease Danny about his latest indiscretions ("Rydell Fight Song"). The kids take their newfangled portable radios for a rock and roll picnic in the park and plan how they will pair off at the upcoming school prom, while Roger shares his love for Jan and his favorite hobby ("Mooning"). Rizzo teases Danny for falling for a girl who resembles the excessively proper teenage ingénue, Sandra Dee ("Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee"). Sandy realizes that Danny is putting her off to be cool and wishes she had never met him.

Then Danny suggests that Marty go out with Eugene, and she chases after him. The kids declare that they will "always be together" and they will always be friends ("We Go Together").

Act II[link]

At the High School Hop, everyone is dancing, except Sandy ("Shakin' At the High School Hop"). She is home feeling sorry for herself ("It's Raining on Prom Night"). Meanwhile the favorite radio disc jockey of the Burger Palace Boys and the Pink Ladies, Vince Fontaine, is the MC at the dance, which takes place in the gymnasium. He is warming the kids up for the hand-jive dance contest. Kenickie dumps his blind date, Cha-Cha DiGregorio, and pairs off with Rizzo. Danny originally entered the contest with Rizzo, but she instead chooses to dance with Kenickie. Meanwhile, Kenickie pairs Danny up with Cha-Cha despite Danny's protest. He and Cha-Cha then proceed to win the dance contest ("Born to Hand Jive"). In the revival, Sandy hears the news that Danny and Cha-Cha got up close and won. She feels betrayed but she cannot stop thinking about Danny ("Hopelessly Devoted to You").

A few days later at the Burger Palace after school, a couple of the guys run into Frenchy, who flunked out of Rydell and has now dropped out of beauty school since she failed all of her classes ("Beauty School Dropout"). Danny, who has taken up track in order to win back Sandy's affections, does not know that Cha-Cha's boyfriend's gang has challenged the guys to a rumble. He is more concerned about patching things up with Sandy at the Twi-Light Drive In, but he moves too fast for her, and she leaves ("Alone at a Drive-In Movie", with "Sandy" substituted in the revival). A couple days later, the "greasers" are having a party in Jan's basement, as Doody and Roger sing ("Rock 'n' Roll Party Queen"). Rizzo is worried that she is pregnant, but she is so mad at Kenickie that she tells him he is not the father. Rizzo rejects the kids' offers of help, especially Sandy's ("There Are Worse Things I Could Do"). Sandy wonders what she needs to do to fit in at Rydell ("Look at Me; I'm Sandra Dee [Reprise]").

The next time Sandy meets up with the Burger Palace Boys and the Pink Ladies, she has transformed herself into a greaser's dream date ("All Choked Up", with "You're the One That I Want" substituted in the revival). Rizzo reveals that she is not pregnant, and she and Kenickie reunite. All ends happily ("We Go Together [Reprise]").

Revival changes[link]

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 Sandy, Australian singer Olivia Newton-John), the subsequent revivals adopted several of the changes made in the film, particularly the replacement of several songs, 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[link]

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 and uses of cigarettes and alcohol, as well as any swearing or bad language. Practically all of the songs have undergone changes as well; the numbers are all shortened tremendously 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 cut as well. (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 following songs of the School Version have undergone lyric changes:

• "Alma Mater Parody"
• "Summer Nights"
• "Freddy, My Love"
• "Greased Lightning"
• "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee"
• "Beauty School Dropout"

The remainder of the songs have been edited severely for time, deleting several verses from the original songs.

Roles and notable stage cast[link]

The professional, notable stage performers include:

• Danny Zuko – The protagonist. Handsome, cocky leader of the Burger Palace Boys (later, the T-Birds). Originally portrayed by Barry Bostwick in the original Broadway production. Falls in love with Sandy Dumbrowski over the holidays. Notable Dannys have included John Travolta (film version), Treat Williams, Patrick Swayze, David Hasselhoff, Toma Ikuta, Paul Nicholas, Adrian Zmed, Craig McLachlan, Shane Richie, Rex Smith, Jonathan Wilkes, Ricky Paull Goldin, Ian Kelsey, Greg Evigan, Jarrod Carland, Peter Gallagher, Jeff Conaway, Jon Secada, Max Crumm, Richard Gere, Park Jung Min, Ray Quinn,, Steven Houghton, Noel Sullivan, Eric Martsolf, Ace Young, Richard Scott, Matt Nolan, Kim San-ho, Nathan DeVera, Justen Montgomery, Brett Cuddy, and most recently Noel Sullivan.
• Kenickie Murdock – The tough and rude second-in-command. Love interest for Rizzo. Notable Kenickies have included Jeff Conaway (film version), Shane Ritchie, Max Crumm, Ace Young & Ben Richards.
• Sandy Dumbrowski – New in town, a wholesome, pure, kind, clumsy, and innocent girl. Created for the original Broadway production by Carole Demas. Sandy originally planned on going to a Catholic school but changed plans and went to Rydell High. She is a goody-goody who does not drink, smoke, swear, or rat her hair, and the Pink Ladies tease her about her attitude. Falls in love with Danny Zuko over the holidays. Notable Sandys have included Olivia Newton-John (film version, for which the being Catholic aspect was changed to being Australian to suit Newton-John's nationality), Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Andrea McArdle, Lea Salonga, Christiane Noll, Lindsay Hartley, Elaine Paige, Sutton Foster, Aubrey O'Day, Laura Osnes, Ashley Spencer, Susan McFadden, Lisa Kelly, Debbie Gibson, Sonia, Samantha Janus, Siobhan Dillon, Elizabeth Ellaby, Leann Meyer, and most recently Lauren Samuels.
• Betty Rizzo – Tough and sarcastic leader of the Pink Ladies; does not like to hang out with Sandy because she is not tough enough. Smokes, drinks, and does not care what others think of her. Rizzo is also a girl with a "reputation". She feels Sandy is too virginal and pure to be a Pink Lady. Love interest for Kenickie. Notable Rizzos have included Stockard Channing (film version), Adrienne Barbeau (original Broadway production), Lucy Lawless, Rosie O'Donnell, Debbie Gibson, Danica McKellar, Linda Blair, Debby Boone, Sheena Easton, Jasmine Guy, Joely Fisher, Maureen McCormick, Mackenzie Phillips, Jody Watley, Brooke Shields, Jenny Powers, Sally Ann Triplett, Dannii Minogue, Allie Schulz, Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni, Angelina Torre, Victoria Hamilton-Barritt and Lauren Padula.

The Pink Ladies

• Frenchy – Fun-loving and foolish but very friendly member of the Pink Ladies; dropped out of high school to enter Beauty School; a little light-headed and in her own world and somewhat dumb. Cares a lot about her appearance. Notable Frenchys have included Didi Conn (film version), Tracey Ullman, Madison Marmion, and most recently Faye Brooks.
• Marty Maraschino – Called the "beauty" in most production scripts. Most attractive member of the Pink Ladies; tries to act sophisticated. She likes older guys. Notable Martys have included Dinah Manoff (film version), Marilu Henner, Dianna Agron, Lisa Maxwell, Megan Mullally, Kristy Cates, Liny Marmion, Sherie Rene Scott
• Jan – Funny, loud, overweight, and awkward member of the Pink Ladies. Notable Jans have included Mimi Kennedy and Marissa Jaret Winokur.

The Burger Palace Boys (T-Birds)

• Doody – The youngest member; generally foolish, and gullible. Notable Doodys have included John Travolta, Martin Ericsson, Ray Quinn, Sander Jan Klerk, Sam Harris, and Max Crumm.
• Dominic "Sonny" LaTierri – An obnoxious yet tricky member of the Burger Palace Boys; funny Italian-American; "Wise Guy". Notable Sonnys have included Seán Hogan, and Eliot Bacon.
• Roger (name was changed to Putzie for the movie) – A jolly prankster; loves "putting people on"; loves Jan. Notable Rogers have included Ethan McCarter, Walter Bobbie (1972), Hunter Foster (1994 revival), Max Savage, and Adam Tardiff.

Other cast members:

• Patty Simcox – A pretty, peppy, cheerleader, and perky. She's a bit of a pain and unpopular with the Pink Ladies; nominated for Student council. Notable Pattys have included Ilene Kristen, Dominique Dawes, Tamsin Outhwaite, Siobhan Dillon, and Christie Whelan.
• Miss Lynch (name was changed to Principal McGee for the film) – A loud, no-nonsense, serious, English teacher. Notable Lynches have included Sally Struthers.
• Eugene Florczyk – A silly, pompous but gullible nerd. Played by Eddie Deezen (film version), Ian Tardiff.
• Vince Fontaine – An egotistical, slimy radio disk jockey trying to relive his teenage years. Notable Vinces have included Edd Byrnes (film version) Micky Dolenz, Joe Piscopo, Jeff Conaway, Richard Wilkins, Peter Scolari.
• Charlene "Cha-Cha" DiGregorio - Apparently the best dancer at St. Bernadette's; wins the dancing competition with Danny. (In the film, it is implied that there is history between her and Danny.) Played by Annette Charles (film version), and Julie Henderson (Original London production).
• Johnny Casino – All-American, rock-star student at Rydell High, whose real name is Clarence. Notable Johnnys have included Alan Paul, Richard Short, Rivers Cuomo, Micky Dolenz, Glenn Carter, Steph Sutor.
• Teen Angel – A cameo role which includes the ironic comedy song, "Beauty School Dropout". Usual portrayed as a teen idol, often featuring a guest star, sometimes female, notable Teen Angels have included Frankie Avalon (film version), Alan Paul, Donny Most, Davy Jones, Eddie Mekka, Chubby Checker, John Farnham, Mary Bond Davis, Billy Porter, Jennifer Holliday, Al Jarreau, Darlene Love, Taylor Hicks, and Jimmy Osmond, Ezra Stoller. The role has been toured in the UK by former Olympic skater Robin Cousins, as well as Rhydian and Mary Byrne
• Sheila, Hero, and Scientist - Characters in the movie playing at the Drive-in.

Notable cast and characters[link]

Musical numbers[link]

Original 1972 production[link]

* The 1972 version is the standard version licensed to professionals and amateurs through Samuel French, Inc.

Grease: School Version[link]

* Some aspects are not present in this edition of the play at all, including Rizzo's pregnancy and her song "There Are Worse Things I Could Do". Many of the musical numbers have undergone lyric changes, and have been arranged to make the songs much shorter.

1994 revival[link]

2007 revival[link]

* 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, "Hopelessly Devoted to You" and "You're the One That I Want" are written by John Farrar, and "Sandy" is by Louis St. Louis and Scott Simon.^[25]

Orchestration

The original score calls for a piano, two tenor saxophones, bass guitar, percussion, and two guitars. The 2007 revival includes two pianos, two reeds, trombone, trumpet, guitar, bass guitar, and percussion.

Awards and nominations[link]

Original Broadway production[link]

1994 Broadway revival[link]

2007 Broadway revival[link]

See also[link]

• Grease: You're the One that I Want!
• Grease: the School Musical

Footnotes[link]

References[link]

• Synopsis and other information
• Newsday (Jan. 7, 2007): "Hopelessly Devoted to Grease", by Linda Winer
• Understudy (magazine of the Fulton Theatre, Lancaster, PA, Volume 1, September 2006)

External links[link]

• Grease at the Internet Broadway Database
• Official website for 2007 Broadway revival
• Official website for West End production
• Official website for Spanish production
• New York Times review, August 20, 2007
• Grease on Floormic.com
• Longest-running plays on Broadway, Off-Broadway, London, Toronto, Melbourne, Paris, Vienna, and Berlin

Grease may refer to:

• Grease (lubricant), a type of industrial lubricant
• Yellow grease, in rendering, used frying oils, or lower-quality grades of tallow
• Brown grease is waste vegetable oil, animal fat, grease, etc. that is recovered from a grease trap
• Any petroleum product or fat (including those used in cooking) that is a soft solid at room temperature
• Hydrogenated vegetable oil (vegetable shortening) used as a replacement for lard and other rendered animal fats

In science[link]

• Grease moth (Aglossa cuprina), a fat-feeding moth

As slang[link]

• Pomade, hair styling wax
• A slang term for murder, as in "The mob has been known to grease anyone who gets in its way"
• A euphemism, meaning, to bribe, as in "to grease someone's palm"

In entertainment[link]

• Grease (musical), a 1971 musical play
  • Grease (film), 1978 film made from the musical
    • Grease 2, the 1982 film sequel
    • Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture, the soundtrack album to the 1978 film
    • "Grease" (song), the title song of the 1978 film
  • Grease: You're the One that I Want!, a U.S. 2007 reality TV show casting the lead roles in revivals of the musical
  • Grease is the Word, a U.K. 2007 reality TV show casting the lead roles in revivals of the musical
  • Grease: The New Broadway Cast Recording (2007 album), the new Broadway cast recording of the musical featuring Max Crumm and Laura Osnes
  • Grease (video game), a video game based on the film

See also[link]

• Greaser (disambiguation)
• Greece

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Eva Longoria
Longoria in 2011
Born	Eva Jacqueline Longoria (1975-03-15) March 15, 1975 (age 37) Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S.
Other names	Eva Longoria Christopher Eva Longoria Parker
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2000–present
Salary	$13 million (2010–11)[1]
Spouse	Tyler Christopher (2002–2004) Tony Parker (2007–2011)

Eva Jacqueline Longoria^[2] (born March 15, 1975)^[3] is an American actress, best known for portraying Gabrielle Solis on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives. Longoria received a nomination for the 2006 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance on Desperate Housewives.

Longoria first rose to fame on television for portraying Isabella Braña on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless from 2001 to 2003. She became nationally recognized in the 2000s after appearing in several high-profile advertising campaigns and numerous men's magazines, reaching #14 in the FHM "Sexiest Women 2008" poll, and having appeared on the cover of various international women's magazines including Vogue, Marie Claire and Harper's Bazaar.^[4] Longoria has also starred in films such as Harsh Times (2005), The Sentinel (2006) and Over Her Dead Body (2008).

Early life[link]

Eva Jacqueline Longoria was born in Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Texas, the youngest of four daughters born to Mexican-Americans Enrique Longoria, Jr. and Ella Eva Mireles.^[2][5][6] She was raised Roman Catholic.^[7] The Longoria family originated in Spain and has resided in Texas since before the creation of the United States, predating the English-speaking settlers.

She received her Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology at nearby Texas A&M University-Kingsville.^[8] During this time, she won the title of Miss Corpus Christi, USA in 1998. After completing college, Longoria entered a talent contest that led her to Los Angeles, California; shortly after, she was spotted and signed by a theatrical agent.^[9]

Career[link]

Longoria landed her first television role in 1999 after meeting Executive Producer Gary Ghiaey at a political reception in Los Angeles. Ghiaey hired her to host the weekend destination segment of his television show "L.A. In A Day".^{[citation needed]} Longoria went on to guest star in an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210.^[10] Another guest appearance in General Hospital the same year brought her big break on the popular American soap opera The Young and the Restless, in which she played psychotic Isabella Braña Williams from 2001 to 2003.^[11]

In 2006 at the Cannes Film Festival premiere of Pan's Labyrinth.

After leaving The Young and the Restless, she was seen on the now-cancelled Dick Wolf revival of Dragnet. Following Dragnet, she starred in two ill-fated productions - Señorita Justice, a poorly received direct-to-video film, and a television film titled The Dead Will Tell.^{[citation needed]}

In 2004, Longoria landed the role as adulteress Gabrielle Solis in the worldwide break-out ABC hit Desperate Housewives. She has never considered her career to have jumped off so suddenly: "I think it's funny when people say I’m an overnight sensation, because I’ve been working at it for 10 years."^[12]

Shortly after her debut on Desperate Housewives, Longoria starred in a poorly received direct-to-video film titled Carlita's Secret, for which she was also co-producer.^{[citation needed]} In 2006, she was rewarded for her performance as Gabrielle Solis in Desperate Housewives when she was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy along with her co-stars.^{[citation needed]} She was awarded the ALMA Award and named entertainer of the year that year. She also starred opposite Michael Douglas and Kiefer Sutherland in the 2006 thriller The Sentinel, which was her first major role in a theatrical movie. In 2006, she played the character Sylvia in Harsh Times starring Freddy Rodriguez and Christian Bale.

She has expressed "confusion" over fellow Housewives actress Nicolette Sheridan's lawsuit against the Desperate Housewives series creator Marc Cherry.^[13]

People en Español listed her among its "Most Beautiful People" for 2003.^{[citation needed]} Longoria continues to be included in lists of Hollywood's Most Beautiful and was listed #1 in Maxim's Hottest Female Stars of 2005 and 2006, becoming the first woman to top the list in two consecutive years.^[14] She was ranked #9 in the magazine's Hot 100 of 2007 list.^[15] In honor of Maxim's 100th issue in 2006, Longoria was featured on a 75-by-110-foot (23 by 34 m) vinyl mesh replica of its January 2005 cover located in a Clark County, Nevada desert.^[16]

In January 2007, Longoria was chosen to be the first face of Bebe Sport.^[17] She appeared in the Spring/Summer 2007 campaign, photographed by Greg Kadel.^[18] The actress also holds model contracts with L'Oréal and Hanes, New York & Co.^[19] Longoria also has a contract with Magnum Ice-Cream,^[20] and Heineken.^[21][22] She is a part of Microsoft's "I'm A PC" ad campaign,^[23] and she and Tony Parker have appeared together in campaigns for London Fog.^[24]

Eva Longoria became a spokesperson for L'Oréal Paris in 2005 and has continued to feature in L'Oréal TV commercials and print ads until the year 2010.^[25] Eva Longoria stated that she found a "generous spirit" ^[26] at L'Oréal. She continues to say "L'Oréal Paris wants beauty to be free, without borders or prejudices….Working together was just meant to be." ^[26] In the summer of 2010 Longoria served as a judge on The Next Food Network Star.^[27] In October, Longoria hosted the MTV Europe Music Awards 2010 in Madrid, Spain.^[28][29] Based on her earnings within June 1, 2009 to June 1, 2010 Longoria was ranked No. 4 on Forbes Prime Time's 10 Top-Earning Women with an estimated $12 million.^[30] More recently, she was ranked #14 of People's Most Beautiful 2011.^[31]People named her one of 2012 Most Beautiful at Every Age.^[32]

After Desperate Housewives Longoria's first project is an independent drama titled Long Time Gone, in which she will play a mistress. Sarah Siegel-Magness, who produced the award-winning 2009 film Precious, will direct the film. Then, In Who Gets the Dog Longoria will play a woman named Olive who is at war with her ex over who keeps their beloved poodle. Besides starring in the film, she has also signed on as a producer for the comedy. Longoria will also star alongside Brendan Fraser as his wife in Four Kings, a historical drama set during the French and Indian War, which took place from 1754–1763. The drama, directed by Damian Lee, is about a wealthy British man who hopes to create a utopian society with his wife by backing the war between Great Britain and France. And then there is an animated series by Hulu, titled Child Support, in which Longoria will lend her voice to the lead role. Longoria's character is Marley Wiener—an irresponsible suburban mother who basically improvises her way through parenting.^[33] Eva Longoria topped the Forbes magazine's list of the highest-paid TV actresses for 2011.^[34]

Business activities[link]

Longoria at a book signing for her book Eva's Kitchen in April 2011

Eva Longoria opened the restaurant Beso (in Spanish: "Kiss") in Hollywood, along with partner and celebrity chef Todd English, in March 2008. The restaurant is located on Hollywood Boulevard and is accompanied by Kiss, a Victorian-themed nightclub above the restaurant.^[35] The Hollywood Beso was scheduled to be the focus of a pilot episode for a tentative reality series called Beso: Waiting on Fame which would air on VH1 in late 2010.^[36]

In 2009, Longoria and various investor-partners opened a Beso restaurant, with a nightclub called Eve above it, in the Crystals retail and entertainment district of CityCenter in Las Vegas.^[35]

In 2011, the corporation Beso LLC, owner of the Vegas restaurant-and-nightclub venture, with listed assets of about $2.5 million and Eva Longoria as a 32 percent shareholder, filed for Chapter 11 protection, entering bankruptcy proceedings, in order to restructure nearly $5.7 million in debt and other liabilities.^[37] Longoria stated, on the occasion, that she's looking "forward to a more pro-active, hands-on approach in the coming years" with her Las Vegas business interests.^[38] On 28 July 2011, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for Nevada, following a request filed by Beso investor Mali Nachum and her husband Ronen, who have been litigating against Longoria and other Beso investors in multiple courts, ordered Eva Longoria to appear in Las Vegas on the 20th of August in order to be examined about the bankrupt restaurant's finances.^[39]

Longoria released the fragrance "EVA by Eva Longoria", a "clean citrus-floral eau de parfum", in April 2010. She stated she wanted a fragrance she could wear: "I am allergic to most fragrances. There was nothing I could wear without my eyes watering, my nose starting to itch or sneezing." ^[40] In the spring of 2011 she launched her signature fragrance, Eva by Eva Longoria, in major department stores.^[27]

Her first book, Eva's Kitchen: Cooking with Love for Family and Friends hit bookstores on April 12, 2011.^[27]

Personal life[link]

Relationships[link]

Longoria was married to General Hospital star Tyler Christopher from 2002 to 2004.^[41]

Longoria met Spurs point guard Tony Parker in November 2004, and on November 30, 2006, the couple became engaged.^[42] They were married in a civil service on Friday, July 6, 2007, at a Paris city hall. It was followed by a full Roman Catholic wedding ceremony at the Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois Church in Paris on Saturday, July 7, 2007.^[43]

Longoria with then-husband Tony Parker at the 2008 Emmy Awards.

On November 17, 2010, Longoria filed for divorce from Parker in Los Angeles, citing "irreconcilable differences".^[44] In the divorce petition, Longoria, who had taken Parker's last name, requested her maiden name be restored. She also sought spousal support from Parker.^[45] The couple had a prenuptial agreement that was signed in June 2007, the month before their wedding, and amended two years later in June 2009.^[46]

The same day as the divorce filing, Longoria confirmed to her friend Mario Lopez that she had discovered hundreds of text messages from another woman on her husband's phone.^[47] Extra identified the other woman as Erin Barry, the former wife of Brent Barry, Parker's former teammate, and revealed that the Barrys were also in the process of divorcing.^[48] Lopez further stated that Longoria believed Parker had cheated on her earlier in the marriage with another woman, with whom he had kept in touch via Facebook.^[49] In light of the divorce, Longoria cancelled her scheduled appearance at the 2010 American Music Awards.^[47] On November 19, 2010, Parker filed for divorce from Longoria in Bexar County, Texas^[50] on the grounds of "discord or conflict of personalities", thus establishing a legal battle over where the divorce case would be heard. Unlike Longoria's divorce petition, Parker's did not mention a prenuptial agreement and claimed that the parties would "enter into an agreement for the division of their estate".^[51] The divorce was finalized in Texas on January 28, 2011, the same day Longoria's lawyer filed papers to dismiss her Los Angeles petition.^[52]

Longoria dated Eduardo Cruz, the younger brother of Penelope Cruz, from February 2011 to March 2012.^[53]

Ancestry[link]

According to research done by Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., of Harvard University, in 2010 for the PBS series Faces of America, Longoria's Spanish ancestry can be traced back to her ninth great-grandfather, Lorenzo Suarez de Longoria (b. Oviedo, 1592), who in 1603 emigrated to the Viceroyalty of New Spain, which became modern-day Mexico, and whose family originated from a small village called Llongoria, Belmonte de Miranda, Asturias, Spain. Longoria is the Spanish spelling of the surname. Through the generations, Longoria's ancestors moved north to the modern US-Mexico border. In 1767, her 7th great-grandfather received almost 4,000 acres (16 km²) of land along the Rio Grande in a land grant from the King of Spain. This land stayed in the family for over a century, enduring through the influx of Anglo settlers in the aftermath of the Mexican-American War and American Civil War.^[54]

Her DNA test results were: 70% European, 27% Asian/Indigenous, and 3% African.^[55] Specifically, her indigenous American ancestry is Mayan.^[56] After a computer compared the DNA results of Gates's dozen guests, test showed that is possible she is genetically related to cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who is of Chinese heritage, though this was never proved.^[55]

Philanthropy[link]

In 2006, Longoria founded Eva's Heroes, a charity which helps developmentally disabled children.^[57] She is the national spokesperson for PADRES Contra El Cancer.^[58] She signed shoes for the Spirit of Women Red Shoe Celebrity Auction.^[59] Longoria also supports the Clothes Off Our Back Foundation, OmniPeace, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the National Stroke Association, Project HOME and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.^[60] Longoria is an executive producer of Shine Global Inc.'s documentary The Harvest (documentary) which is focused on the 500,000 child migrant farm workers in the U.S.^[61] and promote awareness and support to enact the Children's Act for Responsible Employment (CARE Act).^[62][63]

Longoria was named Philanthropist of the year by the Hollywood Reporter for 'her commitment to Latino causes and giving back to the community.^[64] She appeared on Fort Boyard in 2009, making over €20,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.^[65]

In 2009, Longoria enrolled in a Master's program in Chicano Studies and Political Science at Cal State University, Northridge. According to Eva, "because of my involvement with the NCLR and my charity work, I really wanted a better, more authentic understanding of what my community has gone through so I can help create change."^[66]

In September 2009, Longoria was appointed to a bi-partisan commission issued with the task of determining the feasibility of the creation of a National Museum of the American Latino.^[67]

Politics[link]

In 2009, Longoria enrolled in the Chicano Studies master's program at California State University, Northridge.^[68] She has called Arizona's SB 1070 immigration law unconstitutional.^[69] In 2012, she was one of seven Californians named to the "largely ceremonial" post of co-chair of Barack Obama's re-election campaign.^[70]

Filmography[link]

Longoria at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]