GREASE The Musical The Glory of Grease

By JIM JACOBS, Co-creator of GREASE

It was in Chicago, Illinois, circa March/April 1970. At a cast party for some long-forgotten show - just for a laugh - I pulled out some of my old 45 records from the 1950s. These songs sounded extremely dated compared to the very hip, psychedelic funk of 1970 but it was a change of pace amongst the repetitious favourite dance tunes of the day. It was after singing along to several of these old, scratchy 45s by the likes of Little Richard, Dion and the Belmonts, and The Flamingos, that I first suggested to Warren Casey what a funny idea I thought it would be to see a Broadway musical that utilised this type of score i.e. the basic a capella/falsetto/doo-wops/hic-cupping/ R&B music of the late 50s instead of the traditional, 'legit' show tune type melodies of the Great White Way. Warren raised the rather obvious question: "Yeah, but what would the show be about?"

A few beers later - with daylight rapidly approaching - I hit upon the idea that it should be about the kids I went to high school with, mainly the 'greasers' and their girlfriends, back in the golden days of rock 'n' roll.

Harking back to a lifestyle that seemed centred on hairstyles (oily, gooey, coiffs), the food (cheap, fatty, hamburgers and soggy fries) and cool custom cars (more gunk and sludge) or any and all things 'greasy' - I suggested we call it Grease.

Originally Warren laughed and dismissed the whole idea as a wild pipe dream, when the fickle finger of fate suddenly entered the picture. A week later, Warren was fired from his day job as branch manager of several retail shops. Now, with time on his hands, he sat down at a typewriter and began to write a rough sketch (the girls' pajama party scene) for what would ultimately become the longest-running show in Broadway history.

Collaborating on the book, music and lyrics, we set about creating a story which poked good-natured fun at all those Hollywood JD/Rock 'n' Roll movies of the 1950s. Warren (an ex-high school teacher in the 1950s) wrote songs that parodied the primitive sounds of the early rockers whilst I (an ex-greaser student in the 1950s) composed tunes that I felt paid imitative homage to the originals.

Little Known Fact: Grease is probably the only hit Broadway musical ever composed entirely on guitar.

On February 5th 1971 in Chicago, Grease opened in a damp, drafty, former trolley barn called the Kingston Mines Theatre. A non-professional cast of 18 actors (in a $171 budget production!) played the first of its scheduled 'four performances only' to a full house of 120 seats. Almost immediately the show was extended... then again, and again, and again. The rest, as they say, is history.

A year later, on February 14th 1972, Grease opened in New York. Within six months a national tour crossed the US and Canada. A company opened in Australia. The first London production opened at the New London Theatre with a young, unknown Richard Gere as Danny Zuko (the role eventually assumed by current co-producer Paul Nicholas). Soon the foreign productions, touring companies and stock and amateur groups seemed to span the globe.

The huge success of the motion picture in 1978 resulted in a whole new legion of Grease fanatics - young kids. (The movie version of Grease holds the record for 'more concessions sold' than any other film in motion picture history).

But enough about statistics and records. What Grease is really all about - more than anything else - is having fun. So, just sit back, kick off your blue suede shoes, and relax. Have a ball! Grease is, after all, a celebration.

A party of the best kind. It was fun then, but it's just as much fun now!

Dig? See ya' later, alligator!