Reality TV > NBC, 'Grease' Go Together
August 8, 2006
Via: Zap 2 It
NBC, already fulfilling the Vegas dreams of many a performer with "America's Got Talent," will try to pave a path to Broadway with a show scheduled for midseason.
Tell you more, tell you more? OK.
The show will be called "You're the One That We Want," and it will seek to find a Danny Zuko and Sandy Dumbrowski for a revival of "Grease" that opens next June, coinciding with the 35th anniversary of the show's Broadway debut. Beauty school dropouts may apply, but presumably a background in musical theater would be helpful too.
"The winning appeal of 'Grease' and its timeless score and storyline extends across all generations and will make for a fantastic series," says Craig Plestis, NBC's alternative-programming chief. "Americans have grown up with these catchy tunes and appealing characters, and we think they'll love the chance to select the next dynamic duo to play Sandy and Danny."
The show will put its contestants through a "Grease"-y televised audition, with viewers ultimately deciding who gets to play Sandy and Danny. The musical's co-creator, Jim Jacobs, revival director/choreographer Kathleen Marshall ("The Pajama Game," "Little Shop of Horrors") and producer David Ian will serve as judges.
"Grease" opened on Broadway in June 1972 after stints in Chicago and off-Broadway and ran for close to 3,400 performances, a record at the time. The 1978 movie version, starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, is the highest-grossing movie musical ever and also spawned a mega-selling soundtrack.
