Grease - 1996 National Tour- Page 2

[bowtie7]

Posted: 4/14/21 at 5:58pm

AaronBK said: "I was Marty in this tour?"

When this tour played the Fox Theatre St Louis from June 2-7, 1998 Marty was listed as being played by Aaron Bower. At this time the tour featured Erik Estrada and Charo (who was quite good and played the role entirely as written--I was kind of hoping might stop the show and play the guitar).

 

[tourboi]

Posted: 4/15/21 at 7:22pm

I saw the Troika tour in Keene NH in 97 I think? Then again in New Bedford MA. Great cast on that tour and I liked the staging as a whole... I didn't see merch either time or I would have absolutely picked up a souvenir book. 

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 4/15/21 at 10:31pm

"ok... so the tour i saw like 10 years ago had Charo as the principal chick and Erik Estrada as Vince Fontaine..."

This, Would, Be. HEAVEN.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 4/15/21 at 11:45pm

I can’t figure out which tour is being discussed. Seems like some are talking about one and others another.

[GisellePimpernel]

Posted: 4/16/21 at 8:53pm

I saw it Philadelphia in 1995 and Rex Smith played Danny, Sally Struthers was Ms Lynch, and Mickey Dolenz was Vince Fontaine. 

I found an entry for the tour on IBDB: https://www.ibdb.com/tour-production/grease-510589#OpeningNightCast This is the link to the opening cast for the tour, but there are also links for replacements and tour stops. I hope this helps. 

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 4/17/21 at 3:28am

"This tour played at City Center in New York City November 29 - December 1, 1996. The Broadway production of "Grease" was playing simultaneously at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre."

Wait a minute. The Weisslers literally had two simultaneous productions of the show running in New York for a few days?

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 4/17/21 at 10:06am

AEA AGMA SM said: "Wait a minute. The Weisslers literally had two simultaneous productions of the show running in New York for a few days?"

Fun bit of trivia, isn’t it?

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 4/17/21 at 12:25pm

And most of Broadway's producing crowd admired and hated the double-dipping in the same breath.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 4/17/21 at 12:34pm

I've always wondered how they advertised both productions. There had to be some issues. I don't know who was leading each production at the time, but I imagine there must have been at least a few ticket buyers who bought tickets to see a certain celebrity and accidentally purchased tickets for the wrong production. Or tourists who showed up to the wrong theatre.

[Babe_Williams]

Posted: 4/19/21 at 11:21am

I would have to double check my program, later, but i believe this is the one that i saw and Sutton Foster subbed in for Sandy at our performance (she was in the company). I don't remember much about it but do remember Sally Struthers.

[morosco]

Posted: 4/19/21 at 12:14pm

At the time I saw the tour in early 1997 it had Donny Most from Happy Days (billed as Don Most), Mackenzie Phillips, Adrian Zmed, and Sally Struthers.

I remember on all of the posters and advertisements made a big deal of referring to the show as "The Official Broadway Production".

[SmokeyLady]

Posted: 4/19/21 at 2:02pm

Forgive me if already discussed. But didn’t this tour play a stop on Broadway while the Broadway company was still running?

[SmokeyLady]

Posted: 4/19/21 at 2:09pm

SmokeyLady said: "Forgive me if already discussed. But didn’t this tour play a stop on Broadway while the Broadway company was still running?"

I feel like a fool.  This was just discussed.  Apologies.

[KMKJ]

Posted: 4/19/21 at 3:22pm

On the double dose of Grease! in New York 1996...

Barry Weissler: "''It's the same show, the same dance steps, the same vitality,'' he said. ''You tell me who's the bigger star, Tracy Nelson or Jasmine Guy?''

https://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/15/theater/on-stage-and-off.html

And re: the original post...

There were indeed two Grease! tours in the mid-90s with a slight overlap; one tour being the Weissler revival, "The Official Broadway Production," that closed in 1997, and the second being the Troika Organization non-Eq version (a different physical production, music arrangements, etc.)  

Updated On: 4/19/21 at 03:22 PM

[alovingfan]

Posted: 4/19/21 at 3:25pm

Did this happen with Chicago as well at some point?

[greensgreens]

Posted: 4/19/21 at 4:37pm

I believe the Japanese all-female production played a week in NYC while the current production was playing. Wish I had caught that.