Why are they doing Grease AGAIN?

I totally agree with you. But, unfortunately, this is being done for a reality show, and I guess they wanted a show that most TV watchers would be familiar with. I'd rather see revivals of the shows you mentioned too, or maybe "Pippin".

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Because someone figures they'll make money with another revival of "Grease" and in this day and age of wanting endless retreads of the familiar, they are probably right.

I agree that something new and original would be a more exciting choice, but a financially risky one that few producers want to take. As "Grey Gardens" and "Spring Awakening" are proving, the buzz is great but the box office isn't through the roof.

As for a revival of "JCSuperstar" it was revived in 2000, more recent than the last revival of Grease. It flopped. Hmmmmm...

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They're doing it so that a TV Network can bastardize Broadway and make a lot of money along the way.

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At least they are reviving the 'Really Useful' production which we haven't seen for a good eight years. Bill Kenwrights threadbare production that has just left isn't in the same league.

But theya doin' GREASE at the local Community Centa! I can see it theya fuh 5 bucks!

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You guys are forgetting what this show is aimed at. Grease is EASILY the most recognizable musical in our repertoire - not because of the show, but because of the movie. Hell, they're calling it "You're the One That I Want" and that wasn't even IN the original production -- it came from the movie! This is aimed at all those teenaged girls (the same who keep American Idol afloat, even though eveyrone else has gotten hooked as well) who LOVE the movie but don't know anything else about theater necessarily - and will now go ask their parents to take them to the revival. It's the same idea as Spamalot - hoping to appeal to an audience who wouldn't NORMALLY go to the theater. They're clearly not doing this show for us (true believers) since there aren't nearly enough of us to make it profitable (and the blue-haired lady sect isn't going to be flocking either, most likely).

I'm not sure how I feel about it - on the one hand, it COULD bring more people to the theater, on the other, it feels like it cheapens the whole thing.

Still, I'll be watching...

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its also a popular show and movie...so tourists will recongnize it

No but their daddies will.

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i would like them make it more "pg 13" , unlike the movie. but the stage show is different

Basically, they wanted to capitalize on the success of HOW DO YOU SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE MARIA? in London (à la POP IDOL), and, like everyone else already mentioned, GREASE is a safe bet when it comes to musicals. Most people are already familiar with its music through repeated viewings of the movie. Also, I'm sure they wanted a popular show that included a song that could be used as the title of the program (i.e. "Any Dream Will Do").

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we are now been lumbered with a tv show looking for the cast of grease in the uk as well as one looking for joseph.

I hate reality shows and to start dumbing theatre down this way is an insult.

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Very funny, Rath.

songanddanceman - Dumbing down theatre? Are you serious? They aren't dumbing down theatre. And who said theatre is so intelligent, anyway? Hairspray, Rent, and even Company don't require you to have an I.Q. of 150 or to be a Rhodes Scholar to understand. in fact, IMO, out of the three acting mediums (Film, TV and theatre)I really think film has the most intellectual art. Think of movies like Requiem for a Dream, Memento, etc. These are smart movies and much more intellignet that anything I have seen in the theatre recently.

I really don't see what everyone's problem with "You're the One That I Want" is. Bottom line: IT'S PUBLICITY FOR BROADWAY. There are many people on this board who plan on making a life in live theatre. With the rising cost of how much it takes to produce and the fact that a lot of people don't want to shell out about $75 for a ticket, Live theatre is not exactly a high grossing industry.

But, what if live theatre became more popular? People would be more willing to pay the money for the experience of sitting in a Broadway theatre and watch the action of the play unfold right in front of their eyes. Our society, which has become so technology dependent, will once again know the magic of theatre. The everyman of America will feel what we "theatre geeks" feel when we sit in that seat, read the playbill, hear that first note of the orchestra, and be captivated until the bows at the end.

Are my hopes for this show WAY too high? Probably. But, why complain about publicity for Broadway, especially since that is our life?