Grease (musical)

Grease is a popular musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. A film version was made in 1978 starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.

Related Topics:
Musical - Film version - 1978 - John Travolta - Olivia Newton-John

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The musical is based around some of the subcultures of 1950s high school America, including the "tough guy" working-class greasers from which the musical takes its name. In the film, Travolta played Danny Zuko, who

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Subculture - America - Danny Zuko

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is trying to win the affections of Australian exchange student Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) who was originally going back to Australia, but they had a last minute change.

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The movie version sugar-coates the class aspects of the original, while darkening various plot lines, including exploring further the issue of teen pregnancy. Subsequent stage productions have played down class aspects of the story even further and emphasised the nostalgia aspects, while retaining the alternate songs and plotlines created for the movie. A sequel, Grease 2 (1982), moved the timeline forward to the early 1960s, and reversed the gender plotline (a male newcomer from England (Maxwell Caulfield) trying to woo the leader of the Pink Ladies (a pre-stardom Michelle Pfeiffer)), using motorcycles instead of cars.

Related Topics:
Grease 2 - 1982 - Maxwell Caulfield - Michelle Pfeiffer

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In 2003, Grease was voted Best Musical of All-Time in a Channel 4 poll.

Related Topics:
2003 - Channel 4

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A more dramatic, harder-edged portrayal of some of the same subcultures (though slightly later) can be found in S.E. Hinton's novel The Outsiders.

Related Topics:
S.E. Hinton - The Outsiders

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