On the March 25th live season finale of the NBC series "Grease: You're The One That I Want" the show came to its conclusion announcing the upcoming revival's new Broadway stars. Playing Danny will be Max Crumm and playing Sandy will be Laura Osnes. Additional casting is expected to be announced shortly.
LAURA OSNES (Sandy), age 20, has lived in Minnesota her whole life and was already playing Sandy in Minneapolis, when she auditioned for "GREASE: You're the One That I Want." All she has ever wanted is to be a Broadway star and is unbelievably grateful for this opportunity. Some of her theater credits include: Peter Pan in Peter Pan, Sound of Music, Annie. Her hobbies include photography, star-gazing and playing the piano. She is recently engaged and had to postpone her wedding because of the "GREASE: You're the One That I Want" schedule.
MAX CRUMM (Danny), age 21, is a free spirit who definitely marches to the beat of his own drum. Originally from Phoenix, both of his parents are former performers. His father at one time owned a theatre company and his mother is a jewelry maker. He moved to Los Angeles three years ago to pursue acting and has since realized that musical theatre is a perfect fit. Some of his theater credits include: the title role in The Grinch, Puck in A Midsummer Nights Dream, Lysistrata, Sound of Music, The Wizard of Oz, Into The Woods, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, Anything Goes, Hello Dolly, Titanic, Damn Yankees and two different productions of Grease, as Doody and Kenickie.
The show, which is co-hosted by Billy Bush and Denise Van Outen, premiered on NBC on 8 PM on January 7th. The new production of Grease will open on Broadway in June 2007 and will be directed and choreographed by two-time Tony Award-winner Kathleen Marshall (The Pajama Game). Paul Nicholas and David Ian Associates, Nederlander Presentations and Phoenix Productions will produce.
The new production of GREASE will feature scenic design by Tony Award nominee Derek McLane (The Pajama Game), costume design by two-time Tony Award winner Martin Pakledinaz (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Kiss Me Kate) and lighting design by Tony Award nominee Kenneth Posner (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Wicked).
Grease, by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, "is the all-American musical, based on the sub-cultures of high school life in the 1950's. The show takes place at the hyperactive Rydell High School, where Danny Zuko fronts his gang - the raucous T-Birds - who romance their sassy female equivalents - the Pink Ladies. When 'good-girl' Sandy Dumbrowski arrives in town, the Pink Ladies take her under their collective wing," as the show is described in press notes.
Grease originated in Chicago and made its premiere at The Kingston Mines Theater in 1971 before making its New York premiere off-Broadway at the Eden Theatre on February 14, 1972. After 128 performances and much popularity, the show made the transition to Broadway taking up residence at the Broadhurst Theatre on June 7, 1972. Grease was nominated for seven Tony Awards in its initial run.
On November 21, 1972, the show moved to the Royale Theatre. It closed on Broadway after playing 3,388 performances, closing as the longest running show in Broadway history. In 1978, Grease became a hugely popular feature film starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in the lead roles. A Broadway revival opened on May 11, 1994 at the Eugene O'Neil Theatre where it played 1,503 performances and won three Tony Award nominations. A London revival opened on July 15, 1993 at the Dominion Theatre and ran for 6 years on London's West End and is still touring today.
