Rob Marshall is 'One That I Want' Guest Judge, 3/11

Rob Marshall will be a guest judge on the March 11th edition of NBC's "Grease: You're the One That I Want."

Marshall is the brother of Kathleen Marshall, who will direct and choreograph the upcoming Grease revival (and who sits on the judges panel with Grease co-creator Jim Jacobs and producer David Ian).  The March 11th episode will feature duet performances by the remaining six finalists.  "You're the One That I Want" asks viewers to choose who will star as Sandy and Danny in the Grease revival.  The winner will be determined on the March 25th season finale.

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. 

Rob Marshall, whose latest big screen effort was Memoirs of a Geisha, received an Oscar nomination for directing the film version of Chicago, which won the 2003 Oscar for Best Picture.  He also choreographed the TV musical versions of "Annie" and "Cinderella," as well as "Mrs. Santa Claus."  Marshall earned a Tony nomination for co-directing the latest revival of Cabaret with Sam Mendes; he was also recognized with a nod for his choreography.  He has also received Tony nominations for choreographing Kiss of the Spider Woman, Damn Yankees, She Loves Me and Little Me.

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.

The new Broadway production will feature the smash Jacobs/Casey songs made famous by the the original play, including "Summer Nights," "Greased  Lightning" and "We Go Together."

"You're the One That We Want" is produced by BBC Worldwide Productions. The BBC's Paul Telegdy, Emmy nominated Conrad Green ("Dancing with the Stars") and David Ian are the Executive Producers.

Tickets for Grease are now on sale.  Group Sales are available now by calling Nederlander Group Sales at 212-840-3890.

Visit www.nbc.com/grease for more information.

Photo of Rob Marshall by Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.