The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks,
The Daily Egyptian is published Monday through Friday during the fall and
spring semesters and TWThF during the summer semester."
"Grease" is the time, place and motion at Shryock Auditorium beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday. Whether it has been in film or onstage, the long-running and hugely popular "Grease" has a long history of revisiting a time of hand jives, drive-ins and summer nights.
"Grease" began in 1971, when the comedy written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey debuted at the Kingston Mines Theatre in Chicago. The original was performed by amateur actors and had a five-hour running length.
Two New York producers requested that Jacobs and Casey cut the show and adapt it for their city's stage. On Feb. 14, 1972, an edited version opened off-Broadway at Eden Theatre, where the cast went on to perform 128 shows. Later that year, in June, "Grease" moved on to Broadway theaters, where it ran until April 13, 1980 - a record that remained unsurpassed until the premier of "A Chorus Line." The original Broadway cast included an understudy role filled by then unknown actor Richard Gere.
Other alumni of previous "Grease" productions include model-turned-actress Brooke Shields, '80s pop tart Deborah Gibson and once "Marcia Brady" Maureen McCormick.
The film version hit theatres in 1978, starring household names John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. It beat out "The Sound of Music" for the title of top moneymaking musical film. Variety reported the movie version has made more than $100 million in the United States and Canada.
Kristin Gregory, marketing and publicity assistant for Shryock Auditorium, said while most people are familiar with the movie version, the way to truly appreciate "Grease" is to see it live.
"The show is so high energy," Gregory said. "The way it captures the actions of that era is what it's all about."
Jacobs and Casey started a retro revolution with "Grease." After their comedy hit it big in theatres, 1950s-influenced media, such as the film "American Graffiti" and the TV series "Happy Days," also became popular.
Thursday's production marks the second time Shryock has morphed back to the decade this semester. In September, Broadway's longest running musical revue "Smokey Joe's Café" made a stop at the SIUC auditorium. The show featured many of the popular songs of the era composed by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, including "Hound Dog" and "Yakkaty Yak."
Gregory said the fascination with the '50s most likely stems from the "it feels good vibe" of entertainment that prevailed during the decade.
"The culture is still very prevalent," she said. "A lot of modern styles borrow from the 1950s. It is just a period of time that we keep updating time and time again.
"Even if you weren't alive during that period, you still want to go back there and reminisce."
Tickets are $32; $26 for senior citizens 60 and older and children 15 and younger. Contact Ticketmaster by phone at 866-646-8849 or online at ticketmaster.com. Walkup orders will be accepted at the SIU Ticket Office in the Arena weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Daily Egyptian 
