Grease, Tell Me More, Tell Me More Stories from the Broadway Phenomenon That Started It All

by Moore, Tom; Barbeau, Adrienne; Waissman, Ken

• ISBN13: 9781641607582
• ISBN10: 1641607580
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2022-06-07
• Publisher: Chicago Review Press

Summary

“Grease, Tell Me More, Tell Me More is a fabulous rockin’ and rollin’ origin story with every juicy inspiration that went into creating it. . . . A must read for all Grease fans.” —Didi Conn, Grease’s “Frenchy”
 

What started as an amateur play with music in a converted trolly barn in Chicago hit Broadway fifty years ago—and maintains its cultural impact today. 

Grease opened downtown in the Eden Theatre February 14, 1972, short of money, short of audience, short of critical raves, and seemingly destined for a short run. But like the little engine that could, this musical of high school kids from the 1950s moved uptown. On December 8, 1979, it became the longest running show—play or musical—in Broadway history. 

Grease: Tell Me More, Tell Me More is a collection of memories and stories from over one hundred actors and musicians, including the creative team and crew who were part of the original Broadway production and in the many touring companies it spawned.

Here are stories—some touching, some hilariously funny—from names you may recognize: Barry Bostwick, John Travolta, Adrienne Barbeau, Treat Williams, Marilu Henner, Peter Gallagher, and others you may not: Danny Jacobson, creator of Mad About You; Tony-winning Broadway directors Walter Bobbie and Jerry Zaks; bestselling authors Laurie Graff and John Lansing; television stars Ilene Kristen, Ilene Graff, and Lisa Raggio, and many, many more. 

Read about the struggles, the battles, and the ultimate triumphs achieved in shaping the story, characters, and music into the iconic show now universally recognized the world over.
 

Author Biography

Tom Moore directed the original Broadway production, eight national tours, and two London productions of Grease in the West End. He also directed Broadway’s Pullitzer Prize–winning ’night Mother, the subsequent film, and other Broadway productions receiving two Tony nominations. Moore directed many years of film and television, earning three Emmy nominations along the way. His most recent project was the documentary on the Flying Trapeze, The Flight Fantastic. Adrienne Barbeau won a Tony nomination and Theatre World Award for her performance as Rizzo in the original Broadway production of Grease. She has appeared in over four hundred films and television shows, including the hit series Maude and HBO’s Carnivale. She is the author of the Los Angeles Times bestseller There Are Worse Things I Could Do as well as the Vampyres of Hollywood series. Ken Waissman discovered Grease at the Kingston Mines Theatre in Chicago where it was running on weekends in the summer of 1971. Ken and his then partner Maxine Fox produced the original Broadway production, plus eight national tours and two London productions in the West End. Ken is a Tony Award–winning producer whose iconic hits, in addition to Grease, include Agnes of God and Torch Song Trilogy. He is one of only two producers in the history of Broadway to have a musical run over 3,000 performances and a play run over 1,000 performances.

Table of Contents

Prologue 

1. Kingston Mines Theater
2. “Move It” 
3. Finding a Theater 
4. Burger Palace Boys and Pink Ladies 
5. “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goging On!” 
6. “Good Golly, Miss Molly!” 
7. “Slippin’ and Slidin’” 
8. “Oh, What a Night!” 
9. “Rock ’n’ Roll Is Here to Stay” 
10. All I Have to Do Is Dream”
11. “Oh, What a Dream” 
12. “Roll Over Beethoven” 
13. “Take Good Care of My Baby” 
14. “Let the Good Times Roll” 
15. “Got My Mojo Working” 
16. “We’re Gonna Rock Around the Clock Tonight” 
17. Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes” 
18. Meanwhile . . . Playing on Broadway, 1972–1973 
19. The National Tour Goes Home 
20. Broadway, 1973–1974 
21. “Reelin’ and a Rockin’” 
22. The First Bus & Truck Tour
23. “Movin’ ’n’ Groovin’” 
24. “The Leader of the Pack” 
25. Broadway, 1974–1975 
26. Coconut Grove 
27. The Summer Stock Tent Tours 
28. The Flight to Norf*ck 
29. Broadway, 1975–1976 
30. The Grease Tours Circling America 
31. Danny Takes Sandy to the Drive-In 
32. The New Grease Tours Circling America 
33. Broadway, 1976–1977 
34. Hanging Out with Liz and Dick 
35. “Come Go with Me” 
36. “Words of Love” 
37. The Great New York Blackout
38. Broadway, 1978–1979 
39. “School Day” 
40. Broadway, 1979–1980 
41. Grease Becomes Broadway’s Longest Running Show 
42. “The Party’s Over” 

Epilogue