The Creators

Jim Jacobs was born and raised in Chicago during the golden era of rock 'n' roll. He was a "greaser" at Taft High, where he played guitar and sang with such illustrious groups as DDT and the Dynamiters and Lefty and The El-Rays. His curiosity about music soon had him sneaking into the "hot spots" of Chicago's South Side. In 1963 Jim became involved with a local theatre group, where he first met Warren Casey. During the next five years he worked with Second City founder Paul Sills and appeared in over 50 theatrical productions around Chicago, while earning a living as an advertising copywriter during the day. Professionally, Jim has worked both as an actor and writer for the theatre, films, recordings and commercials. His title role in the Midwest premiere of JIMMY SHINE earned him a nomination as Chicago's Best Actor of the Year. He appeared in the Broadway and National Touring Company production of the 1970 Pulitzer Prize-winning NO PLACE TO BE SOMEBODY.

In 1972 GREASE opened in New York and was nominated for seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical for its creators. That same year, the recording industry acknowledged GREASE with a Grammy nomination for Best Score From an Original Cast Show Album; and in 1978 the record album of the movie version went multi-platinum with sales of over 8 million.

Today, twenty-six years after its New York premiere, GREASE continues to be the most popularly produced show in regional, summer stock and high school theatres in America. This phenomenon continues to amaze its sole living creator who, together with Warren Casey wrote the book, music and Iyrics for this affectionate look at the world of their high school days.

In addition to GREASE, Jim Jacobs has co-authored several other plays and musicals including ISLAND OF LOST CO-EDS (with Warren Casey), BATS IN THE BELFRY and REMEMBER THE NIGHT. He lives in California with his wife Denise and daughter Christine.

Warren Casey was born in Yonkers, New York, and became an Art major at Syracuse University. After teaching in upstate New York he moved to Chicago in 1962, where he held a variety of jobs, but soon gravitated towards acting and writing songs.

He performed with the Chicago Stage Guild, the Old Town Players and the Kingston Mines Theatre which was comprised of a loft above a Mexican restaurant, a Unitarian church basement and a trolley barn! The Kingston Mines, the first company to suspect anyone might listen to his songs without a can of beer in his hand, staged the original production of GREASE. With Jim Jacobs, he wrote ISLAND OF LOST CO-EDS, a musical satire of B-movies of the 1950s. He died in 1988.

The Producers.

What made the 50s such a special period and such an endearing time in so many people's lives? Was it the influence of the music, was it the security of the times in which people lived, or was it that the only important decision you had to make was whether you were a bodgie or a widgie? Whatever the answer to that question may be GREASE is a way for us to reflect on the enduring attraction of those happy-go-lucky years. In planning this arena production of GREASE, the three producers shared a vision to bring to life a production which reflected that wonderful era in history. They set out to ensure that tonight will be, above all, one of those great, fun-filled rock 'n' roll entertainment experiences.

GREASE - THE ARENA SPECTACULAR! came about after extensive discussions with Jim Jacobs and the Warren Casey Estate. It was decided that we could look no further than international director David Gilmore, the director of the current West End production of GREASE; Tony award-winning set designer Brian Thomson, choreographer Ross Coleman, costume designer Angus Strathie, lighting designer Trudy Dalgleish and Peter Casey for musical supervision and orchestrations - a creative team that is truly world class ! Add to that one of the finest line-ups of musical and theatrical talent ever assembled in this country, and you will be left in no doubt of Australia's ability to produce some of the finest performers in the world. The incredible response to this arena production is testament to both the extraordinary appeal of GREASE and the ail-star cast and company's phenomenal talent.

The Stars

Dannii Minogue (Rizzo)

Dannii began her television career at the age of seven in the Australian television drama series SKYWAYS and THE SULLIVANS. She was a professional by the time she was ten, performing in the Network Ten prime-time variety show YOUNG TALENT TIME. As a teenager, she starred in ALL THE WAY and later the internationally successful soap HOME AND AWAY, followed by the feature film SECRETS.

It was HOME AND AWAY that first brought her to the attention of European audiences, and won her awards as Best Personality on Australian TV and Best New Star of 1989 as voted by readers of Australian TV Hits Magazine.

At the age of 17 Dannii released her first range of clothing in Australia. Simply called "Dannii", the collection was an immediate success, selling out in a record ten days. Now in 1998, Dannii's clothing ranges are just as popular and are continually best sellers with teenage girls in the UK.

After acting in television and feature films for so many years, Dannii discovered a passion for television presenting. Over the last few years she has fronted the BBC ELECTRIC CIRCUS and FAN T.C., as well as IT'S NOT JUST SATURDAY and SCOOP for the ITV network, and of course, Channel 4's BIG BREAKFAST, in addition to several world-wide television specials for Disney. She also frequently guest hosts MTV and TOP OF THE POPS.

After a three year absence from the music industry, Dannii has returned (not that she's ever been far away!) Her first single on Warner dance label Eternal Records, All I Wanna Do, has been certified gold in Australia and has been a top five hit in Britain.

Craig McLachlan (Danny Zuko)

One of Australia's most versatile and talented performers, Craig's fans will remember him best as the larrikin Henry Ramsay in the series NEIGHBOURS, for which he won the prestigious Gold Logie Award in 1989 for the Most Popular Australian Television Personality.

In 1989, Craig left NEIGHBOURS to star in another successful drama series HOME AND AWAY. As lead singer in the band CHECK 1-2, their debut album soared up the Australian and British charts that same year. The single, Mona, received the Australian Recording Industry Association's (ARIA) Award for the Highest Selling Single.

In 1991 Craig appeared in the mini-series HEROES II THE RETURN, which attracted huge audiences locally and internationally, and released his first solo single on My Own from his successful album Hands Free. The following year he played the lead role in the New Zealand feature film ABSENT WITHOUT LEAVE. A change of pace followed when he took on the challenging role of Frank N. Furter, the mad scientist in suspender belt and fish net stockings in the hugely popular NEW ROCKY HORROR SHOW.

In 1992 Craig met London GREASE producers Robert Stigwood, David Ian and Paul Nicholas and moved to London to play Danny Zuko. Craig won critical acclaim for his unique interpretation of the role and the production broke all box office records in the West End. In 1994, Craig finished GREASE and immediately started filming a British/German co-production of the feature CATHERINE THE GREAT, alongside Omar Sharif and Catherine Zeta Jones. That same year, he commenced filming a new BBC hi-tech action series BUGS. The programme was a big hit right across Europe and Craig remained with the show for three full series, leaving late last year.

He joins GREASE - THE ARENA SPECTACULAR! direct from shooting in Toronto, Canada for his latest television project, a big budget American prime-time television series for U.S. production giant Colombia Tri-Star. Craig's string of Australian Awards include:

1988 TV Week Silver Logie "Most Popular Actor"; 1989 TV Week Silver Logie "Most Popular Actor"; 1989 TV Week Gold Logie " Most Popular Australian TV Personality"; 1990 ARIA Award " Highest Selling Single - Mona "; 1990 TV Week Silver Logie " Most Popular Actor "; 1990 Variety Club "Vocalist of the Year" .

The History Of Grease

It was Chicago, circa April 1970, at a cast party for some long-forgotten show. Just for a laugh, I pulled some of my old 45 records from the 1950s out of a closet and gave them a spin. These songs sounded extremely dated compared to the current beat of psychedelic funk and acid rock, but it was a change and it made you want to dance - close.

After singing along to several of these worn-out, scratchy platters - by early rockers like Little Richard, Dion & the Belmonts and The Flamingos I suggested to Warren Casey what a funny idea it would be to see a Broadway musical that utilized this type of score. I said, "Think of your basic acapella/falsetto/doowop/hiccupping R&B sounds of the late 50s instead of the traditional "legit" show-tune melody." Warren raised the obvious question: "Yeah, but what would the show be about?"

Several hours later - with daylight approaching - I hit upon the idea that it should be about the kids I went to high school with during the golden age of rock 'n' roll: mainly the "greasers" and their cool, tough girlfriends.

Harking back to a lifestyle that centered on hairstyles (oily, gooey coifs), the daily food (cheap, fatty hamburgers and soggy fries), and cool custom cars (more gunk and sludge), to any and all things greasy - it was a way of life - I suggested we call it GREASE!

Originally Warren laughed and dismissed the whole idea as a wild pipe-dream, when the fickle finger of fate suddenly entered the picture, and a week later, Warren was fired from his day job as a branch manager of several corset shops. Now, with time on his hands, he sat down at a typewriter and began to write a rough sketch (the girls' pajama party scene) for what would ultimately become the longest running show in Broadway history.

Collaborating on the book, music and lyrics, we set about creating a story which poked good-natured fun at all those Hollywood J.D. (Jimmy Dean)/rock 'n' roll movies of the 1950s. Warren (a high school teacher during the 1950s) wrote songs that parodied the primitive sounds of the early rockers, while I (a greaser student back in the 1950s) composed tunes that I felt paid imitative homage to the originals.

(Little Known Fact: GREASE is probably the only hit Broadway musical ever composed entirely on guitar.)

On February 5th, 1971 in Chicago, GREASE! opened in a damp, drafty, former trolley barn called The Kingston Mines Theatre. A non-professional cast of 18 actors (in a $171 budget production!) played the first of its scheduled "four performances only" to a full house of 120 seats. Almost immediately the show was extended...then again, and again, and again.

A year later, on February 14th, 1972, GREASE! opened in New York. Within six months a national tour crossed the U.S. and Canada. A company opened in Australia. The first London production opened with a young, unknown Richard Gere as Danny Zuko. Soon the foreign productions, touring companies and stock and amateur groups began to span the globe.

The huge success of the motion picture in 1978 resulted in a whole new legion of GREASE! fanatics: young kids (the movie version of GREASE ! holds the record for " more concessions sold" than any other film in motion picture history.)

But enough about numbers and statistics. What GREASE! is really all about - more than anything else - is having fun. So, just sit back, kick off your blue suede shoes, and relax. Have a ball! GREASE! is, after all, a celebration. A party of the best kind. It was fun then, but it's just as much fun now! Dig?