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

by Tom Moore, Adrienne Barbeau, Ken Waissman

Overview

“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.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781641607582
Publisher:	Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
Publication date:	06/07/2022
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	260,602
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

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 

Editorial Reviews

“The most comprehensive origin story of a beloved Broadway blockbuster ever written!” —RuPaul

“A rare and exuberant exploration and reminiscence of a unique and memorable piece of theater history, all in the words of the people who made it happen.” —John Rubinstein

“Of the many shows in our company’s repertoire, few—if any—match the box office appeal of Grease. This incredible collection of stories not only sheds light on our audience’s affinity for the musical, but also serves as a touching testimony of how a collaborative community of artists can transform a few good ideas into theatre history.” —Scott Klier, producing artistic director, Broadway Sacramento

“I remember seeing Grease for the first time in previews at the Eden Theatre in 1972 and thinking, Someone set up a secret camera at my high school! The book is as much fun and authentic as the show and a delightful addition to the ‘room-where-it-happened’ musical theater archives.” —Stephen Schwartz, composer and lyricist, Wicked

“Grease, Tell Me More, Tell Me More takes you on a delightful journey through the birth of the globally beloved hit show. . . . The anecdotes jump off the page, transporting you to a nostalgic time and place in Broadway history.” —Beth Malone, Fun Home

“I loved Grease when I saw it at the Royale Theatre (I was twelve!) and I love this terrific book. If you’re a fan of musical theater lore, you’ll love getting the inside scoop—on how the show was created into the hit phenomenon we know today. In these vividly recalled stories, what remains paramount is the bond of love shared by everyone connected to this unique and beloved musical. Grease, Tell Me More, Tell Me More took fifty years to write—and it was so worth the wait!” —Danny Burstein, Moulin Rouge!

“In 1972, some exceptional young magicians, led by director Tom Moore, managed to staple a very special score to our brains. Decades after Grease opened, the memories it made and the stars it launched are as dazzling today in print as they were then on the stage. Compulsory reading for anyone who has music in their veins and who, like me, always secretly believed we were part of it too!” —Jack O’Brien, director, Hairspray

“Grease, Tell Me More, Tell Me More is a fabulous rockin’ and rollin’ origin story with every juicy inspiration that went into creating it. I was so lucky to be one little leaf on the Grease family tree, but there would have been no film without the determination, talent, and imagination of all that went before: brilliant producers, a superb imaginative director, an inventive choreographer, and an extraordinary cast. A must read for all Grease fans. A wop bop a loo bop a lop bam boom!” —Didi Conn, Grease’s “Frenchy

From the Publisher

04/01/2022

Fifty years after Grease opened on Broadway, Moore (who directed the original Broadway production), Adrienne Barbeau (who played Rizzo on Broadway), and Ken Waissman (who discovered the show when it was playing in Chicago and produced it for Broadway) offer a fast-paced, heartwarming oral history of this beloved show that spent eight years on Broadway and had eight tours and two London engagements. Waxing nostalgic for a time when they were young and famous, more than 100 individuals from the Broadway casts and crews share fascinating tidbits from casting (those who failed to make the cut include Barry Manilow as music director, and Tom Hanks as male protagonist Danny Zuko) and the perks of being connected to the production, such as celebrating Grease Day at Yankee Stadium, dining with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, and getting in to Studio 54 as VIPs. Interviewees discuss the evolution of the script, the costume and set designs, and the different ways the roles were interpreted by cast members; the book also includes an amazing collection of photographs and drawings. VERDICT Capturing Grease's joyful silliness and moving coming-of-age themes, this narrative will delight fans and musical theater history buffs.—Lisa Henry

Library Journal