Producer David Ian
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The
upcoming West End revival of
Grease will play the Piccadilly Theatre, according to
Variety. The musical is also getting a Broadway revival, and both the London and New York productions will have leads chosen via reality television. The London
Grease will begin performances on 25 July and open on 8 August.
David Ian is producer of both the West End and Broadway editions, but separate productions are planned. Kathleen Marshall will helm the New York staging, whereas the London production will feature David Gilmore’s 1993 Dominion Theatre staging that has had several revivals in the West End.
The London lead roles of Danny and Sandy will be chosen by public vote following the ITV series
Grease is the Word that will begin airing on 7 April and run for 10 weeks. The first two parts are pre-recorded, following the auditioning process and the
Grease “boot camp” for the initial finalists. A live public competition begins in the third week of the series.
The casting of Grease in this way follows the success of How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? last year that was used to cast the lead role of Maria in The Sound of Music, that Ian co-produced with Andrew Lloyd Webber. As on that series, Ian will be one of the judging panel that will also include sometime pop singer Sinitta (who was a veteran of the David Essex tuner Mutiny! that also ran at the Piccadilly Theatre in 1985), record producer and concert promoter David Gest (best known as former husband of Liza Minnelli, who appeared on another ITV reality series last year, I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here) and choreographer Brian Friedman.
The Piccadilly Theatre's current tenant, Guys and Dolls, will close on 14 April.