Taylor Hicks Extends as 'Teen Angel' in GREASE Tour

The producers of the first national touring production of the Tony Award nominated Broadway musical GREASE^TM are proud to announce that "American Idol" winner, Taylor Hicks, will continue on with the tour during the 2009 - 2010 season. Hicks made his Broadway debut in the role of "Teen Angel" and has been on the road with GREASE^TM since the tour began in Providence on December 2, 2008. New cities and dates to be announced shortly.

"I had such a great experience performing on Broadway," says Hicks. "This is a great opportunity to visit old fans and new fans across the country while bringing them a great Broadway show!"

Taylor Hicks achieved widespread fame in 2006 as a contestant on the hugely successful FOX singing competition "American Idol." On May 24, 2006, Hicks was named the winner of the fifth season of "Idol" with over 63.4 million votes in total, during the live finale which aired to a worldwide audience of over 200 million viewers.

On March 10, 2009, Taylor Hicks will release his much anticipated new studio album The Distance. Produced by Simon Climie (Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Faith Hill), the album will be released on Hicks' Modern Whomp Records label. The first single "What's Right is Right" debuted on January 27, 2009 and is now available on iTunes and Amazon.com.

Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Taylor Hicks' passion for music began at an early age. He toured the Southeastern Unites States during his teenage years and released two independent albums. Known for his energetic performances with influences derived from classic soul, blues and R&B music, he quickly grew a large fan base among the millions of viewers and voters who tuned in to "Idol" each week. His fans ultimately dubbed themselves the "Soul Patrol." Immediately following "Idol," Hicks signed a recording contract with 19 Records Limited / Arista Records. His debut single, "Do I Make You Proud," debuted in the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and was subsequently certified Gold. His eponymous debut album, Taylor Hicks was released on December 12, 2006 and debuted in the #2 spot on the Billboard 200 charts and was later certified as a Platinum Album. Since becoming Season 5 winner of "American Idol," Taylor Hicks has seen his self-titled debut album certified platinum, performed with Willie Nelson, Widespread Panic, The Allman Brothers and Jackson Browne, toured through Asia, and penned the Random House memoir Heart Full of Soul.

This new production of GREASE^TM, which opened on Broadway on Sunday, August 19, 2007, was born out of NBC's landmark talent competition TV series, "Grease: You're The One That I Want." The weekly talent competition drew 90 million viewers, and America voted for its favorite contestants to play the lead roles of Sandy and Danny on Broadway. Directed and choreographed by two-time Tony Award-winner Kathleen Marshall (The Pajama Game, Wonderful Town), GREASE^TM features book, music and lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Additional songs from the film are by Barry Gibb, John Farrar, Louis St. Louis and Scott Simon.

After spending a hopelessly devoted summer with Sandy Dumbrowski, the new girl in town, Danny Zuko's world is thrown upside down when Sandy appears at Rydell High on the first day of school. What follows is a rock n' roll celebration of growin' up, cruisin' with friends and goin' steady. The new production of GREASE^TM features songs from the smash hit 1978 motion picture for the first time ever in a Broadway production including "Sandy," the Academy Award nominated song "Hopelessly Devoted to You," "Grease" and "You're the One That I Want" - both of which were #1 hits on the Billboard Top 100 list. These songs will be heard in addition to the Jacobs/Casey songs made famous by the original stage production including "Summer Nights," "Greased Lightnin'" and "We Go Together."

GREASE^TM features scenic design by Tony Award nominee Derek McLane (The Pajama Game), costume design by two-time Tony Award winner Martin Pakledinaz (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Kiss Me Kate), lighting design by Tony Award winner Kenneth Posner (The Coast of Utopia, Wicked) and sound design by Brian Ronan (Spring Awakening, Curtains).

GREASE^TM is produced on tour by Paul Nicholas and David Ian, Nederlander Presentations, Inc. and Terry Allen Kramer by arrangement with Robert Stigwood.

The upcoming schedule for the national tour of GREASE^TM starring Taylor Hicks is as follows:

- February 24 - March 1, 2009 at the Music Hall, Tucson, AZ
- March 3 - 8, 2009 at the Civic Theatre, San Diego, CA
- March 10 - 22, 2009 at the Pantages Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
- March 24 - April 19, 2009 at the Golden Gate Theatre, San Francisco, CA
- April 21 - 26, 2009 at Keller Auditorium, Portland, OR
- April 28 - May 10, 2009 at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, Costa Mesa, CA
- May 12 - 30, 2009 at the 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle, WA
- June 2 - 7, 2009 at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, Appleton, WI
-June 9 - 28, 2009 at the Fisher Theatre, Detroit, MI