Photo Flash: GREASE Tour is the 'Word' in LA!

The GREASE Tour hit Hollywood in a big way when it opened at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles, CA, Tuesday night as the stars came out and stopped backstage to cheer the talented young cast on!

Danny, Sandy and the whole Rydell High crew sent us some snapshots of the starry opening night to share with all of you right here on BroadwayWorld.com!

The brand new production of GREASE, stars American Idol winner Taylor Hicks alongside Eric Schneider as "Danny" and Emily Padgett as "Sandy." Eric made his Broadway debut in Jersey Boys. His previous credits include Altar Boyz (Off-Broadway) and the national tours of Altar Boyz and The Full Monty. Emily made her Broadway debut in GREASE, where she understudied the role of Sandy. Her other credits include Legally Blonde on Broadway and the national tours of CATS. Starring as "Rizzo" will be Allie Schulz, a contestant on NBC's "Grease: You're the One That I Want." Allie comes directly from the Broadway company of GREASE.

The tour also stars Scot Patrick Allan as "Eugene," Will Blum as "Roger," Bridie Carroll as "Jan," Kate Morgan Chadwick as "Frenchy," Brian Crum as "Doody," Kelly Felthous as "Marty," Dominic Fortuna as "Vince Fontaine," Erin Henry as "Patty Simcox," Roxie Lucas as "Miss Lynch," David Ruffin as "Kenickie," and Nick Verina as "Sonny."

The ensemble features Joseph Corella, Preston Ellis, Melissa Larsen, Ruby Lewis, Lisa Maietta, Dayla Perkins, Mark Raumaker, Mike Russo, Matthew William Schmidt and Brooke Stone.

This new production of GREASE, 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 features book, music and lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey.

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 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."GREASETM 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).

GREASETM 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 starring Taylor Hicks is as follows:

- 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

Photos by Dan Swalec