by Jeff Clark, Contributing Writer
BILOXI (GG) — One of the most iconic musical films of all time will land in Coastal Mississippi as “Grease The Musical,” runs at the Beau Rivage on select dates from June 12-29. Family four-packs of tickets start at $60 at Ticketmaster.com. Full ticket pricing, including codewords for specials, showtimes, and other information, can be found online at beau rivage.mgmresorts.com. VIP upgrades, which include a backstage meet and greet, photo opportunities, exclusive merchandise, and more, can be added to any ticket for an additional price.
The musical, which features songs from the original Broadway production by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, as well as songs written for the film, such as “Grease” and “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” is the latest family-friendly production from Jeb K. Rand and Rand Productions, a name synonymous with entertainment events at the Beau Rivage, including last summer’s production of “Footloose” and the popular “Elf The Musical.”
“We started this project about 10 months ago in New York,” said Rand, who was on the property at the Beau Rivages helping to set the stage for opening night. “We had more than 3,000 people audition for this show, which is incredible. We had 26 people make the final cut. The amazing level of talent humbled me. The acting in this thing is incredible.”
Rand said that although he has been producing shows for MGM properties at places like the Beau Rivage for almost 30 years, his goal is to keep the quality high.
“I have to produce excellence,” he said. “MGM expects excellence. The MGM brand is becoming known as a Broadway house, like places like the Saenger Theater in New Orleans. It’s cool to bring ‘Grease’ because I’m of the generation that grew up with the movie.”
“Grease The Musical“ is an original production filled with music from and unforgettable characters. Although the movie was quite popular in the late 1970s, “Grease” is set in the 1950s, a popular trope of the ‘70s thanks to TV shows such as “Happy Days” and “Laverne and Shirley.”
The film version made a superstar out of Olivia Newton-John and was the follow-up for John Travolta, who was hot off of the success of the groundbreaking 1977 hit “Saturday Night Fever.”
“I didn’t think my kids, who are teenagers, would know the music, but they know all of it, ” Rand said. “Because of social media, these songs have crossed over generations. We all get a warm fuzzy feeling when we hear these songs. But we are all having a different experience. It’s a lot of fun. We have a real-life car in this production and a live band on stage. This is as much a live concert as it is a musical. We aren’t changing the story or the music but making it more modern, especially with the band. I truly think everyone is going to enjoy this production.”
