As it turns out, Grease lightning does strike twice.
In the prequel to the iconic 1978 musical film, Grease: Rise Of The Pink Ladies brings the warm familiarity of a much-loved classic and gives it a fresh and nuanced take that takes fans back to where it all began.
Set four years before Sandy and Danny – played by the late Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta in the original Hollywood hit – ruled Rydell High, the series tells how the ”Pink Ladies” came to be.
Nancy, Jane, Olivia and Cynthia are the Pink Ladies.
(IMAGE: Paramount+)It follows fed-up misfits Jane (Marisa Davila), Olivia (Cheyenne Isabel Wells), Cynthia (Ari Notartomaso) and Nancy (Tricia Fukuhara) as they fight conservative attitudes and for individuality in a time where minorities were told to be silent.
Marisa, 25, who plays optimistic overachiever Jane, says her character fits her like a glove – or a pink leather jacket, in this case.
”There are characters we have to portray, [where] we haven’t even gone through the things they have, so it’s an even extra acting challenge,” she tells TV WEEK.
”But when I read Jane’s lines, I was like, ‘This is how I talk, this is how I carry myself’ and I understood her immediately.”
WATCH NOW: Rise Of The Pink Ladies’ Marisa Davila on relating to her character Jane. Article continues after video.
While the show addresses some heavy-duty topics, it’s presented in a surprisingly fun and insightful way.
Adding to the nostalgia is a 30-song soundtrack (including a cover of the hit song ”Grease”), inspired references to the original hit film, as well as some creative comedy.
Ari, who uses they/them pronouns, points to the phenomenal choreography in the first dance they learned for the season premiere – and the grueling hours the cast put in to make the scene a masterpiece.
In order to create a 2023 version of 1950s musical nostalgia, Ari reveals it was one of the “most spectacular” things they have ever done.
”It was me and the T-Birds and it was so much fun,” Ari says.
”They’re amazing dancers. We shot the whole thing in one 16-hour day. We got there, did two scenes and then just went right through.”
All singing pajama parties make summer nights a joy.
(IMAGE: Paramount+)Although Cheyenne, 26, grew up not having seen the original film, she knew it was a role she had to secure.
”When I saw Grease, I was scared, because it’s such a big shoe to fill,” she says.
”Then I read the script and was in love. I was like, ‘I have to do everything in my power to get this role.”’
Tricia, 31, jokes that she’s come a long way since choreographing the song ”Summer Lovin”’ for her high school dance team.
Back then, she instructed that whoever already owned a black leather jacket would play a T-Bird, and whoever owned a pink one would be a Pink Lady.
”We had to costume ourselves – this was a budget high school production!” she says with a laugh.
WATCH NOW: Rise of the Pink Ladies’ Cheyenne Isabel Wells on the legacy of “Grease”. Article continues after video.
Grease: Rise Of The Pink Ladies certainly marks a big change,with a handsome budget and colourful costume department.
If you’re after an entertaining musical filled with new songs and a hint of nostalgia, this could be – in the words of Sandy and Danny – the one that you want.
Grease: Rise of The Pink Ladies is streaming now on Paramount+
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