Viewers pick 'the one that they want' for Grease revival

Last Updated: Monday, March 26, 2007 | 10:43 AM ET

CBC Arts

Two 20-something amateurs are set to take the Broadway stage this summer after winning the TV reality competition Grease: You're the One That I Want.

Viewers selected Max Crumm and Laura Osnes to star as Danny Zuko and Sandy Dumbrowski in the upcoming revival of the popular musical on the Great White Way.

"This is my dream come true," Osnes said when her name was announced.

The pair will take the stage at Manhattan's Brooks Atkinson Theatre when the show begins previews July 24. The revival opens Aug. 19.

The show was following in the footsteps of the BBC's hit show How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? — which sought to find a star for a London revival of The Sound of Music. The ultimate winner, Connie Fisher, has won fan and critical praise since her November debut.

NBC's You're the One That I Want began in January, starting out by putting about 60 contestants through a grueling musical theatre boot camp. A dozen finalists emerged and, each week, faced elimination after performing song-and-dance numbers from Grease and other musicals.

The competitors were judged by three professionals involved with the production: co-creator Jim Jacobs, producer David Ian and director-choreographer Kathleen Marshall.

Though it premiered on Broadway in 1972, most remember the film adaptation of Grease that was released in 1978. The wildly popular movie version starred John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.