That early version of the modern American classic by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey will be staged by Chicago's American Theater Company — for the first time since the early 1970s — April 21-June 5.

The production, directed by ATC artistic director PJ Paparelli and choreographed by Jim Corti, is billed as "the restored, revised, R-rated" original Grease.

Performances will play ATC's home at 1909 W. Byron, Chicago, IL. Opening night is May 2, 2011.

Here's how ATC bills the show: "Chicago. 1959. Before two movies and three Broadway productions, summer lovin' happened on Lake Michigan and the Pink Ladies were a group of working class outsiders living on Chicago's Northwest Side. Including never-before-heard music, lyrics and scenes, author Jim Jacobs teams up with artistic director PJ Paparelli and choreographer Jim Corti to bring to life for the first time since 1971 the original R-Rated version of the world’s most famous movie musical."

Grease has book, music and lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. For more information, visit www.atcweb.org.

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American Theater Company is an ensemble of artists committed to producing new and classic American stories that ask the question, "What does it mean to be an American?"