American Idol Winner Taylor Hicks Signs On for Summer Run in Grease

Taylor Hicks, the Season Five winner of American Idol, will make his Broadway debut in Grease this summer. The silver-haired singer will play Teen Angel in the Tony-nominated revival of the all-American 1950s musical from June 6 to September 7.

“I am incredibly excited to be a part of one of my favorite musicals,” Hicks said in a statement. “The Soul Patrol's gonna invade Broadway!” he added, referring to the nickname he coined for his fan base while on American Idol.

After winning the popular TV talent contest in 2006, Hicks recorded his first album, simply titled Taylor Hicks. It was released on Arista Records in December 2006, debuting at number two on the Billboard charts and eventually going platinum. His autobiography Heart Full of Soul: An Inspirational Memoir About Finding Your Voice and Finding Your Way was released last summer. In late 2007, Hicks made news when he was dropped from his label, although he promised fans on his MySpace page that the “best was yet to come.”

Currently crooning “Beauty School Dropout” in the role of Teen Angel is Stephen R. Buntrock, who leaves the production on June 5. Grease also stars Max Crumm as Danny, Laura Osnes as Sandy, Ryan Patrick Binder as Doody, Susan Blommaert as Miss Lynch, Will Blum as Roger, Jeb Brown as Vince, Allison Fischer as Patty, Robyn Hurder as Marty, Lindsay Mendez as Jan, Jenny Powers as Rizzo, Jose Restrepo as Sonny, Matthew Saldivar as Kenickie, Jamison Scott as Eugene and Kirsten Wyatt as Frenchy.