You likely know him from “American Idol” and “Monty Python’s Spamalot,” but now “Grease” is the word for Clay Aiken.

Pittsburgh CLO opens the summer season with Aiken singing “Beauty School Dropout” in the role played by Frankie Avalon in the film and, among others, Billy Porter on Broadway. In December, Aiken joined fellow “AI” alum Ruben Studdard in “Ruben & Clay’s First Annual Christmas Carol Family Fun Pageant Spectacular Reunion Show,” at Broadway's Imperial Theater for a show The New York Times called “A Christmas Miracle.”

Central couple Danny and Sandy will be played by Zach Adkins, the recent Dimitry in Broadway’s “Anastasia,” and Kristen Martin (CLO’s Ariel in “Footloose”). Jackie Burns, the longest-running Elphaba in “Wicked,” plays Rizzo and Damon J. Gillespie (NBC’s “Rise” and CLO’s “In the Heights”) portrays Doody in the production, which features a Teen Ensemble of 14 CLO Academy students.

“Grease” runs June 7-16 at the Benedum Center. Tickets and info: pittsburghCLO.org.

Sharon Eberson: seberson@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1960. Twitter: @SEberson_pg. Sign up for the PG performing arts newsletter Behind the Curtain at Newsletter Preferences.

First Published: May 21, 2019, 2:07 p.m.
Updated: May 21, 2019, 2:31 p.m.