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Keke Palmer Waited Entire Life for “Grease: Live!” Role, First Black Woman in Production

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Kimberly Ripley

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Keke Palmer played the role of Marty in the Sunday night performance of Grease: Live! on Fox, and she sang a song from the original Broadway production–one that didn’t make the original film in 1978. Called “Freddy, My Love,” fans thought a new song had been written for the live musical event, when in fact it wound up on the cutting room floor when the musical was adapted for the big screen.

As fans of both the original musical and 1978 film know, Keke Palmer is the first black woman to appear in Grease. Grease: Live! set a new tone with its far more inclusive cast.

Ahead of Sunday’s performance, Keke Palmer shared a message for her fans via social media, saying she waited her whole life for a role like this one.

“I feel as if I have waited my entire life for a moment like this. Tonight, I get the opportunity to introduce the Live production of Grease. The 2016 version…What does that mean? Too many things to express honestly. But one, that really spurs the heart…There has never been an African American in Grease and while I hate that that’s something to be pointed out, it is! My little brother and sister think differently growing up seeing me do something like this! They will not know it to be any other way in their 14yrs of living! That is REAL!” she wrote.

“When @4everBrandy played Cinderella, I was able to believe that I could play her on Broadway! And even if you are not an African American, you will be the first at whatever YOUR dreams are because they are yours. So whether you are an African American, or a female or whatever, if you can not relate to ANYONE in our show at face value. Relate to the fact that this is the first time anything like this has been done and it’s only being done because we all believed! That is the KEY?.. We are a group of people no more special than you that just believed in what we are doing. And tonight we get the gift and the blessing of sharing that belief with YOU ??????. THAT IS WHAT IT IS ABOUT! And I know sometimes when things get tough it’s hard to believe that your perspective can really change it, but it can! This is the proof of what happens when you believe. When YOU believe you change the world, you change the YOUniverse. So, (we) the kids, let’s take this and run with it and create even more out of it! #HistoricalTypeVibes #GreaseLive #LoveIsReal #FateIsReal #YourDreamsAreReal,” Keke Palmer concluded, captioning a photo of herself in her role as Marty.

A photo posted by Laurennnn Palmer (@kekepalmer) on

Did you catch Keke Palmer, Julianne Hough, Aaron Tveit, Vanessa Hudgens, and more in Grease: Live! on Sunday night? What did you think of the performance as compared to the 1978 film that starred Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta?

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