Taylor Hicks Channels Elvis as 'Grease' Teen Angel!

The good press continues to roll in, this time from newsday.com. It reads:

A Heavenly Makeover

Season 5 "American Idol" winner Taylor Hicks is a little more Elvis, a little less Frankie Avalon than his predecessor in the Broadway revival of "Grease," now nearing its first anniversary at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.

When Hicks signed on earlier this month as "Teen Angel," the first order of business was a costume redesign for his big moment as Frenchy's mentor in "Beauty School Dropout." Actor Stephen Buntrock, the earlier "Angel," had worn a bright white suit with silver glitter, evocative of the one worn by Avalon in the 1978 film.

For Hicks, designers changed things up, clothing the soul singer in an open-collared, all-black suit that screams Vegas more than it does Rydell High - angel wings, stitched with sparkle into the back, lend an added flair.

A costume wasn't the only thing altered for Hicks, who will release a new album in August. "Beauty School Dropout" was reorchestrated into a bluesier piece for the gray-haired Alabamian, who made his name with classic soul and R&B. During the "Dropout" reprise, Hicks also gets a moment to whip out his trademark harmonica.

-ROBERT KAHN