It's one of the best-loved musicals of all time, with sell-out runs on Broadway and a movie adaptation that's nothing short of a cult classic.

But now, two Perth schools have canceled their co-production of Grease after students raised concerns that it was "sexist".

In a joint statement, Presbyterian Ladies' College and Scotch College voiced their apprehension about going ahead with the planned production, which was due to take place later this month.

"A number of PLC students raised concerns whether the musical was appropriate in modern times," PLC principal Cate Bebie and acting Scotch College headmaster Peter Burt said in a joint statement.

"Scotch College listened respectfully to the girls' concern and both schools agreed a different musical would be better suited for their joint production in 2022."

Grease was first produced for the stage in 1971 by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, but it was the 1978 movie starring Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta that turned it into an international sensation.

Grease [[imagecaption|| Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta in Grease (1978). Credit: Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy]]

The upbeat musical tells the story of two 1950s teens - bad boy Danny Zuko and good girl Sandy Olsson - who, after a summer fling, try to rekindle their romance at high school, despite their wildly different social cliques.

In the end, Sandy ditches her prim and proper persona and transforms into a Greaser chick, donning a skin-tight black catsuit and a leather jacket so she will fit in with Danny's friends.

Although Danny also switches up his look for Sandy, her transformation is more radical and has led to accusations of sexism in recent years.

Concerns have also been raised over the lyric, "Did she put up a fight?" from the song 'Summer Nights', which some have claimed alludes to sexual assault or rape.

While some Presbyterian Ladies' College students argued the musical is "offensive, sexist and anti-feminist," this is not a view shared by every member of the school body, Perth Now reports.

According to some parents, not all students were given the opportunity to weigh in on the debate and it was in fact only a "small minority" who wanted to cancel the production. Others believed that the content could have been altered to suit a modern audience, rather than scrapping the whole show.

In widely reported claims, Sandy star Newton-John defended the movie against claims that it was sexist.

"It's a movie and it's a fun story and I have never taken that too seriously," she said last year.

Many on social media agreed with Newton-John and thought canceling a school production of Grease was taking things too far.

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"Australia are disappearing down [...] woke rabbit holes," one person Tweeted.

"Guess what, that's what life was like in the 50s and 60s!" added another.

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Other's were more supportive of the schools' decision, saying: "No one is banning Grease. They just don't want to act in it as a musical. I always enjoyed Grease but it is sexist."

Featured Image Credit: Blueee / Alamy Stock Photo

Two schools cancel production of 'Grease' after students complained the show is 'offensive, sexist and anti-feminist'