Grease Live!

I wasn't expecting much but I was pleasantly surprised. This is a really nicely done musical. The performances are solid and the logistics must have been beyond the pale. The scene changes are outstanding. Compared to others of these live TV productions, this is far superior. The singing is really strong with an occasional dropout, but that's to be expected. One thing that I kept thinking is that Aaron Tveit looked kind of old to be Danny. I checked and apparently he's thirty-three. Of course, that is a challenge they had to face. As demanding as this musical is and the fact that so much professionalism is required, there aren't many true teenagers who could hold up under the pressure. If John Travolta goofed up, he could do it over again sixteen times. Grease has grown on me over the years and it was really fun to hear the songs again.

Briefly comparing to the 1978 film, which is still hugely enjoyable now, 'Grease Live' is vastly inferior in many ways but is still very much watchable on its own merits.

As far as live TV productions of musicals go, 'Grease Live' is superior to the live TV productions of 'The Sound of Music' and particularly 'Peter Pan' while fell flat, but 'The Wiz' while uneven fares the best.

There are many good things here. Many of the songs are great, some like "Summer Nights", "We Go Together", "Hopelessly Devoted to You" and "Greased Lightning" are classics. The choreography is spirited and energetic, especially at the end and in "Greased Lightning". The 1950s production values are very attractive, the dialogue is mostly witty though with the odd clunker and pacing though with the odd part where it grinds to a halt (especially "Beauty School Dropout") is sprightly.

'Grease Live' also boasts some good performances. Best of the lot is surprisingly Vanessa Hudgens as Rizzo, she brings sass and vulnerability to the character and successfully sheds her "Disney star" image, proving that she is much better than that. She sounds great, with her voice having come on hugely since the 'High School Musical' films with a powerhouse rendition of "There Are Worse Things I Could Do", one of the production's highlights.

Julianne Hough is far superior here than she was in the awful remake of 'Footloose', she is a very charming Sandy and has a lovely tone to her voice, with a sweet "Hopelessly Devoted to You" and doesn't hold back at the end. Jordan Fisher and Carlos PenaVega (apart from getting lost a little in "Greased Lightning" steal scenes, while Ana Gasteyer is good too. Kether Donohue and Elle McLemore prove that you can be funny and camp but also be subtle, and it was great to see Didi Conn and Barry Pearl.

On the other hand, this reviewer had mixed views on Aaron Tveit. He has a great voice, better than John Travolta's perhaps, as could be heard in 2012's 'Les Miserables' where his voice was one of the standout voices, and he is an energetic dancer, but he lacks the cockiness and charisma as Danny instead coming over as wooden and bland. Keke Palmer plays Marty far too broadly and is far too theatrical that it was painful to watch her, while Mario Lopez and particularly Haneefah Wood are supremely irritating. Carly Rae Jepsen's Frenchy sounds under-powered and strained, and she flounders with comic timing and never looks comfortable.

Not all the songs work either. "All I Need is an Angel" and particularly "Beauty School Dropout" are incredibly out of place and completely take one out of the period with too much of a present day vibe. It was nice to hear "Freddy My Love" and "Those Magic Changes" but the former also seems oddly placed, while the title song "Grease is the Word" is so dreary and the lyrics and vocals too often inaudible in a production plagued with problems with sound and balance with a lot of dipping in and out.

All in all, an uneven production and very much a mixed bag. A number of merits but some glaring flaws as well. 5/10 Bethany Cox

I liked the diversity firstly. Well done. The guy playing Danny is not a good actor, and he looks about 40 years old. I know this is live, but it felt rushed and forced. Almost like they were just saying the words from the original film but not actually acting. And I love Keke Palmer, she's so funny usually, but she overacted this part. Marty is supposed to be a a ditzy character, but that didn't come across here. Almost like she was playing someone completely different. Julianne Hough is actually a better Sandy than Olivia, sorry to say. Some of the extras added were great, some unnecessary. I loved the Sandy cheerleading tryout scene. However they shouldn't have added so much extra if they were pressed for time. The dance sequences were fantastic, I must say. So a really good remake, however had it not been a live show, would have been twice as good.

For the most part, Fox really got it right. The two lead actors were up to the roles. Both could really sing, dance and act. What a far cry from the lame leads on NBC's versions of The Wiz, Peter Pan and Sound of Music. The staging and sets were outstanding. The camera-work was first rate and the audio mix was very good.

Julianne Hough was absolutely outstanding. A very young 27, beautiful and talented performer, she was a perfect choice to play Sandy. I cannot think of anyone who could have done it better.

The guy playing Danny - Aaron Tveit - had the right looks and build for the role and is an excellent singer-dancer-actor.

The supporting cast was enthusiastic and well-rehearsed.

Except for a 20 second audio loss during Hand Jive, there was no major technical glitch. Unlike NBC, the cameramen did not wind up in each other's shots. The movie was virtually all white as fit the setting of 1959. This Grease version tried a little too hard to integrate the cast and with the exception of the Coach, that really didn't work. It was the equivalent of sticking a bunch of Whites or Asians in The Wiz or Purlie. However, the forced diversity wasn't too glaring and didn't hurt the show overall.

Fox's Grease Live sets a new standard for live TV musicals. Congrats to all - cast, crew, producers.

If I see one more review whining about them messing with the movie I'll probably scream. The movie came a full year AFTER Grease hit the stage in Chicago in the 70's. Yes, that's right. The original didn't have John Travolta or Olivia. They were the adaptation. Get over it and stop judging the live version against the movie it inspired. This was a good showing of Grease. I've seen worse off Broadway with people who couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. Considering Vanessa's father passed a couple hours prior to her performance, she was amazing! She showed she can carry a character no matter what. And her voice was great as always. I agree "Danny" was to old looking. If you've never seen the live performance before, please don't make any comparisons to the movie. They even have different songs and scenes. There isn't any comparing the two.