Grease Live!

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.

Having watched all of the live musical performances on TV since NBC's production of "Sound of Music Live!" in 2013, I was anxious to see what Fox could do with "Grease: Live". The movie "Grease" is a favorite of mine. Like many others, I have watched the film many times.

All in all, I was pleased with the show. Most of the issues were technical, and there was only one actor (who I will not name) whose performance disappointed me.

It was the sound that tempers my enthusiasm for this production. In some cases, leading vocals were not quite loud enough. There was a total loss of sound during a portion of the "Hand Jive" number. And the big disappointment was the poor sound quality during Julianne Hough's (Sandy) performance of "Hopelessly Devoted To You"--what would have been the highlight of the show due to Julianne's soaring vocals. It sounded like a microphone problem, but wouldn't they have two mikes in case one failed?

The logistics of staging "Grease: Live" are mind boggling. I appreciate the way they took the viewer backstage and otherwise revealed the layout and the mechanics of moving cast and crew.

The cast is extremely talented. There were too many great performances to list them all, but I want to single out Elle McLemore whose Patty Simcox was inspired.

The storyline mostly followed the movie, but there were numerous deviations. The choices made resulted in a very enjoyable hybrid.

A DVD would be a nice addition to one's personal collection of musicals, but they will first have to clean up or remake Julianne's solo.

7/14/16: Received 10 Emmy nominations.

Updated 10/4/2019: I watched this performance again on pay-per-view. I am pleased to say that Julianne Hough's performance of "Hopelessly Devoted to You" has been fixed. I don't know what other edits might have been made. Since there are no commercials (or transitions to commercials), some of the backstage glimpses are lost. But I really enjoyed my second viewing. I noticed some things I had missed the first time through. And Vanessa Hudgens' talent really stands out. Her performance of "There Are Worse Things I Could Do" is a highlight.

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.

For anyone looking for a remake of the 1978 film, this is probably not for you. This is a filmed version of the ORIGINAL 1971 stage show. It's not spectacular, but it's a pretty good job - as long as you don't compare it to the movie

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.