Grease Live!

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

It's tempting to compare this to the iconic 1978 film, and there are some areas where comparison isn't just inevitable, but unavoidable. However, holding this to the same level of expectation as the film isn't entirely fair.

Firstly, it's a TV movie, not a theatrical release. And it couldn't be more obvious. This is a stripped-down Grease, a little more complicated technically than a Broadway stage performance, but not to the scope of anything that came before it. It has a "budget" feel to it from start to finish, which doesn't make it inherently bad. What could've been a production that thrived on the spontaneity of a live performance ultimately suffers greatly as a result of its reductions. The acting is on par with television acting - good enough to do the job, but with a great deal of room for improvements and enhancements. Try though they may, this fails to live up to the energy level that one likely has come to expect from a production of Grease as well. The dance moves are all there, but they just don't feel the same.

The biggest reduction of the film was the inclusion of modern music, noticeably DNCE's Cake By the Ocean which, although performed in a style more reminiscent of the time, is quite jarring. A modern-day pop song just doesn't sit well in a period piece from multiple decades ago, no matter how you slice it.

The old favorites are done rather well. There was no skimping out on the production value of the music itself. There are modifications for TV, but some of the lyrics ignore the modifications made for the film in favor of the Broadway show which, despite being a fan of the movie, was a nice change.

It was really interestingly staged to give the mirage of a Broadway show as well, which added to the charm of the project as a whole.

Overall, it wasn't too bad. No something I would be particularly eager to go back and revisit anytime soon, but good enough to be a satisfying experience. Grease is STILL the word!

Obviously it is a big undertaking to mount a live television production of Grease. The stage musical is a mainstay of various theatre productions with regular revivals and the film version is a classic despite some of its cheesiness. Even John Travolta recently admitted the film has become timeless, popular with kids even with the suggestiveness of some of the dialogue and lyrics.

Jessie J kicks of the rainy opening by singing Grease and we get to the setting very quickly and the opening number of Summer Nights. Julianne Hough is good as Sandy really evoking the memory of Olivia Newton John although her character hails from another part of the USA and not Australia. Aaron Tveit does well as Danny but never matches the cockiness of Travolta, which might had been easy to do if you are a young actor who just scored an Oscar nomination and a worldwide smash hit a year earlier with Saturday Night Fever. Vanessa Hudgens was less acerbic as Rizzo than Stockard Channing.

The production has songs that are featured in the stage production which might not be familiar with those who have only seen the film version. The production knows it has go for those big tent-pole numbers like Greased Lightning, Hopelessly devoted, Sandy and the finale You're the one that I want.

As it is a live television number there are stage set changes built in to the production as the cast have to get from one stage to another. There are lots of ad breaks. I cheekily recorded this to my TIVO and watched it 60 minutes after it started and then fast forwarded the ad breaks. The running time for me was about 2 hours and 15 minutes.

I guess some people may not be happy with the diverse casting but Grease was always about people being true to their feelings rather than fitting in with stereotypes. The creators of the stage musical would only be too happy that the show has progressed.

Some of the production limits it to its stage show origins. The car race was rather pedestrian masked by use of lighting and smoke.

Despite the pruning of the lyrics in Greased Lightning, some of the dialogue might be deemed to to be rude to younger viewers but I think some of it flew over my son's head.

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.

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.