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.

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 had just graduated from high school when the movie Grease was released in 1978. I have watched the movie at least 20 times and have seen a Broadway production. This has been my favorite for so long and I am absolutely blown away by what I just watched over the last 3 hours. The talent was amazing. I feel that they paid tribute to the original, but actually made it better with a few minor changes. Vanessa Hudgens was perfect as Rizzo and Julianne Hough was a close second as Sandy. It was great to see Didi Cohn, the original Frenchy. I am giving 10 stars because I was completely amazed by the show, but I do have to mention one negative. It is my opinion that Aaron Tveit, who played Danny Zuko was miscast. His singing voice and his acting were significantly less appealing than the rest of the cast. His dancing was great, though. I also think he looked too old for the part. The sets were amazing. The choreography was sensational. I want to see it again!

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.