Again, you have what are already beloved, insantly identifiable songs, but the Grease Live! team were juggling so many balls to make this work, in such a big manner, that it was continually exciting to see it all get successfully pulled off. ![]() By the time you got to the huge dance number of “Born to Hand Jive” (set in a large, school auditorium set), it was difficult to not be thrilled by what was being accomplished here. “Freddy, My Love” and “Greased Lightning” both contained some rather astounding, instantaneous costume changes to represent the move from the real world to an imaginary scenario, and it was truly amazing how deftly Kail and his highly-talented cast and crew pulled this all off. It was hard not to be impressed by what was pulled off here, when you think about all that went into doing this live. But director Thomas Kail (Broadway’s recent smash hit, Hamilton) was able to give the entire show the energy and pace it needed to sustain a three-hour run time, and Grease Live! got better and better as it went along. It was a joyful ending to the three hour show - even without a flying car.The first few minutes of Grease Live! did take some getting used to, as far as the innate cheap feeling (we’re talking visually here) that usually accompanies live, scripted TV. The finale was the biggest spectacle of the night as the cast rolled outside on golf carts while singing “We Go Together.” They arrived at a magical, expansive carnival setting while surrounded by the audience. Fisher became the resident heartthrob of the T-Birds, singing “Those Magic Changes” to not only a rapt audience on set but the viewers who made his version the most downloaded track off the soundtrack. Even when she didn’t have lines, Donohue’s reactions and movements in the back of the scene would be particularly amusing to watch and made it seem regretful that Jan doesn’t have a bigger role in the show. Donohue, who already steals scenes on You’re the Worst, gave an even more playful flare to the already goofy Jan. The biggest scene-stealers of the night were Kether Donohue and Jordan Fisher. Kudos to director Thomas Kail, who also happens to be the director behind Broadway blockbuster, Hamilton. Seeing such a classic, beloved show embrace a variety of men and women for whitebread roles made for a powerful statement and for a truly updated take on the nostalgic musical. It was great to see that the modern cues Fox took with Grease: Live was to go with colorblind-casting, filling the principal roles and ensemble with a diverse set of actors. ‘Leave the World Behind’ Star Myha’la Wants You To Hire Her It felt like déjà vu as she entered Rydell’s gym as Bad Sandy, owning the all-black outfit and perfectly harnessing the swagger that made Olivia Newton-John’s version of it so iconic. Julianne Hough played a pretty straightforward, extremely clean-cut version of Sandy, which came in handy during many of the musical’s moments that seemed like a shot-for-shot remake of the 1978 film. ![]() Hudgens perfectly balances Rizzo’s stubbornness and vulnerability in one of the most powerful scenes from the show. Hudgens shined particularly bright while belting the musical’s most emotional ballad, “There Are Worse Things I Could Do,” a song Rizzo sings after the whole school finds out about her pregnancy scare. She dedicated her performance to him and gave a career-highlight performance as Rizzo. The former Disney star went through the most traumatic event imaginable just one day before her Grease performance when her father passed away on Saturday. Member Wanya Morris gets bonus points for giving the best facial expressions during the choreography. In the future, however, maybe the audience could be allowed to laugh and interact more and give more weight to the show’s jokes instead of awkward pauses where the laugh breaks were meant to be.īoyz II Men gave an untouchable performance as a threesome of Teen Angels who give Frenchy some harsh truths about being a “Beauty School Dropout.” The trio, campy and fun, belted out the cheeky track at Carly Rae Jepsen. It was thrilling to watch them mouth along to the songs and added some levity to the awkwardness of transferring a live musical experience to a television. Unlike the other televised live musical events of the past few years, Grease incorporated a live audience, giving scenes like the cheerleader tryouts and pep rally a much-needed boost of high school realness. While the show overall was one of the strongest televised musicals from the recent influx of them (and only beat by The Wiz), here are 10 of our favorite moments, performances and aspects of the TV spectacle. Fusing the Broadway show with the familiarity of the film, the three-hour television event was a fun, entertaining event packed with strong performances, gorgeous costumes and massive sets. ![]() Fox’s Grease: Live production was as flashy and fun as one would hope the adaptation to be.
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