For all you Grease lovers out there, the wait finally came to an end after Fox’s premiere of Grease Live, an epic production with a star-filled cast. For every girl out there who, after watching the original movie, just wished that they could be Danny’s Zuko’s goodie two shoes turned bad girl love interest Sandy Olssen, and every guy who just wanted to slip on that leather jacket with all that swag and call himself a T-Bird; you were able to transport yourself into the story once again with this remake. With the integrity of the original movie’s plot still intact, this remake also had some modern twists and tricks that would most likely bother devoted Greasers, like myself, but I found myself completely grinning from ear through out the whole production.
As mentioned before, this remake featured an all-star cast. Sandy played by famous dancer, actress and singer Julianne Hough. Danny Zuko played by Broadway vet Aaron Tveit. Bad girl and head of the “Pink Ladies” Betty Rizzo was played by High School Musical star, actress Vanessa Hudgens, whose father Greg Hudgens passed away from stage four cancer the day before the premiere (our thoughts go out to you and your family during this difficult time.) Actress Keke Palmer and “Call Me Maybe” crooner Carly Rae Jepson played fellow “Pink Ladies” Marty and Frenchy. Bad boy, T-Bird Kenickie played by actor and singer and former “Dancing with the Stars” contestant Carlos Penavega. Actor and television host Mario Lopez took on the role of National Bandstand host Vince Fontaine, and star studded appearances by singer Jessie J and groups Boyz II Men and DNCE made this remake that much more special.
All in all I have to say that Grease Live exceeded my expectations on every level. The mix of elements from the original stage play and movie and then infusing modern elements of today such as Keke Palmer’s street swag and snappy comebacks, to having Sandy be from Salt Lake City, Utah really made the plot more relatable to people today, while still holding true to the spirit that we associate with Grease itself. The production value of Grease Live was out of this world, being a journalism student who is getting her feet wet with the production side of things, I really enjoyed how after each musical number, right before cutting to commercial break, they panned the camera to show the set itself, the various cameras, extras on set, etc. It really showed the audience how much effort was put in to make such a phenomenal performance and production.
Going through each of the characters, there wasn’t one character that I felt was underplayed, or not portrayed to the best of their ability. Julianne Hough delivered a stellar performance. Her vocal range, for anyone who hasn’t listened to her sing before (Hough put out a few country tracks in 2008), knows that she has a very specific tone of voice, which to be honest made me a little apprehensive watching this production, only because I don’t think Hough really had enough vocal training a few years back. However, when Hough took on Olivia Newton-John’s ballad “Hopelessly Devoted to You” my jaw almost hit the floor. Her range was terrific. Her emotion was just right, and from what I could see and listen she didn’t have any trouble vocally. She was positively stunning. Go Julianne!!
I honestly have nothing to say about Aaron Tveit except that there wasn’t anybody who could have taken on the role of Danny Zuko and portrayed it better. Tveit had the swag, yet he exuded the sweetness while in his scenes with Hough (Sandy). His vocals are killer, and he didn’t look half bad in those gym shorts either! I know you feel the same way too, girls!
Vanessa Hudgens IS Rizzo! What I mean by that is that she had the character down when it came to Rizzo’s walk, her accent and attitude. What really sold me was Hudgen’s performance of “There are Worse Things I Could Do.” I was practically in tears. Not only because her vocal range was amazing, and showed just how far she has come since her High School Musical days, but her perseverance she had to go out in front of a love audience after the passing of her father and give a knockout performance showed just how talented and strong she really is. Did anybody else see her cutie boyfriend Austin Butler sitting in the stands?! I did!!
“Pink Ladies” Marty (Keke Palmer) and Frenchy (Carly Rae Jepson) surprisingly did a great job as well, particularly Carly Rae Jepson, not to take away from Palmer’s performance, but Jepson did an excellent job as sweetheart Frenchy. She had this nurturing way about her just as Didi Conn had in the original. Jepson’s voice just matched Didi Conn’s perfectly, which just solidified her portrayal for me, Conn has a very unique tone that everyone, after watching the original, remembers. So upon hearing that I was thrilled. Devout Greasers out there have better picked up on the fact that original Frenchy Didi Conn came back for the remake but as waitress Vi who consoles Frenchy after she confesses she dropped out of beauty school. It was such a sentimental moment and you can tell that Conn was relishing in each moment. It was such a nice surprise to have one of the originals back for the remake.
Keke Palmer brought her swag, sensuality and big voice to the small screen as Marty Maraschino, boy obsessed “Pink Lady” who has a thing for men overseas, and the gift of being a swell pen pal. Palmer sang her heart out with the original musical’s number “Freddy My Love.” As she sang you noticed that she was performing with actual servicemen sitting in the front row, which made the moment that much more special. She nailed it for sure, her modern day swag added an element of comedy that was refreshing.
Carlos Penavega was one hot Kenickie! His Latin looks and bulky muscles complemented Kenickie’s character swimmingly. Penavega, now a devout man of God, was able to bring out his inner bad boy and really have this character shine. He brought attitude when needed, but when he and Rizzo (Vanessa Hudgens) had their serious moments he brought out a more sensitive feel to Kenickie’s character, which was nice to see. Him and Hudgens worked well together, and definitely portrayed Rizzo and Kenickie’s intense chemistry to a T.
Special moments that stood out to be were the scene in the gym where National Bandstand was there to film the students of Rydell High. The dancing was great. Hough and Tveit had great partnership, and the choreography flowed right through them. Hudgens and Penavega were hilarious with their hip movements and other inappropriate moves that led them to be disqualified from the contest.
Another scene that I think just made Danny and Sandy’s characters that much more real was when they are at the drive-in movie theatre and Sandy explains that the reason for her being apprehensive in front of the cameras was because her strict parents didn’t know that she was going to the dance with bad boy Danny, and that if they saw her on television, she wouldn’t be allowed to see him anymore. With Danny’s heartfelt response of, “It’s nice that you have parents who care that much about you.” made all of our hearts melt, but then slightly break when he tells Sandy that his parents don’t really care about anything. That one little scene just made me understand their characters so much more, and showed the audience that these “characters” could have substantial conversations with each other, that back then, in those days it wasn’t all about looks and status, they really care about each other.
The scene towards the end of the production where Danny and Sandy sing, “You’re the One That I Want,” took me right back to the original movie. When Julianne Hough comes through the gym doors dressed as bad girl Sandy, with high wasted black pants, off the shoulder top, teased curly hair, and red lips and heels, it was almost as if we were watching Olivia Newton-John, she KILLED it!! Her and Tveitt vocally and choreographically blew everyone away, and viewers couldn’t help but let out a big AWW when the did the classic hip shake partner dance move just as the John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John did way back when.
The appearances by current vocalist celebs added a modern feel that complemented the retro feel of the plot and set. Did anyone else notice Joe Jonas lyric flub during his performance at the school dance. One may look at it as a dramatic pause, but devout Greasers know that it was a flub lol, it’s okay Joe we still love you!
Grease Live was truly a fantastic production! A mix of retro and modern, which takes a lot of skill was pulled off with perfection. I also believe that for people, mostly children that maybe aren’t familiar with the original stage play or movie, that Grease Live will give them a chance to appreciate a oldie but goodie story that has touched so many people, including myself, because seeing it with stars they recognize will in turn make them more receptive. Please watch it if you didn’t catch it last night. Congrats to FOX for a job well done.