Despite a few problems,and even though, at three time,the creation seemed extremely lengthy,”Grease:Live” was above all a lot of fun.
Fox brought up the bar on TV musicals Sunday evening with its ambitious, extremely dynamic and mostly interesting “Grease:Stay.”
Even though the musical show is set in 1959, and the film “Grease” came out in 1978, the new variation experienced amazingly fresh, presenting young (if not necesarily high-school-young) celebrities these days as the T-Birds and Pink Ladies, looking for love at Rydell High.
The climate did not work with the opening, in which Jesse J sang “Grease Is the Word” while strutting from behind the scenes, through dressing areas and onto the road at the Warner Bros studio lot. The joyful scene,with crowds behind ropes and accessories and the Pink Ladies storing the English pop musician, was dressed with vibrant umbrellas because of El Nino showers in Los Angeles.
Aaron Tveit, as Danny, and Julianne Hough, as Sandy did not have much chemistry and originally seemed firm, although Hough flourished a bit as the show went on. Both were best in the show’s passionate dance numbers, especially the ending “You’re the One That I Want.” Hough,a “Dancing With the Stars” assess and former pro on the show,is obviously a better dancer than singer and was assigned with the show’s most challenging oral variety, “Hopelessly Devoted to You.”
Vanessa Hudgens, executing a day after her dad’s death from cancer, was both a trouper and a stand apart as Rizzo, displaying actual executing grinds as one of the show’s most poignant characters.
The throw of many (hundreds?) also involved Carly Rae Jepsen as Frenchy, Keke Palmer as Marty and Carlos Penavega as Kenickie.Fun cameos for old viewers involved Didi Conn, the very first Frenchy, as waiteress Vi, Wendell Pierce as Coach Calhoun and Ana Gasteyer as Principal McGee.Joe Jonas conducted at the big dance, and Boys II Men were “Teen Angel.” And yes, that was Eve Plumb (Jan on “The Brady Bunch”) in the garage scene.
Thomas Kail of Broadway’s beat hit “Hamilton” instructed fearlessly,and outfits by the famous William Ivey Long assisted many necessary fast changes.
On the less part, conversation seemed muffled throughout, creating improvements between loud and soft scenes difficult, and the sound went out entirely for several lengthy a few moments during the “Hand Jive” number. The live audiences was sometimes observed, other periods not. In particular, Fox erred by pushing Mario Lopez (oh, why?) into beginning behind-the-scenes minutes, smashing the feelings even more than uncomfortable cuts down to professional did.
But film director Kail and the producers of “Grease:Live” know the concept about making the audiences cheering, and the big carnival finale and prolonged chance for cast members to take bows certainly did that. The rain had even stopped by that period.
In a nice touch, the production was dedicated,”In adoring memory of Greg Hudgens,” Vanessa Hudgens’ father.
