Like most of the world last night, I sat comfortably on my couch, wrapped in a blanket, watching Grease Live!
I have always been into musicals. In high school I was in the dance troupe for Oklahoma!, Bye Bye Birdie, and Good News. I have also choreographed Footloose, and The Wizard of Oz since graduating. So naturally I was psyched when I heard about Grease Live! I was even more psyched when I read the cast line up. Vanessa Hudgens as Rizzo, Julianne Hough as Sandy, Keke Palmer as Marty, Carly Rae Jepson as Frenchy, Aaron Tveit as Danny and Carlos Penavega as Kenicke. How can you go wrong with allstar cast like that? And then to top it off Didi Con played Vi! I don't think the show could have been casted any better.
The sets were incredible, the dancing was phenomenal, the costumes were colorful and perfect. I can't say enough good things about this production. But there were some cons I felt could have been done a little better or a little differently. The Greased Lightning scene, although a great scene and probably one of my favorites, I think could have had some kind of ode to the original choreography. You know, the pointing up and to the side move. I enjoyed the modern take on the scene and including girls in the dance, but as I was sitting on the couch my arms were doing the pointing movements from the original movie. It would have been cool to include even just once. One thing I thought this scene did incredibly well was the quick changes. It was insane how fast they changed from one outfit to another, and in my opinion everyone working on a car should wear a sparkly jumpsuit and break out into song and dance.
Another scene I was not so thrilled with was the racing scene. This seems to be a theme throughout other reviews I've read as well. It looked too fake, you could tell the cars were not moving and the acting in this scene didn't seem up to par with the other scenes. However, I am not too sure how this scene could have been any different. There is only so much space on a movie lot it isn't like they could have actually been racing around the lot. But the effects were a little too cheesy in my opinion. Maybe making the camera a little less stable would have made it look a little rougher, giving it that racing feel.
The last thing I wasn't the biggest fan of with this production was Mario Lopez both hosting it, and being in it. He only hosted the beginning, I would have liked to see someone who was not in the show hosting, or maybe not even having anyone to host. It isn't necessary to have anyone talking before the commercial breaks.
My favorite scene of course was a toss up between the school dance scene and the carnival scene. These were my favorite scenes in the movie too. I just love scenes with high energy, lots of dancing and catchy songs that will be stuck in my head for days. And can we talk about Joe Jonas's band DNCE killing it as Johnny Casino and the Gamblers? Whoever did casting for this show needs to win an award.
I just want to send out a huge THANK YOU to Fox, the cast and crew of the show and to anyone else who made this event happen. And I want to give Vanessa Hudgens a virtual hug. Girl, you ROCKED Rizzo all while going through what I can only imagine is one of the hardest moments of your life. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers. Love you girl!
I want to end with my suggestion for the next broadway turned TV live production. My vote goes to either West Side Story, Chicago or Bye Bye Birdie. I am already imagining Nick Jonas as Conrad Birdie.
