When “Grease” was announced to be the next live musical performance on TV, some people were excited and others were weary. After all, “The Sound of Music” and “Peter Pan” did not measure up to some people’s expectations and many assumed this would do the same. But the general audience could not have been more wrong.
When it first started and there was the pale imitations of Danny and Sandy, talking in front of an obviously fake beach scene, then the slicked back hair of the T-birds that just seemed so strange and then to the copied speech and accents of the original movie that seemed too forced and fake, I was skeptical. But that changed after “Summer Nights,” and then I was deeply invested. There were some obvious changes due to the fact that it was live, like instead of a football field and an outside cafeteria there was an indoor gymnasium. There was also the pleasant lack of smoking every twelve seconds, simply because the attitude around smoking has changed so drastically. Sandra also did not have her charming Australia accent, but that didn’t affect Julianne Hough’s performance.
As the performance went on, it became obvious that everyone took “Grease” seriously, and gave it their all to pay their homage to the classic. Julianne Hough and Arron Tviet and the rest of the all-star cast delivered in the best way they knew how to ensure that the well-loved film wouldn’t be tainted. (Vanessa Hudgens’s father died earlier that day and she went and dedicated that stellar performance to her father. Talk about being strong! And don't forget the fact that this is her second time singing since her “high school” career). Producers were trying to stick to the classic as much as possible, but also trying to keep it in a way that made sense to 2016. For example, more diversity in the cast because the cultural attitudes and modern movements call for it. Plus Keke Palmer is amazing in her role.There were also some additions of songs that were in the stage version of “Grease” that didn’t make it into the movie, like Marty’s “Freddie My Love.” There were also some of the famous lyrics changed to make the show more appropriate for family-friendly television.
Boys II Men made their appearance in “Beauty School Dropout,” as well as Didi Conn who played the original Frenchy in the movie, but this time appeared as Vi the waitress. All in all, the reviews were pretty positive for Fox and it was interesting to see the “modern” version of this classic movie that has spawned for many generations.
What hasn’t changed is how catchy those songs are.
