"Grease: Live" premiered Sunday, Jan. 31, and surprisingly, I really enjoyed it. I'll admit that at first I was a total skeptic, and as a "Grease" fan, the mere idea of trying to replicate such an iconic musical was simply dumbfounding to me. I didn't understand why they would chance ruining my favorite musical of all time. And although I was interested in seeing how the cast and crew would pull off something of this scale, I wasn't sure how I, or others, would react to not seeing the beloved pair of Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta hand-jiving in the gym. However, after seeing the live performance, I was totally on board. Even without everything I love about "Grease," I found myself cheering on the students of the new Rydell High, hoping that the actors would ring that victory bell (like they've always wanted to).
The spectacle began by setting an upbeat and fun-loving tone with Jessie J (stylishly) running through what seemed like endless backstage hallways and outside sets of the production, singing "Grease Is The Word." I think it was essential for the director to get everyone to forget about the famous past versions of the musical, namely the movie, and I believe that Jessie J's performance achieved just that. Straight from the start, she pumped up the atmosphere, and her version was a great modern twist to such an easily recognizable song. Just three minutes into the performance I was already praising the superb camera work and musical beats that came with her performance, and I hadn't even seen any of the main characters yet.
Nevertheless, I felt myself being sucked into the world of "Grease: Live."
That pull got even stronger when I saw the T-Birds saunter onto the set. The scene opened with Kenickie (Carlos PenaVega), Sonny (Andrew Call), Putzie (David Del Rio), and Doody (Jordan Fisher), messing around in the typical T-Bird fashion before the first day of school began. They each seemed to be masters of the stereotypical bad boy strut, and I was happily surprised each and every time they swaggered across the set.
I then took notice of Danny (Aaron Tveit), the head T-Bird himself, leaning against the lockers. He definitely didn't ooze the effortless cool that Danny Zuko should, but his acting wasn't terrible. At this point, I could already tell that he wasn't going to compete with John Travolta's swagger and roughness in the movie version, but he did send me momentary flickers of the bad boy that he had the potential to be. That being said, I noted that he seemed old compared to the rest of the cast. Not that this was necessarily a bad thing, because none of the cast were anywhere near teenagers, but Tveit looked more like a teacher than a high school student.
Next, the Pink Ladies came in, led by Rizzo (Vanessa Hudgens). The girls sauntered in a royal fashion, donned in their signature pink jackets, and simply effused the idea that they ruled the school. After the bell rang and they shook their hips off set, Sandy (Julianne Hough) bumped into Frenchy (Carly Rae Jepsen), and the merriment of commencement commenced.
"Summer Nights" was the first big performance. Though the song was not the most iconic in past versions, nor the most difficult choreographically, it was the first song of the musical where each of the main actors had a chance to truly display their talents. Danny and Sandy each recounted their summer adventures together to their friends, and suddenly it was like the small spark that had hooked me in the beginning transformed into a giant, burning flame. The harmonies between Sandy and Danny effortlessly blended together, and even gave me chills. Together, Sandy and Danny, as well as their friends, gave a performance that alluded to "Grease"'s iconic "Summer Nights" scene, while adding a new jazzy style and making it their own.
Julianne Hough surprised me with her vocal ability in the song, and led me to discover that she isn't all dance; Hough has some pipes. But despite how much she impressed me, Tveit stole the scene. Again, his acting was second-rate, but his singing and dancing made him blossom. He led the T-Birds in a hip-thrust-filled sequence on the bleachers, which was just what was needed to make me forget about John Travolta's suggestive antics from the movie.
The next song performed continued to pull me into the world of "Grease: Live." During the sleepover scene in Frenchy's bedroom, when everyone expected "Look At Me I'm Sandra Dee," Marty (Keke Palmer) began singing "Freddy My Love," and the song was effortlessly classy and cool. Frenchy's bedroom smoothly transitioned into a USO stage, which of course was physically impossible without the amazing camera work or the hi-tech moving stage parts, but nonetheless, Palmer had my eye. A moment that could have been passed over became a highlight of the entire musical, and Palmer definitely made Marty a key player in the production.
Likewise, "Look At Me I'm Sandra Dee" began my obsession with Vanessa Hudgens as Rizzo. Rizzo is arguably one of the most complicated characters in the musical, and the actress playing her has to convey a certain sense of coolness, as well as passion. It's easy to see where Rizzo could be portrayed badly, but Hudgens was no where near that level. She was a dream playing Rizzo, blond Sandy wig and all.
The T-Birds too merited some attention. Carlos PenaVega, most known for being a member of the boy band Big Time Rush, played Kenickie, and I didn't really know what to expect. I didn't pay him much attention until "Greased Lighting," though I should have. He played a genius second-in-command to Zuko in the song, and made the macho man vibe that Kenickie exudes his own. PenaVega showed off his amazing dance abilities in the song as well, which could have easily been lost amid all the impressive technology and flashiness. During "Greased Lightning" I couldn't help but smile and get pumped up with Kenickie and the rest of the T-Birds, no matter how much I wanted to see Travolta descending from the ceiling on the car engine. It was the fact that the actors and dancers gave the scene their all that made me feel good.
Another admirable aspect of the musical was Doody's (Jordan Fisher) rendition of "Those Magic Changes." Trust me, the scene was mega swoon-worthy, and if you don't believe me, consider that the track was the most downloaded song after the musical's release. If you ask me, Fisher just became the heartthrob of the year with his smooth serenade and his six-string.
Doody's song ends back at Frosty Palace, where Frenchy gets her time in the limelight. She sings an original song, "All I Need Is An Angel," which was not the most spectacular performance, but it perfectly melded into the next song, "Beauty School Dropout." Boyz II Men sang the song, and the performance was legendary. Adorned with classic boy band dance moves and an R&B flare, they were the perfect fit to serenade Frenchy.
After the Boyz II Men angels ascend, the most anticipated event (the dance) occurs, and the hand-jiving ensues. The scene started a little slow, and was impeded slightly by Mario Lopez's less-than-superb version of Vince Fontaine, but it picked right back up when the actors switched their Converse for their dancing shoes. There was a minor technical difficulty when the sound stopped working momentarily, but that did not dissuade me: I was focused on the high-energy hand-jive. The actual hand-jive moves themselves were changed, but I didn't even care because of how electrifying the rest of the song was. Also, I thought Hough was going to steal the scene (after all, it seemed like it would be her territory), but again, Tveit stole the show. Danny, fashioned in his classic black suit with hot pink shirt and accents, danced both with Sandy and "Cha-Cha" (Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer), and I never wanted him to sit down.
It's at this point in the musical when Sandy runs off to sing about her sorrows. Usually viewed as the most boring song of the musical, I think Hough did a commendable job with "Hopelessly Devoted To You." She can actually sing, and she perfectly embodied the clean-cut, wholesome student that Sandy is supposed to be. This was also demonstrated in the next scene at the drive-in. The scene gave me a chance to see Tveit shine as he belted out "Sandy." With a ballad, Tveit seemed much more in his element. He dazzled me much more playing the sorrowful, longing Danny, singing about love in the moonlight, than the rebel-without-a-cause Danny, singing about cars.
The third slower, more emotional song was "There Are Worse Things I Could Do." Again, Hudgens impressed me as Rizzo. She delivered a raw, emotional performance that deserves to be commended. "Baby V" definitely grew up into a spectacular actress and performer, and she deserves every bit of credit one can give her.
Transitioning to Thunder Road, the gang geared up to race the Scorpions. In a twist of events, Kenickie played the good guy and decided that he wanted Danny to drive for him. The next thing you know, Danny was purposely hitting Kenickie with the car door, so it didn't look like Kenickie was backing out of the race due to fear. It was cheesy and almost confusing, but the cast somehow managed to pull it off. However, the actual race itself could have been improved. Of course, the cast couldn't drive actual cars on a stage, and the attempt to make it look that way was admirable, even if it failed. It was by far the worst scene in my opinion, rigged with very fake-looking fog, loud, harsh music and cheesy, supposedly aggressive acting from Tveit and Sam Clark, who played Leo the Scorpion.
The ending totally redeemed the Thunder Road scene. "You're The One That I Want" and "We Go Together" were the ultimate mood-boosters, and I was definitely pumped up by the performance. Although some parts of the songs were filmed in the gym, which took away some of the appeal, the actors were clearly having the time of their lives, and I wanted so badly to be right there next to them screaming the lyrics. Hough totally embodied the leather-clad, "Tell me about it, stud" Sandy. She turned her previously sweet, cutesy performance into the sexually charged one that it needed to be.
I'm not saying that "Grease: Live" is the musical of 2016, as it definitely fell short for me in some respects; but after seeing it, I wanted nothing more than to be transported to the 1950s so that I could be in the Pink Lady gang. I longed to be a part of the musical, somehow, anyhow, and I think that's the mark of a good show. I didn't care that not everything was spectacular; what mattered was that I enjoyed what was performed.
So to all the skeptics: just watch it. You'll fall in love with some aspect of the musical -- trust me.
My final words are dedicated to the musical itself: You were electrifyin'.
