Full disclosure: I'm not the biggest Grease fan. Maybe it's because there's no showstopping number by a big-voiced diva—the show never required much in the way of pipes or Broadway bravado—but it's certainly a fun musical and the perfect one to introduce to a new generation. In its first foray into the increasingly popular live musical genre, Fox kinda knocked it out of the park with Grease: Live.
While it wasn't as transcendent an experience as NBC's The Wiz, Grease was easily the most ambitious live musical to Fosse down the pike. A talented and diverse cast, some crafty blocking, defiant outdoor scenes in the middle of El Niño and impressive direction by Hamilton's Thomas Kail brought the '70's musical about the '50s hand-jiving into the 21st century. Here, 15 things we learned from Grease: Live.
Sure, Danny and Sandy are the main stars of Grease, but Rizzo is the best part. That sassy bad girl with an even sassier crop cut is the original mean girl. She doesn't just wear pink on Wednesdays, she's rocking it: Every. Day. High School Musical alum Vanessa Hudgens is no stranger to spontaneously breaking out into song in a hallway, but the Hudge was giving you pathos—she lost her father only hours before taking the stage and dedicated her performance to him.
Bravo.
Don't sleep on Jessie J. Now that she's got short hair again, she's ready to start snatching wigs. The Brit songstress opened the show singing the title tune during one long, masterful continuous strut shot in one long, masterful continuous take.
Aaron Tveit was serving you gams and guns as Danny Zuko, and while I get the whole bad boy leather jacket Marlon Brando in The Wild One thing—c'mon.
Speaking of men in short-shorts, this sexy trio's got spirit. Yas. Yas they do.
I'm pretty sure she's a ninja. A short, blonde, ponytailed assassin. Sandy the Vampire Slayer over here.
Though the Grammys and the general public may have missed the memo, Carly Rae Jepsen put out the best pop album of last year, and maybe of the last 10 years. Undaunted, Jepsen brought all the pluck one must have in a Taylor Swift world to her role as Frenchy.
Keke Palmer brought equal parts Earth Kitt, Diana Ross and Whitney Houston to her performance as Marty Maraschino—like the cherry—and she also got to pull off the best wardrobe witchcraft of the night.
If Ana Gasteyer (Principal McGee) and Haneefah Wood (Blanche) had more screen time they would've run away with the entire show.
As the Teen Angels, Boyz II Men proved their CooleyHighHarmonies are still as tight as their suit jackets.
Never forget:
[[{"fid":"287966","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","field_folder[und]":"8704","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"slater","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"","media_title[und][0][value]":"","media_description[und][0][value]":"","field_credit[und]":"","field_tags[und]":"","field_license[und]":"none"},"type":"media","attributes":{"alt":"slater","class":"media-element file-default"}}]]
Mario Lopez, aging like a fine wine, played meta-host to not only Grease: Live but also National Bandstand as Vince Fontaine.
The Jets and the Sharks may have the T-Birds beat when it comes to singing and dancing, but the matching lamé jumpsuits really drove the Greased Lighting homo home. It's like they're tracing a rainbow across the sky.
The school dance is always the best part of any Grease incarnation and with professional hoofers Julianne Hough and Aaron Tveit going at it—as well as all the tricky camera work involved—Grease: Live hit an acrobatic peak.
Nothing quite says "family entertainment" like simulating a blow job on the dancefloor, i.e. a typical Saturday night.
Judging from all the "yas kweening" from the live audience, no one will ever get tired of seeing good old Sandra Dee turn it out in her spandex tights.
The racing sequence was less dangerous than driving a golf cart around set. That poor woman in the blue cardigan swore this was the end.
READER COMMENTS (