Oscar History
Film Bitch History
Welcome

The Film Experience™ was created by Nathaniel R. All material herein is written by our team.

This site is not for profit but for an expression of love for cinema & adjacent artforms. 

Powered by Squarespace
DON'T MISS THIS

Follow TFE on Substackd 

COMMENTS

Oscar Takeaways
12 thoughts from the big night

 

Keep TFE Strong

We're looking for 500... no 390 SubscribersIf you read us daily, please be one.  

I ♥ The Film Experience

THANKS IN ADVANCE

What'cha Looking For?
Subscribe
« TweetWeek: From Idris Elba Doubled to Grease Live! | Main | RuPaul's Drag Race is Back, Squirrelfriends »
Tuesday
Feb022016

FOX's "Grease! Live" = The Best Live TV Musical Yet

My name is Dancin' Dan and I LOVED Grease! Live.

When Fox announced they were getting into the live musical game, with "America's Favorite Musical", Grease, there was reason to be skeptical. True, the home of American Idol seemed like a more natural fit for a live musical than NBC, but Grease is perhaps an even more iconic show than The Sound of Music, and we all know how that one turned out for NBC.

But then casting announcements kept rolling in, and they felt shockingly on point: Broadway heartthrob Aaron Tveit as bad-boy-with-a-heart-of-gold Danny Zuko. Dancing With the Stars alum Julianne Hough as eternal good girl Sandy Young. High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens as bad girl Rizzo, pop star and Broadway Cinderella Carly Rae Jepsen as air-headed beauty school dropout Frenchie, former child star Keke Palmer as sex-obsessed Marty.... could this actually work?

Ever since The Sound of Music's huge ratings more productions were certain and the evolution has been interesting to watch. Each of NBC's live musicals have been an improvement over the last, but none have been perfect: Peter Pan was marred by odd casting choices and curious changes to the show, and The Wiz, despite being handily the best of the three, felt oddly flat and stagebound. None of them have truly felt right.

Have you ever watched Mary Martin's live telecasts of Peter Pan or the live written-for-TV Rogers & Hammerstein Cinderella? Somehow, they worked both as filmed stage show AND as television, something none of the NBC musicals have managed to do.

But for Grease! Live, Fox decided to take a huge risk and add a highly unpredictable element: A live audience.

Say what you like about this particular live audience, but you can't deny that in each of the previous live musicals, the transition out of musical numbers into book scenes was awkward; you could feel the desire of the performers, and even the show itself, to hold for applause. While it's true that the loud hoots and hollers at the end of Hough's fine "Hopelessly Devoted" and Hudgens's tremendous "There Are Worse Things I Could Do" ruined the emotion, that also would have happened in a theater setting. The electricity the live audience brought to the "Hand Jive" scene, though, was simply irreplaceable.

Grease's director, Tommy Kail, and producer, Marc Platt, understood that this is a stage show written with a live audience in mind. There are broad jokes that simply don't work if you don't have a live audience laughing at the punchline (this was one of the biggest problems in The Wiz, which is filled with hokey humor that completely died on screen). And big production numbers like "Greased Lightning" and "Summer Nights" need the applause to truly feel finished.

Right from the beginning, when the camera pulled back to reveal Sandy and Danny standing in front of a projection of the ocean and Jessie J burst forth with the movie's title song, strutting through the massive backlot and soundstages where the live telecast would be filmed, it was clear that this would be an entirely different production from NBC's decidedly stagebound productions. It was also clear it would have a youthful energy completely different from the NBC musicals and, even better, completely appropriate for the material.

Grease continued to play with the camera in a way completely its own, smashing the fourth wall to pieces in invigorating ways. For evidence, watch Keke Palmer daydream her way out of the Pink Ladies' slumber party and straight into a USO Show while singing about "Freddy, My Love":

There isn't anything even remotely like it in any of the three NBC musicals. Then they pulled a similar trick with the one-take "montage" of Danny trying out different sports to "Those Magic Changes". The production was full of these uniquely cinematic touches that took Grease! Live to a whole other level, and it was thrilling to watch.

The script was an odd amalgam of the movie screenplay and books from the various Broadway versions, but this was still recongizably Grease in all the ways that mattered (they even managed to do the car chase from the movie). Although musical theater afficianados will take issue with the removal of some of the songs (most notably "Mooning"), especially for the new "All I Need is an Angel" for Frenchie which sounded like it came from a completely different show, the cast was winning enough to smooth over the more questionable decisions. Hough found the perfect vehicle for her bland prettiness and dance skills. Tveit brought out Danny's heart even in his most "bad boy" moments. Hudgens fit the role of Rizzo like a glove, and Palmer brought the perfect level of arch-ness to Marty. And the adults were great, too: Ana Gasteyer was a riot as the school principal, and Mario Lopez \perfectly lecherous as Vince Fontaine. The only big negative I could see (aside from occasional sound issues), was how much the costumes begged for comparison with the iconic movie - it's a pretty tall order to compare to John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John & Company.

On the whole, Grease! Live felt like the lightning in a bottle NBC has been trying so desperately to catch with its live musicals. The energy of the show was matched by Zach Woodlee's choreography, and reflected in Kail's direction, which easily navigated between the numerous sets and gave the whole thing the feeling of a real event. While NBC's The Wiz may have made a stronger case for itself as a potential Broadway transfer, Grease made the best case of any live musical yet for itself as a live, filmed musical. And that's the best possible outcome anyone could have hoped for. So, take a bow!

OH WAIT. THEY DID.

PrintView Printer Friendly Version

EmailEmail Article to Friend

Reader Comments (17)

"Grease is perhaps an even more iconic show than The Sound of Music" LOL. I can't with that sentence.

February 2, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterHayden W.

Yeah, i can't with that sentence either but otherwise I mostly agree. I kept being astounded at the professionalism of this which I have NEVER felt with a live TV musical broadcast. I think whoever did this needs to be hired to produce the big awards shows because this moved and it was inventive and fun.

that said, I still think Julianne Hough is a giant black hole of charisma. She is just too bland for words... and Olivia was never bland as Sandy. Goodness doesn't need to be bland.

February 2, 2016 | Registered CommenterNATHANIEL R

Dare I say that Vanessa Hudgens' "There Are Worse Things I Could Do" was stunningly beautiful and evoked the sadness and empathy of Stockard Channing's original.

LOVED LOVED LOVED

February 2, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterDAVID

It definitely took me a while to get into this production. I did instantly love the production value and camera movements, but Summer Lovin' felt weak and I was close to bailing until Keke's lively performances. Hand Jive was electric (even with the sound problems) and I found myself clapping at the end with each actor's curtain call. I hate saying Tveit was miscast, but other than drooling over his arms and short shorts, I didn't connect to him until close to the end. Also, that was not Cha-Cha, I refuse to believe that was supposed to be her.

February 2, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterJames

LOL, Hayden and Nathaniel - COME AT ME. Grease is just as, if not more, iconic than SOM through sheer force of will. Any boy dressed in jeans, T-shirt, and leather jacket or girl with pedal pushers or poodle skirt with a pink jacket and you know EXACTLY who/what they are, and those are the costumes for 90% of the show/movie. Nearly everyone knows the basic hand jive and the jibberish lyrics of "We Go Together". Wear any just about any one of Maria's outfits from SOM on Halloween and be prepared for everyone to ask you who you're dressed as. And does anyone know the choreography from "Do Re Mi" or "So Long, Farewell"? Practically every high school in America has staged Grease at one point or another, which keeps it alive.

David - Totally agree. And to do this having just lost her father makes it all the more impressive.

James - Yeah, if there was one issue of casting/performance, it was Cha Cha. She fell totally flat.

February 2, 2016 | Unregistered Commenterdenny

Huge KUDOS to Vanessa Hudgens, whose father passed away hours before the show and let the show go on. She plays the hell out of Rizzo, easy MVP imo.
LOL this pair of Sandy and Danny look like they should be worried about mortgages, rather than prom dates.
The camerawork is amazing though.

February 2, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterCraver

Not perfect, but a perfectly enjoyable evening of television. Contrary to some opinions, I liked the studio audience, because, like watching some Live from Lincoln Center performances, you could feel the love. With the camera still rolling as the actors moved off to the next set, it was super fun and "backstage-y" a la BIRDMAN.

A taped version of a live performance is NEVER great, but the director of Grease Live made smart choices about camera shots, angles, and even split screens which work well for TV.

Great:
Didn't know Julianne Hough could sing; she was a terrific Sandy
Ana Gasteyer and her sidekick, Haneefah Wood - give them a sitcom, please
Car race - well done, lighting and sound folks
Vanessa Hudgens- a consummate performer, esp in the midst of personal tragedy
Keke Palmer's number - so great, props to costume folks
2nd golf cart almost toppling over at the end - we screamed at home, love LIVE theater!
All the big ensemble numbers - there was so MUCH going on in the background, loved loved
Color-blind casting
Playful, fun, did not take itself too seriously - it's a silly, somewhat outdated musical, but this production entertained us for three solid hours. During the other live musicals, I did half a dozen other things while "watching".

Not So Great:
Aaron Tveit for Danny. Too old, no chemistry with anyone. I agree with the Vanity Fair recap- Zac Efron might have been better choice
Sanitizing the lyrics and dialogue - get over yourselves, censors
Frenchy/Jepsen new song - misplaced and just a bad song; were the producers hoping for a new single given her fan base? If so, they failed.

February 2, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterPam

The Jessie J opening set the tone......was this done on the Fox lot?
Disappointed in Miss Hough who looked more bland than "fresh faced" as Sandy. I have never seen Tviet; I thought it was a great casting choice. Yes, Vanessa Hudgens stole the show and I didn't think anyone could measure up to Stockard Channing. No mention of Boyz II Men as the Teen Angel? but another wonderful and different creative choice.
It seemed to run long and occasionally lost pace.....don't know if that was the new music or just book editing....
I have seen R&H's Cinderella which has lots of camera movement and Mary Martin's Peter Pan. (The test for that show is if you clap for Tinkerbell.) And this Grease sooo measures up
And Nathaniel, you are so right.....hire this team to broadcast the Oscars.........

February 2, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterLeslie19

I enjoyed it. Particularly as a technical wow. (Could have used a little more attention to clear storytelling for my taste.) But in all the praise everyone only talks about Tommy Kail as the director and lavishing him with kudos (probably because of his Hamilton connection). But, correct me if I'm wrong, but he co-directed with someone named Alex Rudzinski who is clearly the one with live TV and camera experience. To me, that was what made the event work (spectacular tv know-how). People should be shouting Mr. Rudzinski's name as well!

February 2, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterTom M

Denny, Nathaniel—I mean, I buy the argument but I want to say for the record that Grease is iconic because of its endless life on television and its weird draw to people with no taste.

I have seen all of Grease but I don't believe I've ever seen it the entire way through. That's how ALIVE AND WELL Grease was on television, before they staged it live on television.

At this rate they should do a How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days: Live!

February 2, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterHayden W.

More iconic is different than better.

And Grease is more iconic and prevalent in pop culture nowadays than Sound of Music

February 2, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterPotter

Thank you, Hayden.

And "iconic" (like its cousin "diva") is so overused that you could practically call it misused.

February 2, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterPaul Outlaw

I think this was the most complex thing I have ever seen presented on live TV. The only equivalent is something like the Olympics but that mostly just involves lots and lots of cameras in different locations. More a feat of camera coordination while this was a coordination of everything. I was quite impressed.

That being said, as I was watching it and struggling to hear everything I said to my sofamates that I hope they clean up the sound when they go to put it on DVD. It proved the point I always make that sound is the most difficult thing to get right.

For me, Keke Palmer & Vanessa Hudgens were best in show after the spectacle itself. I liked the guy who played the guitar and have no idea who that was, and I loved Aaron Tveit's costuming throughout. I haven't liked a black suit with vibrant colored shirts that much since Bernardo in West Side Story!

February 2, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterDave in Hollywood

As Anna Kendrick tweeted : "This is the role @juliannehough's ass was born to play!"
She has a good set of pipes as well.

Tommy Kail & Alex Rudzinski + camera and crew were exceptional - Birdman won an Oscar and wasn't this good.
Cast was next level in terms of choreography -Gasteyer is hitting that Eve Arden sweet spot.
I was pleasantly surprised by Carly rae Jepsen who looked the part, was good with her lines, and danced well. That new song didn't wow me, but I really liked her and the guy with the guitar.

That finale was tremendous and showed a confidence that has been missing from the other televised musicals. I am not going to poke holes or snark at this exceptional production.
Brava!!

February 2, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterLadyEdith

orignal frenchy! original doody! jan brady!!

new doody was the standout

the girl playing patty simcox was the worst actress i've ever seen outside of porn

February 2, 2016 | Unregistered Commenterpar

Honestly...when I heard they cast Vanessa Hudgens as Rizzo I was like "tf ??? that basic bitch?" but she really turned it out. She was great. ESPECIALLY considering what's going on with her personally.

February 2, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterPhilip H.

Goddamn, I love Aaron Tveit.

This was so wonderful. Better than the NBC efforts, for sure.

What I liked:
-The aforementioned Mr. Tveit. I've always loved his singing voice and seeing him thrusting and dancing cemented my love.
-The casting was on point.
-Choreography was awesome. My favourite was Born to Hand Jive (of course) and Greased Lightning.
-Freddy My Love - very creative staging indeed

Lukewarm:
-Frenchy's new song. Totally unnecessary
-While I loved the casting of Boyz II Men, I thought they sang off-key at times

Do not want:
-Joe Jonas. I thought he made a mistake in signing one line, or was it just me?

February 4, 2016 | Unregistered CommenterMel
Member Account Required
You must have a member account to comment. It's free so register here.. IF YOU ARE ALREADY REGISTERED, JUST LOGIN.