On Sunday afternoon I was sitting in my dressing room at the theatre I work at, laughing with my castmates about the newest live musical. We were predicting what of that night's broadcast would be the most catastrophic. Would it be the singing? The production value? Carly Rae Jepson? I mean, could you blame us? The live musicals of the past have left much to be desired. The one thing we did agree on was that we wouldn't hate on Vanessa Hudgens, since as we all know, her father passed away Saturday night. We finished our show and headed our separate ways to watch Grease Live unfold. With this being Fox's first attempt at a musical (NBC having produced The Sound of Music Live, Peter Pan Live, and The Wiz Live the last three years), I was expecting a tragedy.
Boy, was I wrong.
Within five minutes, I was completely drawn in, and knew that this would not be your ordinary musical broadcast. The opening number had barely finished and Fox was already sending the message to NBC to step up their game. I was worried at first though. That green screen behind Danny and Sandy at the very beginning was incredibly corny and fake, but the second the camera panned out and started that Birdman-like cinematography as Jessie J belted her face off, I was relieved. I loved the touch of showing the backstage lots, the cast getting ready, the crew preparing... it made the whole thing all the more authentic.
Just before we went to our first commercial break, lo and behold Mario Lopez appeared! I may or may not have screamed. I love him.
When we got back from commercials, the real show started. Below, I'm going to go through my favorite and not-so-favorite parts of Grease Live, just in case you missed my incessant livetweets from last night.
There was really only one part of the show that really bothered me, and that was Frenchy's song in the diner, followed by "Beauty School Dropout." Now, I will say this -- I still haven't forgiven Carly Rae Jepson for her performance in Cinderella on Broadway. I heard bootlegs. They give me nightmares to this day. I was incredibly critical of her last night, but she still seemed flat and incredibly nasal. I think I would have liked the new song penned for this broadcast if someone else was singing it, honestly. "Beauty School Dropout" too was flat. I thought the vocals coming from Boys II Men were good (THAT RIFFING! Be still my heart!), but the whole point of the song was completely abandoned. Carly Rae just looked confused the entire time (and not in an actor kind of way), and the ensemble was hardly noticeable. I was extremely disappointed with that song, a song I had been really looking forward to.
Now, the good parts! This part is so much more fun! Heeeeeere we go!
***A note to the Grease movie purists reading this review: I would like for you to open your minds juuuuuust a smidge before screaming at me after reading this.***
Julianne Hough completely surprised me. I completely forgot she could sing -- I only just remembered on my way to work this morning that she once tried to make it as a country singer. Her vocals were really lovely, and her portrayal as Sandy was the perfect amount of sweet. It made her transformation at the end of the show that much more drastic.
Aaron Tveit did not disappoint. Now I'll be honest, I was really concerned at the very beginning. His first few lines seemed really forced. I'm chalking that up to nerves. By "Summer Nights," he seemed to have settled in to his normal performer groove, and he was completely owning the classic leather jacket and greaser hair. I could listen to that man sing all day. His smooth voice made me fall in love with Danny Zuko like never before (sorry John Travolta). Also, his DANCING! Now I saw Mr. Tveit in Catch Me If You Can on Broadway, quite a dance-heavy show, and his moves last night blew me away. I had no idea he could dance like that! Well done, Aaron. This Tveiter Tot is extremely proud of you -- now please go back to Broadway for a little bit, k?
Vanessa Hudgens blew. my. mind. I've never been the biggest Vanessa fan, mainly because of my bitter jealousy over the fact that she dated Zac Efron, but with one song I am a full-blown fan now. She surprised me in Gigi at the Kennedy Center, but her range of talent shone last night as Rizzo. Her performance was dynamic, sexy, snarky, and powerful. She was a complete standout. Her rendition of "There are Worse Things I Could Do" gave me chills. Especially after the day she must have had, I have more respect and admiration for her than ever. Bravo, Gabriella!
Keke Palmer. SING girl! I knew she had a voice, but I didn't know she had that voice. I was impressed and pleased. Her costume change during "Freddy My Love" was excellent -- props to Tony-Award winning costumer designer William Ivey Long for that work of genius.
One of the biggest standouts to me was Elle McLemore as Patty Simcox. I've heard her name around the theatre circles, but I was never really got into Heathers or Bring It On to become a huge fan. She was a complete scene-stealer. I couldn't stop watching her the entire time she was onscreen. I hope she's getting all the love and recognition that she deserves. Her chemistry with Eugene was adorable and hilarious.
Who do I think stole the show, you ask? BLANCHE. My goodness. That woman had me cracking up all night long. I think that's all I need to say about her, because... well, you know. She was perfect.
My favorite parts of the show were "Greased Lightning" and "Born to Hand Jive." The choreography was insane, the quick-changes of costumes AND CAR had my mouth on the floor, and the entire ensemble was perfectly in sync, both in steps and fierceness. Carlos PenaVega was an outstanding Kenickie, and after watching him on Dancing With the Stars, I knew he would nail the dancing, which he did. I loved the Hand Jive. The entire cast threw their entire hearts and souls into that number, and it was executed beautifully. My jaw was on the floor the entire time during both those numbers
I cannot post this review without giving a major shout out to Thomas Kail on his genius directing, and David Korins on the most detailed sets on a live musical ever. The entire broadcast felt like a movie, and I had to keep remind myself that this was all being done live with brilliant precision and careful choregraphing. The entire creative team behind this project needs to be heavily commended.
All in all, it was an incredibly triumphant night for the theatre community, and the bar has definitely been raised for future live musicals (I'm looking at you, NBC doing Hairspray Live this year! Don't. Mess. It. Up.). I mean guys. I already pre-ordered the DVD. I've never done that before, so you know that means I really loved it.
What did you think? Did you have chills? Were they multiplying? Did you totally lose control like I did? Or did you think it was a bust? Post your comments below!
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