Broadcasting live musical productions has become the next big thing to do on TV. NBC started the trend with “The Sound of Music,” “Peter Pan” and “The Wiz,” but Fox made its live musical debut with “Grease: Live” on Jan. 31. The production was broadcast to much hype from theater fans and newcomers alike. A celebrity-studded cast saw some fantastic highs and a few questionable lows.
The stage musical, a theatrical adaptation of the classic 1978 John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John film, follows a group of rebellious high school students in the ‘50s, led by the T-Birds greaser gang and the Pink Ladies, as they navigate their teenage problems.
“Grease: Live” was led by Aaron Tveit (“Les Miserables”) and Julianne Hough (“Safe Haven”) as protagonists Danny and Sandy, respectively. Tveit is a well-known star in the Broadway world, originating lead roles in “Next to Normal” and “Catch Me If You Can,” and has made a name for himself in popular media. Hough, namely known as a dancer, comes from “Dancing with the Stars” fame as well as sporting a modest music career. Tveit showed his experience in his stellar dancing, top-notch voice and charming acting. He was very comfortable in the suave, magnetic role of Danny Zuko and added heart to a character who is most often rather two-dimensional. Hough was surprisingly good as Sandy, with only a couple of off moments in her singing. She embodied the wide-eyed innocence of the role and topped it all off with showstopping dance moves.
The rest of the Rydell students were a mixed bag. Vanessa Hudgens (“Spring Breakers”) of “High School Musical” fame stole the show as Rizzo, the fearless leader of the Pink Ladies. Although she announced her father’s death the morning of the broadcast, she still performed hours later and completely nailed it nonetheless. Her rendition of “There Are Worse Things I Could Do” perfectly lived up to the original. Kenickie, Danny’s best friend, was played by musical newcomer Carlos PenaVega (“Pixies”), who’s most known for being part of the band Big Time Rush. He was fine, but largely forgettable, as the gruff T-Bird gang member.
Carly Rae Jepsen, known mostly for explosive pop hit “Call Me Maybe,” was weakest of the main cast. She was mediocre at best as Frenchy, which was only fueled by the awkward new song added for her character, “All I Need is an Angel.” The song was unnecessary, didn’t fit with the rest of the music, was too low for Jepson’s range and her pop style stuck out in the context of the musical. On the other hand, Keke Palmer (“Scream Queens”), who has graced the Broadway stage in “Cinderella,” shone in her role as Marty and added her own personality to “Freddy My Love,” turning it into a shining showstopper. Similarly, Jordan Fisher (“Teen Beach Movie”) impressed viewers as Doody as he crooned to audience members during the ballad “Those Magic Changes.”
The cast was joined by a few unexpected celebrity appearances, including Boyz II Men as the Teen Angels performing “Beauty School Dropout” and Joe Jonas’ new band DNCE as Johnny Casino and the Gamblers. Mario Lopez acted as the host for the broadcast as well as Vince Fontaine in the musical itself, which was only strange and confusing. Overall, these appearances kept the audience from losing themselves in the show.
A number of key songs from the musical were left out to the dismay of fans, including “Mooning,” “It’s Raining on Prom Night” and “Alone at a Drive-In Movie.”
A hard-worn female mechanics teacher was added to the cast of characters, assumably to try to counteract the criticism of the show’s traditional gender roles. While it was a little strange at some parts, she was a fun character with some solid one-liners and proper respect from the whole T-Bird gang. The show was also wonderfully racially diverse, with main roles snagged by Palmer, Fisher, PenaVega and Hudgens.
The show’s strong suit was undoubtedly large-scale dance numbers. “Born to Hand Jive” was definitely the peak of the musical. The number saw the entire ensemble dancing their hearts out live, with stunning moves throughout the whole song.
Overall, “Grease: Live” was a fun, talent-filled event, and it provides hope that the quality of live TV musicals is only going up.
