Just like any other girl, I am quite a fan of the legendary movie “Grease” starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. So, when I heard FOX was airing something called “Grease Live!” I just had to see what it was all about.
When I first turned “Grease Live!” on I saw the runtime was three hours and 30 minutes. Okay, I thought. I’ll just watch about half the movie. I figured since it was so long it wouldn’t be that good and would just drag on.
Boy was I wrong.
The live musical started off just like the movie with Danny and Sandy on the beach. Aaron Tveit (Danny) and Julianne Hough (Sandy) were a nice fit for the roles. Of course nobody can rise up to John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, but that’s a given. Hough and Tveit sang and danced beautifully together. Except, Tveit could not hit those high notes that Travolta can.
It was a surprise to me seeing the former Big Time Rush star Carlos Pena Jr. as Kenickie. He really became the role and I did not expect him to perform so well.
The two characters I had the highest hopes for were Frenchy and Rizzo. Carly Rae Jepsen, the “Call Me Maybe” artist, played the iconic role of Frenchy. She was okay to me, as it was her first acting gig. Personally, I think the only actress who can play Frenchy is Didi Conn.
Conn also did make an appearance in “Grease Live!” as Vi the waitress. She graced the stage with Jepsen before Jepsen wowed the audience with her song, “All I Need Is An Angel.” At the end of the movie, Conn came out wearing her original Pink Ladies jacket from the 1978 movie. I adored that.
Vanessa Hudgens was casted as Rizzo, and I truly did not believe she could play a mean girl. I was proved wrong. Hudgens rocked the stage and shined like the star she is. I was completely stunned to find out her father had passed away from stage 4 cancer that same morning. Despite the heart breaking news, her performance went above and beyond. She truly did the role justice. Hudgens sang her heart out in both her solo songs, “Look At Me I’m Sandra Dee” and “There Are Worse Things I Could Do.”
I really forgot about Keke Palmer, but she made a comeback with her role of Marty Maraschino. Everyone remembers Marty’s penpal habit from the original movie, and in “Grease Live!” there was a song dedicated to it. Palmer began singing “Freddy My Love” in Rizzo’s bedroom and eventually ended up on the stage in a dazzling red dress.
Poor Doody, the T-Birds really did not like his obsession with his guitar, but I did. Jordan Fisher (Doody) performed “Those Magic Changes” and it is now the talk of the internet. And it should be, Fisher made that song my favorite of the musical.
Kether Donohue (Jan), Elle McLemore (Patty Simcox), and Noah Robbins (Eugene) were actors that fit the parts of the original roles. I definitely believed their performances.
Another highlight of the musical was Joe Jonas and his band DNCE as Johnny Casino and the Gamblers. Seeing them as the band during the school dance really made my night. Jonas and DNCE covered the song “Born To Handjive” and it was better than I thought.
The end of the musical was just like the movie. The school carnival and the iconic song “You’re The One That I Want.” I actually had to do a double take on Hough, she really resembled Newton-John from that scene.
Finally, curtain call happened and I found myself cheering as the actors and actresses took their bows.
So here I am, three hours and 30 minutes later watching the credits roll across my TV screen. I told myself I would only watch half, but “Grease Live!” was so good I just had to finish it.