A production that was put on by Paramount Television and directed by Thomas Kail and Alex Rudzinski. This adaptation was very well done. As a fan of the movie I can't say I wasn't skeptical.
Julianne Hough proved to be the perfect choice for Sandy and you could tell that she did her research before the performance. There were some instances where you couldn't tell her from Olivia Newton John, except of course when she was dancing, because I still have yet to see someone who can move better than Julianne Hough. I was very pleased with her performance and I was giddy to see someone from my generation portray a character I have only dreamed of playing in my lifetime.
I was a little worried about Vanessa Hudgens' portrayal of such a sexual and almost devious character as Rizzo, but I was pleasantly surprised by her attitude for the character and I thought it remained true to the Rizzo I have come to love. Though there were still some moments, as with everyone, where I thought it strayed a little. I was also sad to hear about her father, but she proved the show must go on. even more amazing. She was Tony worthy.
Keke Palmer as Marty was certainly a surprise, but I have always known that her voice is a fantastic attribute to the show and I was very happy with her along with Carly Rae Jepsen and Kether Donohue as the other Pink Ladies. Though I wasn't a fan of the new song that was added for Carly Rae Jepsen. It's not because she didn't do a fantastic job singing it, it was because it did't fit. It was unnecessary and it didn't sound like it fit in the time period the story took place. In the middle of this song I turned to my mom and said that it definitely sounded like modern Broadway. I love modern Broadway but not in the mix of 50s style songs.
For the boys, they certainly had a different look than the boys in the movie, but they were also perfectly casted. Though I was minorly dissapointed when Aaron Tveit didn't hit the high note that John Travolta hit at the end of "Summer Lovin" as Danny Zuko, he still did an amazing job with every other note and dance move. I have been a fan of Tveit sense I saw him in Les Miserables. I thought he was fantastic as Danny.
Carlos PenaVega also does an excellent job as Kenicki. He was cool and macho and it was very entertaining to watch him. He also did his research before coming on as the co leader of the T birds because you could tell he took a lot away from Jeff Conaway's performance.
Jordan Fisher really surprised as the guitar playing T bird with an amazing voice. He was funny and entertaining and I was pleased to watch him along with David Del Rio and Andrew Call as the other T birds. They definitely had the same three Stooges act taken from the original movie.
With all these wonderful actors and other cameos such as Joe Jonas, Jessie J, Eve Plumb, Didi Conn, Mario Lopez, and Ana Gasteyer I was very pleased with Grease Live. I loved the dancing, the vocals, and everything in between. It was good to see something I loved so much made for my generation. The stage tricks were also extremely cool to see and the illusion was dead on. I give this show a 4.5 out of 5 stars. Well done to the cast and crew.
Let me know what you thought of Grease Live in the comments below.
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