By BETHANY SYZEMORE
Student Reporter
NBC made a “Grease: Live! production that aired on Sunday.
The show had hype leading up to it in advertisements and commercials. To make the hype all that it was, they packed the cast with some top names in the music and film industry. Having a strong cast for the live play set a high bar in my book. “Grease” is a musical that is set in the late 50s about the high school lives of several individuals. “Grease” is a timeless musical that is a true American classic that continues to live on. “Grease” is knows as racy type of musical with sexual innuendos.
In the 2016 production of “Grease: Live!” Julianna Hough stars as Sandra D, the “new girl” at Ridell High. Sandra D has had a summer love with another main character Danny Zuko, played by the upcoming star, Aaron Tviet. In the high school of Riddell, there are cliques, and in the 50s the guys group or clique that fit the stereotype of a “bad boy” were called greasers. In the case of “Grease,” their particular group is called “T-birds,” which Danny Zuko is the leader of. The other main actors playing majors roles in the musical are Carlos Pera Jr., Carly Rae Jepsen, Keke Palmer and Jessie Jae. The 2016 version of “Grease” did not live up to the 70s version, but it was a good modern version with little changes to the original. Some of the songs from the original were taken out and some modern songs were added in.
Tviet had an amazing voice and good dance moves, but I think he had big shoes to fill coming behind the legendary John Travolta in the original “Grease.” Hough, playing Sandra D fit the look to a T; she looked and played the innocence of Sandy just as the original. One major problem I had with watching “Grease: Live!” was the live modern audience; you could see the audience in almost every scene, and they had on modern clothes, so it threw off my whole old school vibe I like to feel when watching “Grease.” The only positive part to having the live audience how it was, was that it gave the actors more hype and enthusiasm with the audience being right there with excitement. In contrast to the orginal, the new production was based more inside the gym and schools vs. the outside feel of things, which was expected being a live play. What was really impressive for me was Vanessa Hudges’ role as Rizzo; you can tell she felt her character, and we felt it as well. Keke Palmer played a pink lady and had a solo that was very astonishing, but was not in the original. The ending number “One that I Want’ ended with hype and excitement that made me feel like I was there. It definitely ended the production with a bang! If you do not know about “Grease,” I definitely recommend watching it; it is a must!