At the end of January, Fox Network aired their television special of Grease: Live. I’m not going to lie; I was very skeptical about this production. In the past, NBC has aired live productions of other classic plays and films (like The Sound of Music and Peter Pan) that I found utterly lacking in comparison to the original. I definitely didn’t want this to be the case for Grease.
Grease is a rare piece in both theatrical performance and cinematography that has withstood and will most likely continue to withstand the test of time. My mother grew up watching it, I grew up watching it, and I hope my kids get the chance to grow up watching it. Grease, while questionably inappropriate at times, is a masterpiece that validates the unceasing truths that friendship lasts forever, love conquers all, and leather jackets will never go out of style. A production of Grease without these qualities wouldn’t really be Grease at all, and the directors of Grease: Live understood that. So, with the pressure of perfection on their shoulders and the eyes of America fixed upon them, the cast of Grease: Live took to the stage, and the rest is history.
As the performance date approached, I continued to hear about the creative alterations that the directors had added to the production, which filled me with intrigue and worry. The audience didn’t even get a minute or two into watching the performance before they were met with one of these unexpected surprises. The familiar and oh-so-energizing tune of the opening song, “Grease,” began to blare through television sets everywhere with British pop singer Jessie J singing the lyrics. I thought this was a very acceptable compromise in the war against change and tradition. Many of the songs in Grease: Live were like this. The tune and energy of the songs preserved the tradition of the ’50s vibe, but every actor who sang an iconic musical number made it their own in many unique ways. It was a musical compromise between the generations, and it was a beautiful sound to behold.
Another concerning aspect of Grease: Live was the cast. Obviously, every actor will play the same part differently, and that’s exactly the way it should be. However, I worried that the amount of big name stars in the production would take away from the authenticity of Grease and ultimately turn it into a mainstream Hollywood production. This was not the case at all. Every actor took the same classic characters and made them their own. Grease: Live even cast a few Grease veterans, like Didi Conn (the original Frenchy) and Barry Pearl (the original Doody) to help the young actors along. Some of the iconic lines seemed to go a little flat at times, but the amount of enthusiasm and spunk each cast member exuded made up for any mistakes. In every interview I watched, I saw that the cast members possessed the same love for Grease that the rest of us do, and it was very important to them to preserve the history and tradition of the production.
Every time I attend a theatrical production, I am always completely amazed by the intricate scenery it possesses. Grease: Live was no exception to this rule. Each set was so extravagantly detailed that I often forgot that this was being filmed on a Warner Brother’s lot. The attention to detail and the energy of the characters instantaneously transported me back to the ’50s, where I was living my dream of watching movies at the drive in, eating at the Frosty Palace, and wearing an infamous Pink Ladies jacket. The use of a live audience also added to the energy of the set. The enthusiasm of the crowd gave each set an air of magic that really tied everything together. Overall, the beauty of the sets, the talented cast, and the catchy songs made Grease: Live one of the best productions by Fox.
Grease is a very special work of art. I think anyone who watches it is able to relate to it in one way or another because we have all endured the jungle we call high school. The ups and downs, the twists and turns — they made us who we are, and as we grow older, we begin to appreciate that more and more. Grease: Live depicted this reality in a way that I hope young people will really grasp onto. High school might be seem hard now, but one day you’ll miss it. You’ll miss the life lessons, the mystery lunches, and the simplicity of life in general. When that happens, when the real world gets a bit too hard, Grease will always be there to pick you up and remind you that life goes on, but the love of friendships, romances, and musical outbursts will always remain the same.
Grease is the word, and so is Grease: Live!