January 31 saw the incredible live TV performance of the musical Grease broadcast in the US on FOX. Those in the UK had to wait until this week, where the show was aired on ITV2. This is one of the best things I’ve personally seen recently. It was great fun and was as smooth as the TBirds themselves.
The best thing about this was how slick every dance, song and sequence were. There were no mistakes as far the audience were aware, everything was on point. It is clear the show took an enormous amount of time and effort from all involved. This was most evident in the flawless dance routines, of which there were plenty. Notable scenes were the ones involving the main ensemble, the dance competition and final scene at the fair were particularly impressive.
The extraordinary thing about Grease Live was the number of stages, cast members and extras that were used. To do something that big live runs a lot of risks. Recently there was a Sound of Music Live also broadcast on ITV that was equally impressive, but had far less elements to it. It wasn’t to the same scale by any means so it is perhaps slightly unfair to compare the two.
The performances, as well as the excellent production, heightened the whole show and made it the success that it was. Every actor was giving it their full commitment and clearly enjoying every minute of it. The dancing and singing were fantastic, stand out performances came from Julianne Hough, Aaron Tveit and Vanessa Hudgens. Hudgens was arguably the best, helped by the fact she has one of the best characters to play. Most younger viewers will remember her from High School Musical, her transformation into Rizzo was truly remarkable.
If you missed it, I would urge everyone to go to ITV player-you wont regret it!
“Why, this car is Auto-matic. Its System-matic. Its Hyyyyydro-matic. Why, it’s Greased Lightning!”
#Peace.Love.GreaseLive
