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Grease Live!

Grease Live! is an American television special that was originally broadcast by Fox on January 31, 2016. It was a live, televised remake of the 1978 film Grease, executive produced by Marc Platt, directed by Thomas Kail, and starring Aaron Tveit, Julianne Hough, Carlos PenaVega, Vanessa Hudgens and Jordan Fisher.

Grease Live!

  • Robert Cary
  • Jonathan Tolins

United States

English

130 minutes

US$16 million[1]

Fox

January 31, 2016 (2016-01-31)

Patterned on similar live television musicals recently produced by NBC, the production incorporated elements and songs from both the original stage musical and the 1978 film version of Grease, as well as additional songs that were not present in either. In an effort to emulate the "energy" of a theatrical setting, live audiences were incorporated into the production's stagings. Grease Live was broadcast from Warner Bros. Studios, utilizing two soundstages and the studio's outdoor backlot—the usage of the latter was notably affected by rain in the Los Angeles area on the day of the broadcast.


Critical reception was positive, with particular praise to the overall atmosphere and production style of the presentation, as well as the performances of the cast, particularly Hudgens as Betty Rizzo—the special was dedicated in the memory of Hudgens' father, who had died from cancer one day prior to the broadcast. The special was nominated for ten Primetime Emmy Awards and won a total of five, including Outstanding Special Class Program.

History[edit]

Announcement and casting[edit]

On April 28, 2014, Fox announced that it had partnered with Paramount Television to produce a live, three-hour televised adaptation of the 1978 musical Grease in 2015.[2] The move came in the wake of similar live musical adaptations that had been produced by NBC, such as The Sound of Music Live! and Peter Pan Live!.[2][3]


On January 17, 2015, Fox officially announced that Julianne Hough had been cast as Sandy and Vanessa Hudgens as Rizzo and that the special would air on January 31, 2016. Entertainment Weekly reported that the special had been delayed from its original target of Summer 2015 due to difficulties in the casting process.[3] On May 28, 2015, it was announced that Keke Palmer would join the broadcast as Marty Maraschino, one of the Pink Ladies.[4] On July 9, it was announced that Aaron Tveit would star as Danny Zuko in the live TV broadcast, and Carlos PenaVega would play the role of Kenickie.[5] On September 30, 2015, it was announced that Carly Rae Jepsen, Kether Donohue, and David Del Rio would play Frenchy, Jan, and Putzie, respectively.[6] On November 6, it was announced that Jordan Fisher, Andrew Call and Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer would join the cast as Doody, Sonny and Cha-Cha, respectively.[7]

Production[edit]

Director Thomas Kail envisioned Grease Live as being a "combination" of elements from the original musical and the 1978 film version of Grease.[8] For instance, the production incorporated songs that were created for the film version, such as a performance of its theme song "Grease (Is The Word)" by Jessie J, "You're the One That I Want", and "Hopelessly Devoted to You", as well as songs that were exclusive to the stage version, such as "Freddy, My Love" and "Those Magic Changes".[9] Kail explained that "very early on as I started imagining what this could be, talking to Marc Platt, our executive producer, and the folks at Paramount, one of the things we really were very focused on was trying to capture the spirit of both the original companies of Grease and that film that has left such an indelible impression on all of us. To try to honor that and pay homage to something that has moved us and we have such a great affection for, and then try to make our own version of it."[10]


The production also contained several new songs including the original, "All I Need Is an Angel", which was written for the character of Frenchy (Carly Rae Jepsen) by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey of Next to Normal fame.[9] Joe Jonas's band DNCE made a cameo appearance as Johnny Casino and The Gamblers during the Rydell High dance where they performed The Crickets' "Maybe Baby", as well as a 1950s-inspired remix of their own debut single "Cake by the Ocean" in addition to "Born to Hand Jive" from the stage version and "Rock and Roll Is Here to Stay" which was previously only part of the film version. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Jonas explained that the band was approached by the producers for the role following a concert they had performed in New York City.[11]


Grease Live was broadcast from Warner Bros. in Burbank, California, using two soundstages, half of its backlot, and 44 cameras.[12] Set designer David Korins explained that the medium of a live, television musical would "really show off what theater does best, and also what film and television does best", having constructed a self-contained "cafegymatorium" set that is designed to provide an "immersive", 360-degree experience, as well as traditional theatrical-style stagings. Grease Live was presented to live studio audiences at each of the three filming locations, who were also directly integrated into relevant scenes as extras on-stage, such as in crowds. Kail explained that he wanted to capture the "feeling" of the audiences at live stage productions, as there was "an energy and an undeniable vitality that real humans give back to real humans that are performing". The Hollywood Reporter believed that the use of live audiences would help to stylistically distinguish Grease Live from the NBC live musicals that it was patterned after.[10]


The price of a 30-second commercial during Grease Live was set between $300,000 and $320,000. Coca-Cola was signed on as a major sponsor of the special; the sponsorship included product placement of classic Coca-Cola signage and beverages within the special (such as on a vending machine and on the diner set), and sponsored social media content.[12][13] In order to be appropriate for broadcast television and to appease advertisers, several songs were edited for content; Platt stated that his goal was to make Grease Live a "family-friendly" show, but still wanted to maintain "the appropriate edge" the musical required. Among the edits, "Greased Lightnin'" changed the lyrics to remove several profane and sexual words (edits that original songwriter Jim Jacobs had made to the officially licensed versions many years prior), while the Italian profanity "fongool" was replaced with "be cool" within "Look At Me, I'm Sandra Dee".[14]

as Danny Zuko,[5] Sandy's boyfriend, leader of T'Birds, Rydell High's Greaser gang

Aaron Tveit

as Sandy Young,[3] Danny's girlfriend, relocated from Utah (this, her conservative values and sharing a name with Brigham Young imply a Mormon upbringing, much like Hough's own), who transforms from square lady to female greaser over the course of the production

Julianne Hough

as Kenickie,[5] member of T'Birds, owner of the car Greased Lightnin', Danny's best friend and Rizzo's on-again/off-again fling

Carlos PenaVega

as Betty Rizzo,[3] leader of the Pink Ladies, frenemy to Sandy

Vanessa Hudgens

Randal Kleiser – , keyboards

conductor

Brian Kilgore –

percussion

Dave Kendrick –

lead guitar

John Wilson –

rhythm guitar

Taylor Hale –

bass

Chad Timon –

drums

Isaiah Miller – , keyboards

piano

David Garrett – violins

Lindsey Stirling

Laura Freeman –

viola

Joshua Alexander Sykes –

cello

Nick Payton, Kail Graham –

trumpets

Lil' Joey –

trombone

Ray Hanson, Kirk Sanborn – , flutes

saxophones

Arnold McCuller, Dorian Holley, Fred White, Emily Stevens, Kathy Gray, Siedah Garrett –

vocals

Bob Garrett –

vocal director

Soundtrack[edit]

The official soundtrack album, Grease Live! (Music from the Television Event), was released on January 31 by Paramount Pictures.[32] The Target edition, including four bonus tracks, was released on February 27.[33] In the show, 23 songs were performed, but only 19 were included in the official soundtrack.[34] "Alma Mater" (performed by Ana Gasteyer and Haneefah Wood) and "Mooning" (performed by DNCE) were not included in any version of the album.[35] The album debuted at number 37 on the US Billboard 200,[36][37] and topped the same week on the Top Album Sales chart.[38]

Reception[edit]

Critical reception[edit]

Grease Live received mostly positive reviews. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes listed the special with a 91% rating based on 34 reviews, and an average rating of 8.3/10. The website's critical consensus states that "Grease: Live took the pressure and threw away conventionality — it belongs to yesterday. There was a chance that it could make it so far; we started believin' we can be who we are. Grease: Live is the word."[39] Metacritic listed a weighted average of 75 out of 100 based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[40]


Megan Vick of TV Guide felt that Kail had "upped the standard" for live television musicals, and had "successfully managed to combine all the nostalgic elements of Grease that everyone expected while creating a new experience. The set changes and scale of what they were able to accomplish—in a rainstorm no less—were incredibly impressive. Grease is the word, and ratings most likely will be too." While praising "All I Need Is an Angel" for demonstrating Carly Rae Jepsen's capabilities as a singer, Vick felt that the song was too modern for a musical that is set in the 1950s.[41]

International broadcasts[edit]

In Canada, Grease Live was aired by CTV, in simulcast with the Fox broadcast.[51] The special aired on February 2 in Australia (Nine Network),[52] February 3 in the United Kingdom (ITV2),[53][54] February 5 in New Zealand (TV3),[55] February 7 in Norway (FEM),[56] February 20 in Denmark (TV2 Fri),[57] and in Italy August 21 (dubbed) (Rai 4).[58] In Latin America, it was broadcast by FOX Family on April 24, 2016, (dubbed). It was broadcast in Sweden by the public service network (SVT1) on June 12, 2016. It was broadcast in The Netherlands by RTL 8 on July 22, 2016.[59] In Singapore, it was broadcast on Mediacorp Channel 5 on Christmas night, December 25, 2016. In France, it was broadcast on 6ter on December 26, 2016.[60]

Home media[edit]

Grease Live was released on DVD and Digital HD, on March 8, 2016.[61] It was included in the 40th anniversary collection Blu-ray alongside Grease and Grease 2, which was released on April 24, 2018.[62]

2016 in American television

at IMDb

Grease Live!

at Rotten Tomatoes

Grease Live!

at Metacritic

Grease Live!