Grease Live! (2016)

After enjoying a summer romance, high school students Danny and Sandy are unexpectedly reunited when she transfers to Rydell High. There Sandy must contend with cynical Rizzo and the Pink Ladies in attempt to win Danny's heart again.

Directors:

Thomas Kail, Alex Rudzinski

Writers:

Bronte Woodard (screenplay by), Allan Carr (adaptation)

Stars:

Julianne Hough, Aaron Tveit, Vanessa Hudgens

Won 5 Primetime Emmys. Another 2 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Julianne Hough	...	Sandy Young
Aaron Tveit	...	Danny Zuko
Vanessa Hudgens	...	Betty Rizzo
Keke Palmer	...	Marty Maraschino
Carly Rae Jepsen	...	Frenchie
Mario Lopez	...	Vince Fontaine
Carlos PenaVega	...	Kenickie
Kether Donohue	...	Jan
Jordan Fisher	...	Doody
David Del Rio	...	Putzie
Andrew Call	...	Sonny
Wendell Pierce	...	Coach Calhoun
Boyz II Men	...	Teen Angel
Jessie J	...	Jessie J
Ana Gasteyer	...	Principal McGee

Storyline

Nearly four decades after Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson's delicious youthful romance in legendary Grease (1978), Grease Live breathes new life into everyone's favourite teenage love affair; however, with a twist: the addition of a live audience. Once more, against the colourful backdrop of the iconic late-1950s Rydell High, the riotous gang of greasers, the T-Birds, and Betty Rizzo's delightfully sassy posse, the Pink Ladies, battle for attention, thirsting to become the coolest teams in school. Undoubtedly, this is going to be yet another year filled with passion, innocence, dance, affection, and teen energy, as the students set their mind on excelling in the much-awaited live dance contest. In this high school graduation day, GREASE is still the word.

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Plot Keywords:

drive in theater | first day at a new school | new in school | exclamation point in title | greaser | 

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Taglines:

An electrifying LIVE television event!

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Genres:

Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

TV-14

Did You Know?

Trivia

The two songs "Freddy, My Love" and "Those Magic Changes" were both in the original Broadway production, however, "Freddy My Love" is not present in the original film production, although it is listed in the end credits in addition to being on the soundtrack. "Those Magic Changes", in the film, is played at the high school dance scene, performed by Johnny Casino and the Gamblers, and rather than being a major part of the plot, as in the Broadway production, is kept more in the background.

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Goofs

During the car reveal scene, after Mrs. Murdock gives the one liner "I intend to get loaded myself", two of the actors can be heard conversing about the line. One says "she does it every time" and the other responds "I know, the little one liner." The two presumably did not know that their mics were still on, and the mistake was kept in both the broadcast and later released version.

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Quotes

Principal McGee: Nothing makes a cheerleader more nervous then being late!

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Alternate Versions

The Fox broadcast version ran roughly 3 minutes longer than the Paramount home video release. As they headed into commercial breaks, Mario Lopez narrated several short behind-the-scenes/making-of segments which were omitted from the DVD.

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Connections

Referenced in Late Night with Seth Meyers: Dakota Johnson/Brian d'Arcy James/Adam McKay/Carly Rae Jepsen/Janet Weiss (2016)

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Soundtracks

There Are Worse Things I Could Do
Written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey
Performed by Vanessa Hudgens

User Reviews

Amazing Live version of Grease

For the most part, Fox really got it right. The two lead actors were up to the roles. Both could really sing, dance and act. What a far cry from the lame leads on NBC's versions of The Wiz, Peter Pan and Sound of Music. The staging and sets were outstanding. The camera-work was first rate and the audio mix was very good.

Julianne Hough was absolutely outstanding. A very young 27, beautiful and talented performer, she was a perfect choice to play Sandy. I cannot think of anyone who could have done it better.

The guy playing Danny - Aaron Tveit - had the right looks and build for the role and is an excellent singer-dancer-actor.

The supporting cast was enthusiastic and well-rehearsed.

Except for a 20 second audio loss during Hand Jive, there was no major technical glitch. Unlike NBC, the cameramen did not wind up in each other's shots. The movie was virtually all white as fit the setting of 1959. This Grease version tried a little too hard to integrate the cast and with the exception of the Coach, that really didn't work. It was the equivalent of sticking a bunch of Whites or Asians in The Wiz or Purlie. However, the forced diversity wasn't too glaring and didn't hurt the show overall.

Fox's Grease Live sets a new standard for live TV musicals. Congrats to all - cast, crew, producers.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 January 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Grease Live!

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Marc Platt Productions, Paramount Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

180 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD