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 & 9 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

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.

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Plot Keywords:

teenage romance | jalopy | friendship between teens | school friend | drive in theater | 

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Taglines:

An electrifying LIVE television event!

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Genres:

Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

TV-14

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the drive in movie scene, where Danny tries to make out with Sandy, the movie playing on the drive in screen is The Monster of Piedras Blancas. Pinup Icon Jeanne Carmen is seen on the screen as the Monster crashes into her apartment and carries her away to a lighthouse. In the original movie, a cartoon is playing on the screen at the drive in movie theater while John Travolta sings "Oh Sandy." The cartoon ends with a hot dog doing back flips and then jumping into a bun. Lol (note to IMDB editors: The Monster of Piedras Blancas is confirmed as the movie playing on the drive in screen in an EW article online review of Grease Live dated 2/01/2016, In the next to last paragraph, it states "There was a scene set at a drive-in theater. The movie playing onscreen was The Monster of Piedras Blancas, a budget ripoff of Creature From the Black Lagoon. It was an impeccable detail - Monster came out in spring 1959, during the time period of Grease - and it felt like a wink from the producers."

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Goofs

The scoreboard in the gymnasium has its "Minutes" and "Seconds" signs where the "Home" and "Visitor" signs should be, and vice versa.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Tracy Morgan/Julianne Hough/Hank Williams Jr. (2016)

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Soundtracks

Grease (Is the Word)
Written by Barry Gibb
Performed by Jessie J and Cast

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.