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Post by The Matthew on Feb 3, 2016 22:38:17 GMT
It has its moments and some of the cast are good, but I think the gimmick of a live broadcast has demanded too many compromises.
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Post by johartuk on Feb 3, 2016 23:02:56 GMT
I've just been watching this.
Overall, I thought it was pretty good - though I was worried by how much of the script I know!
The T-Birds and Pink Ladies were well cast - the actress who played Marty was excellent, as was Frenchie!
Julienne Hough was good as Sandy. At times, she looked a lot like ONJ.
Aaron Tveit was OK, but I felt that he lacked the comic ability that Danny needed to have, and he wasn't expressive enough.
I wasn't overkeen on Vanessa Hudgens at first, but she really grew on me - her 'The Worst Thing I Could Do' was excellent! Also, she did amazingly when you bare in mind that her dad had died a few hours before the live broadcast!
It was lovely to see the original Frenchie and Doody (from the film) popping up.
I was disappointed that they cut the bit at the dance where the boys mooned at the TV camera (and the principal's waspish announcement about sending the footage to the FBI, whose experts would be able to identify the miscreants!).
I wasn't keen on Frenchie's new song. It sounded too modern, so didn't fit with the rest of the piece.
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Post by theatremadness on Feb 3, 2016 23:16:19 GMT
A quick look on the twitter hashtag shows about 99.9% glowingly positive comments. So the most important thing here is that the general public are loving live musicals on TV and are demanding more of them. A win for musicals, I say!
On a personal level, I absolutely loved it. It just got better and better as it went on (apart from the new song) and I had a stupidly huge grin on my face the whole way through. Also thought the choreography was extremely impressive. I think it's by far the most ambitious live musical to date, and possibly the best. If Hairspray is next, I sincerely hope NBC can create what FOX has done with Grease!
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Post by Jon on Feb 3, 2016 23:18:59 GMT
The new song didn't work, I think they could have replaced it with Raining on a Prom Night.
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Post by harveyjunior on Feb 4, 2016 3:04:07 GMT
Were they mic'd or was it camera/ studio mics? Can't work it out. Also Vanessa hudgens was dreadful. Her Whitney voice, she just did not suit this role at all. Annoyed as that's my favourite part. Great Sandy and Danny though!
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Post by ncbears on Feb 4, 2016 5:30:36 GMT
Here is a side by side of the control room and the aired version of Greased Lightning.
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3,765 posts
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Post by anthony40 on Feb 4, 2016 10:08:57 GMT
Were they mic'd or was it camera/ studio mics? Can't work it out. Also Vanessa hudgens was dreadful. Her Whitney voice, she just did not suit this role at all. Annoyed as that's my favourite part. Great Sandy and Danny though! Definitely mic's. There was once scene where Aaron Levitt is wearing whit shorts (when he's trying out for field and track events to impress Sandy) and can clearly see the outline of his mic pack-at the back peoples; lets keep it clean!
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Post by danb on Feb 4, 2016 10:21:21 GMT
I thought that Vanessa Hudgens was the stand out; played it a lot like Sally Ann Triplett in the Dominion version which is no bad thing. I just watched it now, with the benefit of sky plus, so cut it down to about 90 minutes. Not terrible in any way, but Tveit and the guy playing Kenickie were really safe and vanilla, and looked in no way that they would attempt to wrestle a girls virtue from her. At least Travolta and Connaway looked like they might jump on a young lady at any moment (despite what may have been rumoured in hindsight!) Marty was good too. Julianne Hough's voice was majorly underpowered at times but I suppose it's not that kind of role. A great experiment, which benefitted from the sheer numbers at times. Loved the dance scenes for that reason.
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Post by anita on Feb 4, 2016 11:01:05 GMT
Decided to give "Midsomer " a miss this week in favour of "Grease Live" & I was pleasantly surprised. I quite enjoyed it. Some of the cast did look too old - kenekie. Others were good - Doody. The dancing was terrific.
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Post by Stasia on Feb 4, 2016 11:41:47 GMT
I had no idea I would like it that much, but it worked for me! Especially the moment with Aaron's tryouts in white shorts
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2016 11:47:55 GMT
I had no idea I would like it that much, but it worked for me! Especially the moment with Aaron's tryouts in white shorts Oh goodness me yes. Those shorts were a thing of wonder. The highlight of the whole show.
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Post by richey on Feb 4, 2016 13:38:31 GMT
Hmm I missed the shorts scene. Will have to watch again at the weekend
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Post by musicallady on Feb 4, 2016 15:32:08 GMT
Turned over after Midsomer after Sky+it and was very disappointed. It was very flat. None of the leads apart from Rizzo and Patti stood out and there was no connection between any of them. Didnt like the guy playing Danny. No charisma at all. The girl playing Sandy was okay, in bits looking like Olivia Newton John.
Marks out of 10? I'd give it 2.
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Post by daniel on Feb 6, 2016 0:52:58 GMT
Is this on catch up TV anywhere do we know? Missed it as we were at the theatre...doh!
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Post by Jon on Feb 6, 2016 1:09:41 GMT
It's currently not online but it's been repeated on Sunday at 2pm on ITV2
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Post by daniel on Feb 6, 2016 7:01:50 GMT
It's currently not online but it's been repeated on Sunday at 2pm on ITV2 Amazing, thank you!
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Post by glossie on Feb 6, 2016 10:54:28 GMT
Hmm I missed the shorts scene. Will have to watch again at the weekend I just tuned in at the shorts scene. I also will have to watch again at the weekend...............
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2016 15:39:23 GMT
Good Sunday afternoon viewing - definitely not to sleep to. I missed this the other day but have seen various clips online so my appetite is whetted.
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Post by Someone in a tree on Feb 6, 2016 20:51:36 GMT
It's currently not online but it's been repeated on Sunday at 2pm on ITV2 [ Bugger I'm out tomorrow. I can't believe this isn't on catchup - itv are poo!
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Post by mrbarnaby on Feb 7, 2016 15:30:38 GMT
Just watching on itv2 now.. It's quite stilted but seems more ambitious than previous Live shows. The woman playing the Headmistresses sidekick is driving me crazy. Turn it down lady.
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Post by SuperTrooper on Feb 7, 2016 16:50:48 GMT
I've been watching this afternoon, surprisingly enjoyable really.
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Post by mrbarnaby on Feb 7, 2016 19:30:48 GMT
By the end I was quite moved by the casts enthusiasm and also the energy the studio audience gave it..
Plus Aaron Tveits shorts...
Thank you God.
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Post by freckles on Feb 8, 2016 11:46:16 GMT
Quite enjoyed this, and it had so much more energy & pace than the Sound of Music, I think having an audience (or let's say audiences) helped. A fantastic technical achievement, although it was an odd mish-mash of the stage musical and the film in terms of the musical numbers used. I agree that Jessie J didn't really work (I'd have asked Bruno Mars), but I quite liked the walking through all the studio idea, as it set up the live broadcast thing really well (even though I didn't watch it live!)I didn't think the new song for Frenchie either sounded right, or added anything. I missed Raining on Prom Night, and it would have been quite appropriate under the circumstances. Some of the line & lyric changes made it seem like they were doing the schools' version, and some plot developments were just inexplicable - Sandy running off at the dance off, because she "didn't want to be on camera", and Eugene pimping up Greased Lightning with nuclear power...!Unless I've missed some re-writes over the years. But I thought it did a good job of combining the iconic look of the film, and adding something fresh.Good fun, and the carnival scene at the end was fantastic.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2016 11:56:19 GMT
I watched the live stream on the night and I have to say, Vanessa really stole she show for me when she did her big solo number. And keeping herself so composed and strong when her father died mere hours before, she did amazingly well, such a professional!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2016 21:22:07 GMT
I read quite a good article on Grease as a feminist musical recently, and by playing up Sandy's strict parents, it helped emphasise that her transformation at the end was just as much for her own sake as for Danny's - if not more so - so with that in mind, not wanting to be on camera in case her parents saw her *gasp!* dancing with a BOY makes more sense than you'd think.
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Post by Jon on Feb 8, 2016 21:29:17 GMT
A lot of the satire in the original stage version has been lost because of the popularity of the film. The Sandra Dee song and its reprise loses its meaning in the film and the live broadcast as Sandy's original surname Dumbrowski so when she's calls herself a poor man's Sandra Dee, it makes more sense.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2016 21:46:31 GMT
It still works, Sandra Dee was still notably pure and Sandy is still a diminutive of Sandra. It didn't not work when she became Sandy Olsson, it doesn't work even less for Sandy Young or anything.
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Post by foxa on Apr 10, 2016 17:41:08 GMT
If, like me, you missed this the first time around, it's available now on Netflix!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2016 17:49:13 GMT
I still can't get over how great Vanessa was in this, especially under the circumstances she was in with the passing of her father... she really was the strongest element of the whole thing, her Dad would be so proud!
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Post by talkstageytome on Apr 10, 2016 17:52:32 GMT
Yes, her professionalism was remarkable. I was a fan of hers (I was a kid when the first HSM film came out so I unashamedly love nearly all of her work! ) but this is possibly the best thing I've seen her in!
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