Grease has definitely been the word after Fox network broadcasted Grease Live — an adaptation of the 1978 original musical Grease, starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.

 

When all-too-cool Danny Zuko and sweet Sandy Olsson have a secret summer romance, set in the 1950’s, their relationship is threatened when Sandy has to go back home to Australia, but in the live performance Sandy was actually from Utah.

 

After they believe they will never see each other again, fate allows her to stay in California. While Sandy stays, she ends up going to the same school Danny attends, but she is under the impression that he goes to a private prep school.

 

When they meet again, Danny becomes a different person than the one Sandy fell in love with on the beach. When he is around his friends, he treats her as if she is just another “chick”. He is looked up to by his friends because of his apathetic attitude and rebellious reputation, so he is urged to keep his persona of the cool leader of their gang, known as T-birds, that wears leather and greases their hair back.

 

Danny and Sandy do all they can to be the person they believe the other wants them to be. This presents us with a beautiful story of how two people can exceed the expectations of popularity and overcome peer pressure among cliques.

 

Many people enjoyed the diversity of cast members because in the original film there were hardly, if any, actors of color. Every member of this production was dedicated to enriching the memory of Grease.

 

Julianne Hough definitely surprised me with her beautiful voice, that I had no idea she had, while she played an outstanding role of Sandy. The other actors included Aaron Tveit, as Danny, High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens, who played Rizzo, Keke Palmer who starred as Miss Marty Maraschino, Carly Rae Jepsen as the colorful Frenchy and Carlos Pena Jr. who played as Kenickie.

 

What most people probably did not realize is the special guest star from the original Grease motion picture, Didi Conn who starred as Frenchy, appeared in the Frosty’s bar and grill scene as the waitress. I found this important in making this musical special, which it did. It provided a flashback into the past emotions of the original motion picture.

 

The production experienced countless issues while filming such as rainy weather caused by El Nino, technical glitches and audio problems. Also, Vanessa Hudgens experienced a tragic death in her family inspiring her to make her role as Rizzo valuable and much more honorable.

 

The time and effort put into overcoming every obstacle, which dubbed the show “a huge hit”,  made their audience remember why they fell in love with Grease in the first place. What made me fall in love with both productions is the soundtrack and dancing.

 

Every song that appeared in both shows was undoubtedly upbeat and each dance sent me into an energetic whirlwind. My favorite songs certainly have to be “You Are the One That I Want”, “Hopelessly Devoted to You” and “There Are Worse Things I Could Do”.

 

Not only was this performance live, it made the audience alive with admiration and awe. Grease is one of most important musicals of all time because the timeliness reflects each generation. Every teenager faces similar endeavors in school, trying to fit in with the popular crowd and attempting to be someone that we are not.

 

The overall performance was energetic and brilliantly executed. If someone had not seen the original Grease production, watching the live version would beyond a doubt encourage them to see it.