A Few Words About While we wait for A few words about...™ Fox's live broadcast of Grease -- in Blu-ray(?) (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

I'm certain that Fox's live broadcast of Grease last night (31 Jan), will be arriving on Blu-ray with a myriad of extras far sooner than later.

I tuned in, as I've always liked the show, and had sat through the original cast recording, and was presuming that it would be akin to the previous Broadway show telecasts from NBC -- professionally done, enjoyable, but without any real dynamism or life.

Wrong.

Fox's live Grease was the best live TV I've seen in decades. Full of awareness of the technology, Steadicam work to knock your socks off, filled with great performances, and something else.

The total destruction of the fourth wall.

There were occasional tech problems with audio, as it's live TV, and that occurs, but otherwise, just great.

I noted one review in the Washington Post this morning that commented upon it being not "greasy" enough, or not having enough in one's face sexual innuendo, but for a show that began airing at 7PM on the East coast, some of it was enough to have parents waiting for questions to come from their eight year old kids.

Great television, that hopefully, mit out sound problems, will make it quickly to Blu-ray.

Nice seeing Didi Conn, 38 years after her performance as Frenchy in the film. Julianne Hough and Aaron Tveit make a great lead duo, and the fact that young Vanessa Hudgens went on with her performance, and was able to smile and sing, after the loss of her father, gives her added respect from these quarters, for her consummate professionalism and "the show must go on" spirit in face of diversity.

Fox's Grease shows you just how great live television can be in the right hands.

RAH

 

[McCrutchy]

I'm surprised that you believe this is coming to Blu-ray, Mr. Harris, because (to my astonishment) none of the big NBC live musical productions have come to Blu-ray from Universal. The Sound of Music Live!, Peter Pan Live! and The Wiz Live! have all been released only on DVD, which is precisely the reason I have not bought a single one of them.

In fact, I didn't even watch Grease Live! on Fox, because I assumed that Fox, which has a poor track record when it comes to television programming on Blu-ray, would be far less likely to ever release something like this on Blu-ray, and I didn't want to enjoy the program and feel embittered about not being able to watch it in 1080p with lossless audio.

Do you know something most don't?

 

[Matt Hough]

Early ratings look like it will come close to matching this year's results for The Wiz Live! and somewhat under what The Sound of Music Live! generated.

I only saw bits and snatches of the show since it was a heavy night for DVRing and I was watching other shows live over-the-air. Hopefully, I can get to Grease tonight.

 

[Rick Thompson]

I also didn't watch. First, I don't think it's a very good show. If I'm going to hear 50s music, it's going to be the real thing -- and I'm old enough to remember it. Second, Grease has a lousy message for girls i.e. the way to be popular is to be a slut, and if you think you're pregnant and the find out you're not, well then go right back to sleeping around.

Sorry folks, count me out -- and I don't even have daughters!

 

[Garysb]

As reviews pointed out this was more a live version of the movie than the Broadway original version. NBC for all the knocks it has gotten have stayed close to the Broadway versions rather than the more familiar movie versions of the shows they broadcast. If this does come out blu-ray it will probably be by Paramount since they own the movie version on which this was based and were one of the producers of this version. The question always is why do a remake of a much loved movie. No matter how good it is, it will never seem as good as the original. Better to do something that wasn't made into a movie or was a less successful movie such as "The Wiz".

Hopefully Fox has the rights to rebroadcast this yearly like NBC apparently has with 'The Sound of Music".
I am sure they must have recorded a dress rehearsal and can therefore correct the sound problems that happen during the live broadcast. The "Sound of Music" Live corrected some errors in later broadcasts.

 

[McCrutchy]

Actually, it looks like Gary is right. I went back and checked, and unsurprisingly, this is a Paramount Television production, so it's down to Paramount to release it on Blu-ray, not Fox.

We're still in the same boat, though. It's true that Grease is a huge property for Paramount, but given that they seem to be on life support when it comes to Blu-ray releases in general (and there is no CBS involvement, here), I would still be surprised to see it happen.

 

[Matt Hough]

Thanks for the information. I should have realized it was a Paramount production even before watching it (it was staged at Warner Brothers so how's that for multi-studio cooperation!).

 

[David Mahlan]

Overall I agree with RAH, and thought the production was the most well-done of the recent live musical broadcasts I’ve seen.

There were some irksome things that bothered me. I found the use of a live audience in some scenes to be distracting – too loud and enthusiastic in their responses at some points, which causes some of the moments when they weren’t present to fall a little flat. Some of the performances and most of the costumes were overly derivative from the film, which only invites comparisons.

Those complaints aside, the technical aspects were outstanding, even with the sound issues in a couple spots, and the staging and camera work were great.

RAH mentioned breaking the fourth wall and I loved the way they staged the final number with the whole cast leaving the soundstage, jumping into golf carts, and zipping across the lot to the fairground set – even if this did lead to a close call when one of the carts cut a corner a little too closely and rolled over the curb. I did find it hard to believe “We Go Together” was sung live … the audio was amazingly rock solid and consistent for as much traveling the entire cast did during the number. If truly done live, I’d love to know how it was the audio was captured.

Vanessa Hudgens was outstanding as Rizzo, and dealt incredibly well not only with the loss of her father, but with a potentially embarrassing wardrobe malfunction with her blouse during the finale.

In terms of a Blu-ray release, pre-orders for DVD and digital HD were advertised during the airing, but Blu wasn’t listed as a potential format.

 

[McCrutchy]

In terms of a Blu-ray release, pre-orders for DVD and digital HD were advertised during the airing, but Blu wasn’t listed as a potential format.

Another nail in the coffin. I cannot imagine why you would plan a Blu-ray release, and then only advertise the DVD, when that very advertisement is the best and easiest way to begin making sure people know it would be released on the format.

I certainly hope RAH has made his feelings known to those at Paramount, because without his support and enthusiasm, the chance of this coming to BD now seems very slim.

 

[Garysb]

The credits list
Bronte Woodard (screenplay)
Allan Carr ... (adaptation)

Neither is still living and these are the same credits they had in the movie version.

 

[Will Krupp]

I absolutely loved it. I wasn't impressed with any of the NBC "events" and found them to be arid, lifeless, and stillborn and wasn't really expecting much more from this. The audacity of the whole thing nearly overwhelmed me as they moved indoors and outdoors, onto multiple soundstages with multiple audiences, and traveled untold acres with lickety split timing and only the smallest of technical gaffes. The fact that they started and ended exactly on time was a logistical miracle in and of itself.

I thought the performances were quite good and I was impressed (in contrast with the interminable NBC broadcasts) with the fact that this had great pace and MOVED.

The moment that Keke Palmer walked through the BACK wall of Jan's bedroom set onto a completely different soundstage with a completely fresh audience to sing the middle portion of "Freddy, My Love" as part of a fantasy USO show (and then came BACK to the original set to finish it) I was completely won over. THIS, I thought, is how you do a live TV "event."

The show itself was an amalgam of the movie and the original stage show. They kept the familiar movie staging and included songs ("Hopelessly Devoted to You," "You're the One That I Want" etc) that weren't in the original because they are so familiar to us as part of the "Grease" experience that their omission would be felt as a loss. We ALSO got treated to many (not all, but many) of the solos and spots for the featured players that were jettisoned in the movie version.

I was waiting with great interest to see what they would do with the problematic "Greased Lightning" lyrics (for those interested, they became "the chicks'll scream" and "she's a real Dragon Wagon." I can't be the only person who thinks Dragon Wagon sounds just as dirty as the original can I?)

I can't wait to watch this one again and I'm someone who could barely sit through ANY of the NBC efforts even once.

 

[atfree]

Fox actually did a promo for a pre-order DVD and Digital HD release during the show....no mention of Blu-ray at all

 

[John Maher_289910]

I found this a remarkable achievement. Exactly what a musical for television, in 2016, should be. I detest all of NBC's musical output. Fox needs to keep doing these. If I can be so taken with a musical I don't even like, imagine how wonderful it would be, for me, if they produce one I do like?!

 

[Mike Frezon]

I'm going to re-post some comments I made in a different thread on the topic of this production of Grease (I want to share here...plus it gives me a chance to try out the new multi-quote feature across different threads!):

I just finished watching. I cannot believe how good it was. It was inventive. Used the medium perfectly. Used th "live" aspect perfectly and handled the material perfectly.

It had amazingly high energy and was so, so much better than I thought it was going to be.

There was one moment when the audio disappeared (during born-to-hand jive) and until the commercial break became center channel only with static in the front L/R. But otherwise it was near perfect in production. So creative that I'm going to be thinking about this broadcast for a very long time to come.

They nailed it to the wall. A spectacular effort. And Julainne Hough is my new crush. I saw the film of Grease several times during it's original theatrical run and had a huge crush on ONJ. This production has given me a new crush. It's okay, though, I admitted it to my wife!

I thought the new song for Carly Rae Jepson was a disappointment. Vanessa Hudgens was a revelation. I had never seen her in anything before. [I had no clue she had just lost her father!] The guys were all...just okay.

I thought it was inspired that they had Didi Conn in the cast. Very cool. I never knew that Eve Plumb had a part. I never realized it was her until checking IMDB after the broadcast. And Ana Gasteyer was perfectly cast as the principal.

One of my few complaints is that Aaron Tveit (destined for crossword puzzle infamy), who played Danny, relied a bit too much on Travolta's mannerisms for his role.

Spectacular (And I just can't believe I'm saying it)!

Another bone to pick was that the cast's audio was too low during the musical numbers all night. Hopefully that can be fied for the home video release (there better be a Blu!).

Oh. And the sets and costumes were incredible! the combination of sets and the clever camera work had me wondering all night how they were pulling off certain things without showing camera men.

The school gym set was amazing as they did numerous 360-degree shots showing it was an enclosed set. A LOT of thought went into the staging and production and it showed.

I was much more captivated by the actual production, last night, than the original source material. But, put together, it made for a wholly satisfying event and I was glad I tuned in.

 

[Kyrsten Brad]

Would love to pair this with my first ever Blu-ray purchase Grease (1978).

 

[Matt Hough]

I was able to watch it this afternoon.

I was most impressed with the energy of the company, the inventive staging of all of the numbers for TV (even the ones without gimmicks), and the largeness of it all. It seemed like they were using the entire Warners' lot to stage this thing.

I did feel it was too slavish to the movie with costumes too often exact duplicates of the film clothes. Yes, the movie remains in terms of grosses among the highest earning films in musical history, but that doesn't mean costumes and scenes had to adhere so closely to the original. I was thrilled that "Those Magic Changes" got added back into the show but disheartened that "Alone at the Drive-In" was once again jettisoned for "Sandy" (pretty as it is). At least Kenickie here got to sing half of "Greased Lightnin'" (on stage, it's his song) even if Danny got the first two verses. The cleaned-up lyrics worked just fine.

Boys II Men couldn't handle the musicality of "Beauty School Dropout" and had to riff and roll over the notes with too much melisma to do the song justice. In fact, that was my least favorite number in the production with the girl ensemble completely wasted. I didn't think the new Carly song fit the tone and timbre of the stage songs, but then the title disco song written for the film never fit the era either.

As for the live audience, in some ways their energy and enthusiasm were great, and yet I didn't hear one laugh from them over any of the funny lines (you'd think all those double entendres that the principal kept uttering weren't supposed to be funny) and only heard them clapping during the gym numbers and applauding at the ends of most (but not all) the songs.

 

[Garysb]

http://www.amazon.com/Grease-Live-J...F8&qid=1454363716&sr=8-1&keywords=grease+live

DVD is up for preorder at Amazon from Paramount as expected. No blu ray or release date yet.

 

[haineshisway]

Actually, it wasn't really a live audience - they paid people to be there and that's different. They were told how to react, pre-show. The odd thing is that none of the book scenes had any audience reaction whatsoever, so there was a disconnect between those and the musical numbers. Also, whatever sound issues happened, they were fixed by the time the West Coast got it - which kind of negates the "live" part. But that's the thing - it never really seemed live to me.

 

[Matt Hough]

Actually, it wasn't really a live audience - they paid people to be there and that's different. They were told how to react, pre-show. The odd thing is that none of the book scenes had any audience reaction whatsoever, so there was a disconnect between those and the musical numbers. Also, whatever sound issues happened, they were fixed by the time the West Coast got it - which kind of negates the "live" part. But that's the thing - it never really seemed live to me.

Bruce, I know you're friends with Barry Pearl, and I hope you'll relate to him how effective he was in his part.

 

[haineshisway]

Bruce, I know you're friends with Barry Pearl, and I hope you'll relate to him how effective he was in his part.

I will indeed - he'll be grateful to hear it. I was supposed to go to the dress rehearsal on Friday but after hearing we'd have to be there for a whopping seven hours and wouldn't see most of it, I decided not to.