Grease Live! on DVD

Back on January 31st many of us spent the evening glued to our television sets as we watched Grease Live! This re-imagining of a beloved classic was performed as a stage musical for live television. Grease Live! was broadcast from Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California, using two soundstages, half of its backlot, and 44 cameras. Set designer David Korins explained that the medium of a live, television musical would “really show off what theater does best, and also what film and television does best”, having constructed a self-contained “cafegymatorium” set that is designed to provide an “immersive”, 360-degree experience, as well as traditional theatrical-style stagings.

Grease Live! was presented to live studio audiences at each of the three filming locations, who were also directly integrated into relevant scenes as extras on-stage, such as in crowds. Kail explained that he wanted to capture the “feeling” of the audiences at live stage productions, as there was “an energy and an undeniable vitality that real humans give back to real humans that are performing”. To add to the excitement and difficulties of putting on a live show of this magnitude, it rained! In the opening number the cast is using umbrellas to keep dry and a large tent was erected over the outdoor cheerleading tryouts scene because the show must go on!

About Grease Live!

The landmark, live television production of the beloved musical Grease makes its home entertainment debut with GREASE LIVE! now available on Digital HD and coming to DVD today, March 8, 2016 from Paramount Home Media Distribution. Hailed by critics as “the best Grease ever” (Darren Franich, EW.com) and “a big old win in every possible column” (Amber Dowling, The Wrap), the live event produced by Paramount Television garnered an average of 12.2 million viewers, delivering Fox’s largest overall audience of the season. GREASE LIVE! also ranks as the #1 most viral live musical event ever, based on unique posts and audience impressions on social media.

Featuring a young ensemble cast, GREASE LIVE! reintroduces and reimagines some of the show’s most memorable moments, great music and timeless love story to an entirely new generation. The production draws upon both the original 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey and Paramount’s 1978 feature film adaptation to create a never-before-seen version with many modern surprises.

The sensational cast includes Julianne Hough (Safe Haven, Rock of Ages) as the angelic Sandy; Aaron Tveit (“Graceland,” Les Miserables) as bad boy Danny Zuko; Vanessa Hudgens (Broadway’s Gigi, Spring Breakers) as bad girl Rizzo; Keke Palmer (“Scream Queens,” “Masters of Sex”) as sassy Pink Lady Marty Maraschino; Carlos PenaVega (“Big Time Rush”) as Kenickie; and multi-Platinum Grammy® Award-nominated singer and songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen as Pink Lady and beauty school dropout Frenchy.

The production also features special cameo appearances by multi-platinum pop superstar Joe Jonas and his pop-disco band DNCE as Johnny Casino and the Gamblers; actor and television host Mario Lopez as Vince Fontaine in the iconic high school dance scene; and Grammy Award®-winning R&B group Boyz II Men as Teen Angel, singing “Beauty School Dropout.” Plus, two stars from the original 1978 film Grease, Didi Conn (Frenchy) and Barry Pearl (Doody), also make appearances.

The Grease Live! DVD boasts exclusive bonus features including a behind-the-scenes look at the monumental efforts behind the live production, the actors’ transformations into their characters, the choreography, cast interviews and more.

Grease Live! on DVD

The Grease Live! DVD is presented in 16×9 widescreen with English 2.0 Dolby Digital. The disc includes the following:

• Live television production
• Without a Net: Performing GREASE LIVE!
• Becoming the “T-Birds” and Pink Ladies
• Greasin’ up the Joint
• Be-Bop, Swing and Jitterbug: The Choreography of GREASE LIVE!
• When Was Your First…?
• My Favorite Grease Moment

GREASE LIVE! was produced by Paramount Television. Acclaimed film, television and theater producer Marc Platt (Wicked, Into the Woods) served as executive producer; Tony Award-nominated director Thomas Kail (Hamilton, In the Heights) was the director overseeing the stage direction and Alex Rudzinski (“Dancing with the Stars”) was the live television director. The live television adaptation was written by Broadway writers Robert Cary (Anything but Love, Ira & Abby) and Jonathan Tolins (Buyer & Cellar, The Last Sunday in June).

Mom Maven’s Thoughts

I loved almost everything about Grease Live! As an actress, singer and theater director, not to mention an ardent fan of the movie, I felt totally swept away by Grease Live! Julianne Hough and Vanessa Hudgens were both top notch. If anything was lacking is was Aaron Tveit. I just didn’t believe him as Danny Zucko, and neither did many of my friends on social media. He did a good job but he wasn’t believable.

That being said, Grease Live! was a wonderful production and I am happy to be able to relive it with friends and family thanks to having a copy of the DVD.