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Did you watch Grease Live last night? Of course you did! You've already binge-watched Downton Abbey and Master of None and The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt isn't back on Netflix yet, so you watched - The Hollywood Reporter says over 12.2 million of us did.
I've been critical of live musicals in the past because, well, because in the past a lot of them sucked. I'm rethinking that blanket position because Grease Live just became a hero for live televised musical "theatre." I think everyone did well — not one person did poorly — but the stand out star was Vanessa Hudgens with her portrayal of Rizzo.
Even more incredibly so when you consider that her father passed away like, the day before the special aired:
I am so sad to say that last night my daddy, Greg passed away from stage 4 cancer. Thank you to everyone who kept him in your prayers.
— Vanessa Hudgens (@VanessaHudgens) January 31, 2016
Did she bail? Did she call producers and say this just couldn't happen? No. She showed exemplary professionalism and set out to do what she came to do. And then, Hudgens sang her heart out in his honour:
Sometimes my alarm goes off and then when I look out the window I think I see raindrops on the sill and I'm all "Screw this. It's hibernatin' time!" and then I go back to bed until my two kids remind me I have a legal obligation to care for them. I can't imagine what it takes to perform an incredibly exhaustive and challenging musical program, painstakingly choreographed and practiced for months at all, let alone the day after your Daddy died.
If a waiter doesn't bring me extra cheese on side? Sobbing mess. Car cuts in front on me in carpool? RAGE HAMMERS. Hudgens had mere hours before she had to pull it together for a live production? DONE WITH PANACHE. Standing O, for you, Vanessa Hudgens. You are some amazing piece of work.
And now, as sets are torn down and critics across the TV landscape teardown/compliment this productions effort, we only wish Hudgens some peaceful downtime with family as they say goodbye to a loved one.
Image Source: FOX
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