7 Reasons Vanessa Hudgens Was the Queen of Grease Live
UM, CAN WE talk about the amazingness that was Grease Live?!?!?! While some other live musical broadcasts quickly turned into snark-filled live-tweeting extravaganzas, (Peter Pan, we're lookin’ at you) Grease Live was 100% pure fun, with everything we loved about the original movie and more. HOWEVER, ONE cast member stood out as the clear shining star of the night: Vanessa Hudgens nailed it as Rizzo, queen bee of the Pink Ladies. As we learned earlier today, her father passed away last night from stage 4 cancer. She tweeted this afternoon that she was going to be performing the show in his honor. WE LOVE YOU, Vanessa Hudgens! Here are 7 reasons why this Pink Lady was the fiercest of the night:
GIF: Courtesy of FOX1/7She dominated right from the first scene.
Rizzo is essentially a high school warrior. She’s tough, feisty, and always ready to fight. When we first see the Pink Ladies, Rizzo is informing them that it’s their last year in high school and they are going to rule the halls of Rydell. It’s impossible not to listen to her, and the rest of the girls follow along, willing to do anything she says. Hudgens poured that rough energy right into her very first line, and we knew right away that she was going to be the perfect Rizzo.
GIF: Courtesy of FOX2/7She legit became Rizzo.
From her eye rolls and gum chewing to her strut down the hallway, Vanessa was the epitome of this character. She was just as amazing as Stockard Channing was in the 1978 film, invoking a lot of similar body language and attitude, but with a fresh twist that was her own. It’s hard to tackle a character that has been immortalized by another famous actress, but our girl achieved the perfect combination of honor and originality.
GIF: Courtesy of FOX3/7Literally everything about "Sandra Dee."
We couldn’t wait for the sleepover scene, mostly because we were dying to see Vanessa Hudgens don a blonde wig, jump on the bed, and yell, “Elvis, Elvis!” She completely killed it in this scene, and it was all we hoped for and more. Everything about her performance in this number was spot-on, and it was clear that she was having a blast, which brings me to….
GIF: Courtesy of FOX4/7She seemed to be having so much fun despite the most heartbreaking circumstances.
One of the best things about watching live musical theatre is seeing the actors and actresses genuinely thrive on embodying their roles. There’s always a moment or two when you can get a glimpse beyond the characters themselves and see how much fun the actor is having. It’s clear that, for Hudgens, musical theatre is in her blood — she seems to radiate joy and excitement when she performs. And knowing the awful day that she had earlier, it’s that much more bittersweet to see her nail it on screen.
GIF: Courtesy of FOX5/7Those one-liners!
Pretty much everything Rizzo says is hilarious. Seriously, she can say the phrase, “Ring-a-ding-ding,” and make it sound like the zippiest comeback in the universe. Hudgens delivered those one-liners perfectly, making us all want to be more like Rizzo. #Goals for sure.
GIF: Courtesy of FOX6/7That choreography though.
Oh em gee, that hand-jive scene. (We won’t talk about the dance move that Principal McGee definitely wouldn’t have approved of.) But how killer was that amazing choreography?! Vanessa Hudgens, what is your secret? Anyone who was ever in a high school version of Grease can tell you, that scene is no joke…but they took it to a serious next level.
GIF: Courtesy of FOX7/7We wish we could all be as strong as Vanessa Hudgens.
We can’t begin to imagine what it would be like to have to perform in such a huge show the day after you receive the most tragic news ever. But Vanessa did it with such grace, and it’s impossible not to be impressed by that strength. We all got major goose bumps when she belted out “There Are Worse Things I Could Do,” and we could feel the emotional energy bouncing off our television screens. She is a role model through and through, and we admire her for being such an inspiration of girl-power.
