Arts Features
Grease: You're the One That I Want Live Episode #5 Recap
By Amy Somensky Mar 6, 2007, 4:27 GMT
Grease is the all-American musical, based on the sub-cultures of high school life in the 1950\'s. The show takes place in the hyperactive Rydell High School, where Danny Zuko fronts his gang - the raucous T-Birds - who romance their sassy female equivalents - the Pink Ladies. When "good girl" Sandy Dumbrowski arrives in town, the Pink Ladies take her under their collective wing. ...more
You knew it was coming. It's the Danny's turn to prove they got what it takes to make it on Broadway in Grease. What's the perfect way to do that? A "Greased Lightning" number. The 5th live episode kicked off with a group number of that exact song. Complete with a greased up set of Dannys and some strategically placed word changes to accommodate a G audience.
First up was Austin trying to prove that he could make the judges laugh. Each Danny met up with an expert to help them with their problems. Since "hot" Danny should more appropriately be called "serious Danny", Austin went to the Groundlings to get some pointers. It seemed to have been a waisted trip since his rendition of The Beach Boy's "Fun Fun Fun" only impressed Kathleen Marshall.
Derek needed to better his vocals from last time's less than stellar performance of "From This Moment On". After visiting with a vocal therapist and making some funny faces, swimming, and doing yoga he tried to impress by singing the 80's staple "Heaven". He did better, but failed to get rid of any cracks in his singing. He may be next on the chopping block.
Max, that pinnacle of manliness, needed to prove that he was more than just the class clown and could become Broadway's newest sex symbol. To do that, he attempted to follow in the footsteps of Rocky Balboa, and hit the boxing ring. It must have worked because his version of "Hard to Handle" impressed the judges enough that all three voted him the best Danny of the evening. Max's talent is not the only thing blossoming during the reality show. A romance between Max and Allie is blossoming. Keeping everything professional, Max chose not to spill the beans.
Chad needs to be more charismatic and set himself apart from the crowd, so he met with a UCLA professor to try and bring out his inner Shakespeare. He chose "Don't Stop Me Now" to show off his improvement. While not his best vocal performance, the judges were convinced that Chad would fill the seats on Broadway, but he may join Derek in the bottom two next week.
After next week three Dannys and three Sandys will be left making the final match up look almost certain to be Max versus Austin and Laura versus Ashley. Will America be able to identify with two unconventional leads in Max and Laura or will they go with Austin and Ashley who look the parts. I know who I will be voting for.
