The scene opens up to vintage, upbeat sounds of the infamous beginning song by Frankie Valli. Except this time it’s Jessie J’s ringing voice projecting through the TV screen. She walks through the set with short interruptions featuring the cast. The opening scene is complete, and the iconic musical begins. But it is not the same.

Sets are changed because of the live broadcast, causing the musical to stray away from the original movie. And minor characters from the movie become larger characters that enhance pointless parts of the plot making the overall musical longer and less condensed. Also scenes are added, like cheerleading tryouts, that cluster the movie and try to showcase the actors’/actresses’ dance skills.

With a cast of 600 people and a live audience, things are crowded. The live audience creates the feeling of listening to the pre-recorded laughter of a cheesy sitcom that no one actually laughs at.

Julianne Hough, cast as Sandy, delivered her lines with style and a smile like the original Sandy, Olivia Newton-John. Her singing and dancing was familiar, helping to create one of the only connections between the old and the new. Vanessa Hudgens, cast as Rizzo, sang beautifully and delivered her lines with style.

However, Aaron Tveit, cast as Danny Zuko, delivered his lines with fake emotions and over-exaggeration. The original Zuko is hard to imitate, especially with a live  audience and millions watching at home; however, in order to make the character and musical believable, one must surpass expectations and go beyond. Tveit did not do this. His singing and dancing was enjoyable, but his acting was nowhere near the original Zuko.

But the new adaptation brings fresh new faces to the screen. The musical, aired on Jan. 31, brings racial diversity to beloved “Grease” with additions like Keke Palmer as Marty Maraschino and Jordan Fisher as Doody. This shows did take the steps  to mesh old favorites and new ideas.

With only enjoyable singing and dancing mixed with acting that misses the mark, the musical fails to totally impress. Changes to the musical make the new plot hazy and confusing, while missing the main points of the original. Grease: Live! falls short of great expectations and lands nowhere near the original.