-
Heartbreaker
Kittens, if it weren't too darn hot, I'd break out the widow's weeds, because after tonight's performance show I'd say that Mark… -
So You Think You Can Dance: You'll Sleep When You're Dead
-
Battlestar Galactica: Best Episode
-
So You Think You Can Dance: The Kids Are Alright
Mr. Strong wins! Mr. Strong beat Kath 9 to 2
Hairspray was better than Grease.
Kath said
Don't get me wrong: I grew up on Grease. I can sing all the words to the major songs (more on that later) and recite quite a few scenes. But Hairspray was better. A few reasons:
- Every song in Hairspray pulls its weight (no pun intended). Let's face it: a lot of songs in Grease are either throwaways, shoehorned in, or don't advance the plot. In Hairspray, everything is both memorable and serves a purpose. And the songs that don't advance the plot (i.e. Mama, I'm A Big Girl Now) are over the credits.
- There's less going on. Convoluted plots are great for dramas, but Hairspray and Grease are fun high school musicals (not to be confused with High School Musical). There's just too many subplots and minor character in Grease, which
- It doesn't have the awful message at the end of having to change in order to find love. To the contrary, Link loves Tracy, no matter what she weighs!
Mr. Strong said
I'm a HUGE Broadway fan, I'll just throw that out there. Also, a great friend of mine is a dancer in the film (he's a 'Nicest Kid in Town,' if you will) and I've seen the Broadway show and the movie a hefty number of times.
But the answer here is, unfortunately, not quite.
To counter some of your points, I would say that the songs in Grease definitely pull their own weight. "Born To Hand Jive" is a classic moment for its dance break, and is probably one of the most recognizable dances in a movie musical after West Side Story." No part of "Ladies Choice" or "Run And Tell That" matches that, regardless of how fun Shankman's choreography was.
- Grease actually has an extremely straightforward plot. In fact, when I did the stage show, I was shocked at how little plot there actually was. It's a very lighthearted film, compared to 'Spray's integration subtext.
- Love this ending point, but come now. Nobody watches Grease for the lessons it teaches.
While Hairspray is a fabulous movie (and I even watched it on the plane home today), it will never become the classic that Grease is. I admire your love for Hairspray, and as much as it remains one of my favorite DVDs, I disagree.
Kath said
The plot isn't quite that straightforward. In addition to the main romance, there's Rizzo's pregnancy scare, Frenchie's foray into beauty school and Marty's...whatever the hell her purpose in the plot was - not to mention car racing, a shoehorned in dance-off, and the kitchen sink. There are too many throwaway characters (Jan? Sonny? Patty? Cha Cha? Et cetera? The fact that I had to look up their names on Wikipedia just now shows how unmemorable they are.) All of these elements flit in, and then out. In Hairspray, there are subplots, but they coalesce nicely in the finale, and things are ebullient.
As for the "classic" dances in Grease, you can't make that argument yet since Grease is decades old and Hairspray can't come out. To be a classic, time has to pass.
And I'd argue that the "lessons" are integral to Grease, as with any other musical or film. Just about everyone I talk to says they like Grease - except for that ending. This signifies a problem. Hairspray requires no "except for".
Mr. Strong said
Throwaway characters?! Unmemorable?! Cha-Cha, Jan, Patty Simcox... these are all part of the integral Grease family! I'm baffled that Patty's involuntary skirt-lift, Jan's "brusha-brusha-brusha," and Cha-Cha's ridiculous dance and dress are all unmemorable to you. Have you seen the film?
And though I hate bashing Hairspray, they just about doubled the number of random 'Nicest Kids in Town,' if you want to talk about throwaway characters.
Hairspray may very well become a classic in, say, twenty years, but you'd be hard-pressed to find an art critic who will say, "Oh, this may be the next Mona Lisa, just give it some time." I have no doubt it will become a cult favorite, as the original has already become, but nothing more than that.
Grease knows not to take itself too seriously, though. The fact that it ends with Sandy and Danny flying away in a car is just an example of the film's fun, not too serious attitude and its parodizing of the greaser decade. Yes, Hairspray has a similar attitude, but they're two polar opposites.
I wonder how Travolta would vote...
Kath said
Oh, I've seen the film plenty of times, and the characters provide fine moments, but that's all they are: moments. They might steal the show for a few seconds, but there are so many people trying to steal it that the show gets sidetracked. By contrast, the throwaway-ness of the "random Nicest Kids in Town" was the joke, and the point (they're supposed to be interchangeable, so when one gets knocked up they can simply find a new one). Other than that, they're basically extras, and don't distract from the story.
I'm slightly missing how Hairspray and Grease are two polar opposites, attitude-wise. Over the course of the film, Tracy rides to school atop a garbage truck, wears a toilet-paper wedding train, sings in photograph form, and does all manner of fun, not too serious things.
And I'd be quite honored for Travolta to vote. Considering Hairspray was the first musical he'd done in decades, I think he just might have an affinity for it...
Mr. Strong said
Well, Hairspray is about integration, which is a HUGE topic, whereas Grease is about high schoolers who, at their riskiest, have a pregnancy scare. That's all I mean when I say they're polar opposites.
I'd be interested if you fleshed out the "Hairspray is better than Grease" argument by examining every aspect -- the music, the dances, the acting, the cinematography. That would pique my interest, actually.
I'll end by saying that I can't understate how much I love Hairspray, and how I listen to the original cast recording almost every day. The show got me interested in Broadway. Similarly, Grease was the last show I've done. Both are incredible, both are tons of fun to watch and sing and listen to and dance to and everything like that.
But Grease is on a level above Hairspray when it comes to defining a genre. Without Grease, there would be no Hairspray.
Like this throwdown?
Episode Recaps
Poll: Cop shows (Part 2)
What was the best cop show on TV from 1998 to 2008?
From EW.com
Comments
OzzieAlThor 03/31/08
Who want's their hair done by a slob?
RobGrizzly 03/31/08
Yeah, Grease is great, but I do like a little more substance in my musicals. I gotta vote Hairspray.
Mr. Strong 03/31/08
If you want a musical with substance, check out Reefer Madness. :)
HoneyBunny 03/31/08
They still play songs from Grease on the radio. Plus, I think Grease says a lot about human nature and teen concerns- pregnancy, dropping out, losing your virginity, dealing with peer pressure. The music is timeless and fun. The acting was great- John Travolta, Olivia Newton John, Stockard Channing... It is just so jubilant.
I liked Hairspray but Grease is the WORD!
Moononastring 04/01/08
Hairspray is the better show
Grease is the better movie
I can't quiet put my finger on why that is, but for me, that's the case
Going by the film versions, as far as the songs themselves, both shows have some fantastic, memorable songs. I would argue that while every song in Grease is good and memorable, Hairspray has at least 1 or 2 clunkers.
Add a comment
Remember to keep it clean. Bad words will get filtered, and offensive comments will be removed. More Guidelines