"I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being."
Oscar Wilde is responsible for the above quote but despite such smarts, I can't help but disagree with him that there is a single greatest art. Sure, there's nothing like live theater, but Wilde died in 1900, far too early to weigh in on such high art masterpieces as "Star Wars," "The Godfather," "The Wire" and "Breaking Bad," for instance.
I'll cut him some slack for that but what Wilde was onto was the fact that only with theater are we allowed to witness, en mass, art being created in front of our eyes in real time.
And that brings me to Sunday night's "Grease: Live" TV event. The entire production was a faithful and well-done adaptation of what began its like as a hit broadway play. But there's something that bothers me about Grease and all of the recent "live TV" musicals ("The Wiz," "Peter Pan," "The Sound of Music"). Put simply, they don't get you as jacked up as their "live on-stage" counterparts, and that truly changes the ways we absorb entertainment.
The promise of live theater, it's essential winning quality, is it's ability to force an immediate and very intimate connection between the actors and the audience, and through that connection, coax a collective and communal swell of emotion from both parties. None of that happens with what's come to be known as TV theater.
"Grease: Live" attempted to answer this shortcoming by including a live audience as part of the production, but it still didn't feel right for many of us at home. There's a kinetic energy to live performance that is unequaled in other mediums. Unfortunately, that quality is distilled when networks adapt shows for the small screen and also when they write out the edgier themes that make a play original and authentic.
Should we be concerned with what this means for entertainment as a whole? Rather than inconvenience ourselves with the act of actually going to a live show, we appear content to settle for watered-down adaptations.
I'm no Broadway snob. While I've been fortunate enough to catch the best shows of the last few years ("Book of Mormon," "Wicked," "Hairspray," etc.), I have always opted for theaters that show movies instead. One would think the benefits offered by these TV specials – the comfort of my own home, free price tag – would appeal to me and the rest of Generation Text. While the ratings prove that to be the case in most instances, I can't help but react to each of these adaptations with a resounding "Meh."
It's the same as if you were watching a sporting event on TV versus up close and personal. Sure, you may go nuts in your living room when Carmelo Anthony (read: Kristaps Porzingis) hits a game-winning shot. But that doesn't hold a candle to sharing the experience with fellow fans in real time.
I realize I sound like a grandpa trapped in a millenial's body – "Back in my day..." – but this recent trend could lead to declining interest in first-hand experiences and an create yet another reason to couch dwell. Some things just have to be witnessed to be truly appreciated, and though these TV specials are solid and convenient, there's always something missing. Don't let these edited and second-hand accounts become a convenient substitute for live entertainment.
