Wednesday January 27, 2010
New directions
By ELIZABETH TAI
A bunch of high school misfits become a part of the school’s new glee club and dance their way into viewers’ hearts.
GLEE has become a pop culture phenomenon. The show’s fans call themselves “Gleeks”, mp3s of its songs are heavily downloaded over iTunes – a boon to the music industry – and the cast will even go on a concert tour around the United States early this year.
Critics say that television has seen nothing like it before – musical television with a cast of very talented actors and singers.
Suffering for their art: At McKinley High, members of the glee club get thrown in the trash a lot. Watch them sing their hearts out in Glee. But that’s not exactly true. Hugh Jackman’s musical dramedy Viva Laughlin premiered in October 2007 in the United States, but was so widely reviled that it was turned off after a mere two episodes. Perhaps, TV viewers just were not ready to have characters break into song suddenly.
But with Glee, the musical numbers are an essential part of the story – a bunch of high school misfits becomes a part of the school’s new glee club (called New Directions) and the singing and dancing are part of the club’s activities.
Not having to watch characters awkwardly burst into song in the middle of a conversation does help with one’s enjoyment of a show.
It also helps that Glee is a very funny piece of television, all thanks to the eccentric characters and the capable actors who play them.
Glee is a parody of American high school society – an exaggeration, if you will.
That’s why Glee’s characters are mostly stereotypes: Quinn (Dianna Agron) is the queen bee and (of course) the head cheerleader, Artie (Kevin McHale) is the geeky guy in the wheelchair, Kurt (Chris Colfer) is the fashionable gay kid, Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz) is the goth girl and Rachel (Lea Michele) is the overachiever with lofty ambitions of stardom.
And, there are also Mercedes (Amber Riley) who is the loud, African-American diva, Finn (Cory Monteith), the dumb jock with a heart, and school bully Puck (Mark Salling).
Being a part of the glee club is a step down in the high school social ladder, and many of the kids who make up New Directions are the school’s underdogs. It’s hilarious watching them navigate the treacherous seas of high school social politics.
These high school misfits are led by Spanish teacher Will Schuester (played by Broadway actor Matthew Morisson) who, despite having lots of problems at home with his shrew of a wife (Jessalyn Gilsig), is a level-headed teacher who is determined to guide New Directions to win at the sectionals (a regional competition).
All underdogs have bad guys who make life difficult for them. Their major nemesis is Sue Sylvester, an outrageously politically incorrect cheerleading coach who spouts the things that could get you sued in a jiffy in the United States.
Such a character could quickly become an unwatchable caricature in less capable hands, but thanks to Jane Lynch’s fine performance, the character is not utterly detestable but even funny and endearing at times. In fact, I’d say that she represents the inner bitch in all of us, saying the nasty things that we don’t want to say out loud.
You’d think that a show populated by stereotypes would be an agony to watch, but the characters have surprising depth and evolve and change over the course of the series.
Then there’s the song and dance numbers – the biggest. It’s so good that you tend to forgive much of the show’s flaws.
One running plot thread had critics and viewers frustrated and bored because it was mostly illogical, and the writers don’t always handle Glee’s serious bits too well, often turning it too soap opera-ish.
But somehow the highly addictive musical numbers – all polished up in a studio – makes it all endurable, and we forgive them for the flaws because we are so very entertained and thrilled by them.
However, one hopes that the series’ writers improve this weakness because TV viewers are a terribly fickle lot; their patience may run out one day.
Pop songs and even Broadway and West End numbers are redone to beautiful perfection (sometimes too perfect, complain some). Although they are awkward initially, the studio-polished tunes don’t seem out of place in the show as time goes by. Plus, it sounds wonderful on stereo!
But, ah, for a simple a capella without the bells and whistles of studio tweaking! I’m certain the cast can pull it off as many of them are professional singers.
Michelle, Morisson and Ushkowitz have performed on Broadway, Salling is a singer and songwriter, and McHale was in a boyband called NLT.
Glee is one hour of comedy and fun song and dance moments; something the world needs in moody times like ours. A precious piece of television.
Glee airs on Star World (Astro channel 711) on Wednesdays at 9pm.
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