Previously, from April 11-17…
19 Apr 2010 Leave a Comment
in Previously, on Television... Tags: "Hell-O", Chelsie Hightower, Dancing with the Stars, Derek Hough, Glee, Jonathan Groff, Lea Michele, So You Think You Can Dance
Rachel (Lea Michele) singing "Gives You Hell."
I’m going to be honest. I love movie musicals. There is nothing like watching a really good musical. When I was a child it was The Wizard of Oz and The Sound of Music. Then it was Rent and Hairspray. Now it’s Singin’ in the Rain and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. There’s just something about the fun and excitement of a big Hollywood musical that I just cannot resist. That deep love of the fantastic world of movie musicals recently carried over into television when Glee premiered its pilot episode last May and stole my heart.
Even then, I felt the show was flawed, but all of that receded into irrelevance when I heard the gang sing “Don’t Stop Believing.” My little musical-loving heart just couldn’t resist and I was hooked. The first season of creator Ryan Murphy’s strange little comedy musical has admittedly been uneven, but when the show returned last Tuesday with “Hell-o” after a four-month hiatus, I was beyond excited. However, as with anything that has a lot of hype, the episode both disappointed and delighted me.
The show’s female lead, Rachel, played by the unbelievably talented Lea Michele, has spent much of the season pining for football player Finn. However, Finn, in his infinite stupidity, turned her down fearing dating the abrasive overachiever would hurt his reputation. So Rachel, vulnerable and desperate for someone to love, encounters Jesse St. James, the lead singer of the glee club’s biggest rival Vocal Adrenaline. Jesse, played by guest star Jonathan Groff, is just as if not more fame hungry than Rachel and they share an immediate connection.
The musical numbers are arguably the show’s greatest strength. So whatever annoyance I have with the characters, the music can usually make me forget those problems. This week was no exception. Rachel and Jesse’s duet of Lionel Richie’s “Hello” was remarkable. Michele and Groff previously worked together in the Tony-winning musical Spring Awakening and they bring the chemistry that was so clear in that production to their interactions on Glee.
I’m a big fan of this Jesse St. James storyline not only because it brings Groff and Michele together to do some incredible singing, but because of what it means for the Rachel character. One of my major complaints with the show since the very beginning has been the way the writers handle Rachel. She is, undeniably, the breakout star of the group and her confidence in her talent as well as her ridiculous drive to succeed make the character both annoying and fascinating. Her desire for Finn makes perfect sense. The nerdy girl always wants the popular boy. This is not a new storyline. The exact same thing happened in High School Musical and it fit perfectly with that movie’s tone. However, Glee has never been HSM.
The show is essentially a subversive satire and that’s exactly what I love about it. All of the characters are the most extreme versions of typical high school stereotypes. Glee has always seemed to try to subvert the expectations associated with both its genre and its character types, except when it comes to Rachel. Certainly she subverts the typical overachiever archetype: usually the audience is led to be unwaveringly loyal to the female lead, seeing her as a the one grounded person in the group à la Vanessa Hudgens’s character in HSM, but Rachel’s borderline unlikable neuroticism subverts that idea. However, where she lacks is in her relationship with the Finn character.
Finn is, unlike the perfect character Zac Efron plays in HSM, an idiot. He is in every way, from his lack of confidence to his subpar singing ability, inferior to Rachel and yet, she still pursues him. It’s difficult to believe that Rachel, who is so committed to perfection and talent, would even give Finn the time of day. In fact, the whole club seems convinced Finn is better than he actually is.
The greatest expression of this came this week when Rachel and Finn each found songs that separated them from their previous personas. Finn realized he needed to date around and figure himself out as an individual before being with Rachel and expressed that desire through a rendition of “Hello, I Love You.” The club’s teacher, Will Schuester, sees this moment as vital to Finn’s progression and encourages him. However, when Rachel sings, “Gives You Hell,” attempting to tell Finn what he’s missing, Will is immediately hostile and more focused on the group than her individual well-being. The whole club later follows suit when they threaten to leave the club if Rachel continues to date Jesse. Throughout the series, Rachel’s growth has always been portrayed as unimportant when compared to the rest of the group. She almost seems the enemy everyone tolerates because she’s talented rather than an actual friend to any of the other singers.
Will has always been the most interesting expression of disdain for Rachel. He is often equated with Finn, saying he sees himself in Finn, and I find the writers’ decision not to also address his envy of Rachel sloppy. Rachel and Will share a relationship similar to Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick’s characters in Alexander Payne’s film Election. Rachel’s talent and drive and the fact that she will have the fame Will once sought, seems to spark much of his resentment toward her. However, the resentment is only subtly expressed in his dismissal of her, but never directly addressed. It is one of the show’s major weaknesses that Rachel is continuously tossed to the side, but never reacts.
So the writers brought in Jesse. Not that he is the best agent for Rachel’s liberation. He may be just as talented and fame hungry, but he also clearly wants to sabotage the team by hurting Rachel. But he is a step in the right direction. When he inevitably breaks Rachel’s heart, I hope to see the writers take her toward independence rather than increased dependence on men.
My final complaint with Glee is of an entirely different category: the dancing. Dancing is the reason musicals like Singin’ in the Rain are so exciting. Glee does not have that same level of dancing expertise, which is fine, it isn’t about that anyway. So when I find myself needing a little dancing, I turn to Dancing with the Stars. I’m not talking about the stars; they’re pretty terrible for the most part. I mean the pros. During the last two results shows, they have featured wonderful pro dances with my favorite pro on the program, Chelsie Hightower.
I’ve enjoyed Chelsie’s dancing ever since she and her ridiculously fast and beautiful legs stole the show on So You Think You Can Dance and I am so glad she’s on DWTS. She and Derek Hough did a Paso Doble two weeks ago that was literally one of the most amazing performances I’ve ever seen. Take a look.
Derek is a pretty aggressive dancer and Chelsie is one of the few women who can successfully partner him. I dare you to look at that video and tell me that’s not one of the sexiest performances you’ve ever seen. One of my major quibbles with DWTS is the fact that it’s not really a show about dance as much as it’s a show about stars. Whenever there’s a guest singer, the pros choreograph a wonderful dance, but the cameras always focus on the singer instead. The Paso Doble performance was so refreshing in that it really was about the dance. There was nothing else to distract and during it, I realized how much I missed seeing Chelsie on So You Think You Can Dance.
There is a quality to Chelsie’s dancing that is just mesmerizing to watch. Some of it obviously has to do with her ability, which is truly admirable. Just take a look at this amazing Argentine Tango from SYTYCD.
Stellar right? But it’s not just her legs or her skill, it’s the way she uses them. There’s something reminiscent of Cyd Charisse in the way she just draws your attention. In fact, looking at that argentine tango, I’m reminded of Charisse and Gene Kelly’s sexually charged dance in a nightclub in Singin’ in the Rain. Words are unnecessary because all of the emotion is in the dance. I love that about SYTYCD. I’ve seen some amazing performances on that show, and not all of them by Chelsie mind you. For example, during the last season, arguably the two best dancers, Kathryn and Jakob, did a contemporary routine that literally takes your breath away.
Absolutely incredible. Watching those performances, I’m struck by the fact that most of today’s movie musicals just don’t have that type of dancing anymore because rather than cast dancers or singers in most roles, directors instead cast big stars who can sort of sing. Just think, if Chelsie and Derek had been alive in the 1950’s, they would have danced in half a dozen films together by this point in their careers. Instead they’re forced schlep barely talented pseudo-celebrities around the floor. There’s something tragic about that. I guess what I’m arguing for here really isn’t about putting Chelsie or Derek together in more minimalist pro dances (though I obviously wouldn’t complain about that). No, what I want are more big MGM-style musicals. Clearly there is a market for them. Just look at the popularity of Glee and So You Think You Can Dance. So that is my plea to Hollywood. I love my musical oriented television shows, but take some of the talented performers from those shows and make a big, exciting movie musical instead. Because really, who can resist a musical?
UPDATE: When I wrote first wrote this article, my highest hopes for Chelsie in this whole “make me an MGM-style musical!” scenario were that she would be just like Cyd Charisse: she would do her own dancing, but the singing would always fall to someone else. I’m of course not promoting dubbing here, I just thought of her working in more of a strictly dance role while another character entirely would do most of the singing. From hearing Chelsie speak, I just assumed she didn’t have a good singing voice. And then I found this.
Please, for the love of all that is good and holy, someone put this woman in a musical! It’s not the best voice, but it’s damn good considering she’s singing a tough Jewel song without any preparation. Plus there’s so much personality in her voice and sometimes personality goes just as far as ability. Look at Gene Kelly, not the best singer technically, but man, does he infuse personality into his singing. And luckily, Chelsie’s got personality in spades.
Recent Comments