Eleven o’clock is late for teenagers to start a party on a weeknight, but this was a special occasion. The high school-age cast of Broadway’s “Bye Bye Birdie” had gathered to watch “Glee,” Fox’s hourlong musical comedy series that has become a cult favorite among the theater community in New York.
Having taken their final bows, more than a dozen cast members, many cozily outfitted in pajamas, crowded this past week into the studio apartment of Natalie Hill (a nonteen actress in “Birdie”) to watch a recording of the latest episode.
“He’s not in a wheelchair in real life?” someone asked about Kevin McHale, who plays Artie, a disabled character. Giggles. The answer was no. The round-robin commentary continued.
“He’s 17.”
“He’s 17?”
“Pass the pretzels.”
“Oh my God, he’s adorable!”
Artie, singing the Billy Idol hit “Dancing With Myself,” looks longingly at his crush Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz). “Awwwww,” everyone sighed in unison.
“Glee,” which chronicles the lives of members of a high school glee club, is attracting between 7 and 8 million viewers every week, and doing well among the valued 18- to 49-year-old market segment. But it is something of an obsession among theater denizens, teenage and otherwise. Two of the “Glee” leads, Lea Michele (who plays Rachel) and Matthew Morrison (who plays the teacher Will Schuester) have starred in Tony-winning musicals on Broadway, and are friends or friends of friends of many people who populate the stages of New York.
Ms. Ushkowitz and Jane Lynch, who plays the glee-club-hating cheerleader coach Sue Sylvester, are stage veterans, while other theatrical luminaries like Kristin Chenoweth and Jonathan Groff (Ms. Michele’s co-star in “Spring Awakening”) will occasionally pop up on the series. Its music stretches from Avril Lavigne, Kanye West and the Supremes to “My Fair Lady,” “West Side Story” and “Guys and Dolls.” Madonna songs are scheduled for future episodes.
In-jokes are peppered throughout the dialogue. A recent episode even poked fun at the star of “Birdie”: “They say it takes more certainty than talent to become a star. I mean, look at John Stamos.” For someone in theater, what’s not to love?
At the moment, the “Birdie” cast was watching Rachel and the gay, meticulously groomed Kurt (Chris Colfer) have a “Diva Off” to see who gets to perform “Defying Gravity,” the bring-down-the-house number from the musical “Wicked” and an anthem for aspiring chorus singers everywhere. Kurt is miffed that the song is automatically given to a girl; he can hit a high F.
“Riley!!” the “Birdie” cast squealed, turning to another member, Riley Costello, who can also hit that high note. Later that evening, Paul Pilcz and Kevin Shotwell said that during “Birdie” rehearsals Mr. Costello would grab the black piano cover, drape it around his shoulders and sing “Defying Gravity.”
Among the Birdies, Kurt is the clear favorite. “I love him,” said Deanna Cipolla, who was sitting on the floor in light-blue PJs with cupcakes on them.
Ms. Hill added, “I think he’s brilliant, he’s the best.”
During a commercial, Brynn Williams and Daniel Quadrino explained why Will has such a nutty wife. “They were high-school sweethearts,” they said simultaneously.
“Jinx!” Ms. Williams shouted with a laugh. Most of the cupcakes that Ms. Hill brought in from Magnolia Bakery were gone, and the sugar rush had apparently kicked in.
“Shhhh,” Catherine Blades said when the show came back on.
Rick Miramontez, the co-owner of O&M, a theatrical public-relations firm, holds a “Glee” party Wednesdays at 9 p.m. (when the show is regularly broadcast) at his house. Kurt was a favorite there as well.
“Mostly because it seems like Rachel gets all the solos,” Sam Corbett, an intern at O&M, said. “And in real life, Chris Colfer wanted to sing ‘Defying Gravity’ in high school and he never got the chance. That’s why it was written into the script.”
Over at the August Wilson Theater, cast members from “Jersey Boys” tend to gather in the stage manager’s office to discuss each episode. Kurt was favored there too — not surprisingly for a show where the star has to hit high notes every evening.
Having taken their final bows, more than a dozen cast members, many cozily outfitted in pajamas, crowded this past week into the studio apartment of Natalie Hill (a nonteen actress in “Birdie”) to watch a recording of the latest episode.
“He’s not in a wheelchair in real life?” someone asked about Kevin McHale, who plays Artie, a disabled character. Giggles. The answer was no. The round-robin commentary continued.
“He’s 17.”
“He’s 17?”
“Pass the pretzels.”
“Oh my God, he’s adorable!”
Artie, singing the Billy Idol hit “Dancing With Myself,” looks longingly at his crush Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz). “Awwwww,” everyone sighed in unison.
“Glee,” which chronicles the lives of members of a high school glee club, is attracting between 7 and 8 million viewers every week, and doing well among the valued 18- to 49-year-old market segment. But it is something of an obsession among theater denizens, teenage and otherwise. Two of the “Glee” leads, Lea Michele (who plays Rachel) and Matthew Morrison (who plays the teacher Will Schuester) have starred in Tony-winning musicals on Broadway, and are friends or friends of friends of many people who populate the stages of New York.
Ms. Ushkowitz and Jane Lynch, who plays the glee-club-hating cheerleader coach Sue Sylvester, are stage veterans, while other theatrical luminaries like Kristin Chenoweth and Jonathan Groff (Ms. Michele’s co-star in “Spring Awakening”) will occasionally pop up on the series. Its music stretches from Avril Lavigne, Kanye West and the Supremes to “My Fair Lady,” “West Side Story” and “Guys and Dolls.” Madonna songs are scheduled for future episodes.
In-jokes are peppered throughout the dialogue. A recent episode even poked fun at the star of “Birdie”: “They say it takes more certainty than talent to become a star. I mean, look at John Stamos.” For someone in theater, what’s not to love?
At the moment, the “Birdie” cast was watching Rachel and the gay, meticulously groomed Kurt (Chris Colfer) have a “Diva Off” to see who gets to perform “Defying Gravity,” the bring-down-the-house number from the musical “Wicked” and an anthem for aspiring chorus singers everywhere. Kurt is miffed that the song is automatically given to a girl; he can hit a high F.
“Riley!!” the “Birdie” cast squealed, turning to another member, Riley Costello, who can also hit that high note. Later that evening, Paul Pilcz and Kevin Shotwell said that during “Birdie” rehearsals Mr. Costello would grab the black piano cover, drape it around his shoulders and sing “Defying Gravity.”
Among the Birdies, Kurt is the clear favorite. “I love him,” said Deanna Cipolla, who was sitting on the floor in light-blue PJs with cupcakes on them.
Ms. Hill added, “I think he’s brilliant, he’s the best.”
During a commercial, Brynn Williams and Daniel Quadrino explained why Will has such a nutty wife. “They were high-school sweethearts,” they said simultaneously.
“Jinx!” Ms. Williams shouted with a laugh. Most of the cupcakes that Ms. Hill brought in from Magnolia Bakery were gone, and the sugar rush had apparently kicked in.
“Shhhh,” Catherine Blades said when the show came back on.
Rick Miramontez, the co-owner of O&M, a theatrical public-relations firm, holds a “Glee” party Wednesdays at 9 p.m. (when the show is regularly broadcast) at his house. Kurt was a favorite there as well.
“Mostly because it seems like Rachel gets all the solos,” Sam Corbett, an intern at O&M, said. “And in real life, Chris Colfer wanted to sing ‘Defying Gravity’ in high school and he never got the chance. That’s why it was written into the script.”
Over at the August Wilson Theater, cast members from “Jersey Boys” tend to gather in the stage manager’s office to discuss each episode. Kurt was favored there too — not surprisingly for a show where the star has to hit high notes every evening.
To continue reading, click A Market Segment ‘Glee’ Can Call Its Own: Theater Folk
This article is from the www.nytimes.com
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