I happen to enjoy Glee, but that's not why I'm posting here. Someone earlier in the thread (I think it was Kad) made a point about how "revolutionary" it was that kids were being exposed to shows like Les Mis and WSS (quotes fully intended as sarcasm).
The thing is, it IS revolutionary. Because everyone this board is into theater, it's not that big a deal to us. You have NO idea the cultural bubble so many kids these days live in. I have students who've never HEARD of things like the Muppets or Bugs Bunny, let alone HUGE shows like Les Mis or West Side Story.
But some of them watch Glee. And some of them become familiar with shows BECAUSE of Glee. Theater geeks aren't the target audience. They're NEVER going to do a Sondheim episode. Think about it - they have Matthew Morrison and he's NEVER sung a full on Broadway ballad on the show. This is the most exposure MANY kids are getting to Broadway, so I give the show some slack on the choices they make.
Like the show or not, criticizing the show because they're doing "big" shows as opposed to obscure ones to cater to a small percentage of their audience makes no sense. I've had students who've told me they've looked into other shows because of Glee - and if they start with learning West Side Story, then so be it.
They're not going to win over any theater fans by having the entire cast do "A Weekend in the Country."
Hi, Shirley Temple Pudding.
