In Defense of Glee.

So last night at rehearsal, several cast members were discussing how terrible "Glee" is - how it has really gone down hill this season, how over-produced the musical numbers are, how the actors are too old for their roles as high schoolers, how they don't care for the voices of certain performers, etc. It was on my mind again this morning, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to defend "Glee."

I will start out by saying that there are many things wrong with Glee. We will start with how completely far-fetched it is: a group that has to hold a bake sale for wheelchair-accessible transportation to regionals also has a full backup band, innumerable costume changes and special effects? Complete nonsense. A high school teacher who gets away with hurling racial slurs and throwing students into lockers, in a world where high school teachers are getting fired for having a blog in which they don't even mention the school name? Utterly ridiculous. I get it. But this is TV - there are more shows about vampires than there are about gay people. It's also a comedy - the absurdities of the show are played for laughs, and the writers are CERTAINLY self-aware of the ridiculousness. (Remember the Glee ep where Rachel referenced the accompanist who just randomly appears whenever they need him?)

Oh- and Ryan Murphy's previous television shows were "Popular" and "Nip/Tuck"- both of which required a serious suspension of disbelief to get through. He's a farfetched guy. David E. Kelley shows are the same way - they start out kind of normal, then suddenly move into the vaguely surreal. It's television.

When I watch "Glee" I think of it as our own memories of high school - hyper-realized. The boy I had a crush on was a total dreamboat perfect guy, until he reflected his non-interest in me, then I saw him as a total jerk. Was there an actual 180 in his personality? Of course not- but when I remember high school, I remember it in extremes. That can explain how Finn's character is so inconsistent - because that's how Rachel sees him. The meanest teacher I had in school probably wasn't ACTUALLY that mean- I just didn't like her and thought she picked on me, so is it that much of a change to imagine her throwing people into lockers? Our own memories tend to be much more dramatic than reality, and I watch Glee with the sense that none of this is real, but it may be the way some people perceive their high school experience.

Same goes with the performances - where they start in the choir room and end up on stage in a fully-produced production number. I remember my high school performances as being MUCH more fabulous than I'm sure they actually were. And I sure wish that there was auto-tune to correct that off-note I sang in my final scene of my final high school performance. It's not real, but it sure is how those of us with theatrical aspirations wanted things to be. Is that so wrong?

Sure, I roll my eyes at stupid things on that show, but I also want to sing along, and want to cheer when these high school students say what I always wish I could have said. It's not perfect, but it makes people feel good. Is there anything wrong with that?

And the biggest reason that I am a "Glee" cheerleader is the music. As a 35-year-old who doesn't really listen to the radio, I've been introduced to songs by Bruno Mars and Cee-Lo that I may have never gotten interested in if not for "Glee." And think of all of the kids who are turning off Akon and listening to Burt Bacharach after hearing Chris Colfer sing "A House is Not a Home," or might want to investigate Barbra Streisand because she is Rachel Berry's idol. How on earth can this be a bad thing? It's exposing a HUGE number of people to a pretty diverse mix of music. Do I love every song? Of course not. But if one kid who has never been exposed to musical theatre picks up a copy of RENT because they heard and loved "Take Me Or Leave Me" this past Tuesday, and maybe falls in love with something in that show's message or wants to learn to play the guitar... doesn't that make the world just a little bit better?

I'm a theatre kid - always have been, and was lucky to be involved in tons of community & regional theatre as a kid, because my tiny elementary school didn't offer much related to the arts. I was then lucky to go to a high school where Performing Arts were celebrated, and got to be involved in some awesome things. "Glee" gets people talking about the arts, about the importance of music - it might inspire someone who has never been exposed to the arts to try out for high school choir, or take up dance class, or pick up a guitar. It might make these performing activities so popular that the question of cutting the arts in public schools becomes moot. NONE of this is a bad thing.

And that's the thing about "Glee." It's a feel-good television show, that sometimes gets too pop-culture-y for its own good, and certainly has done its share of "Very Special Episode"s but at the end of the day, it gets people singing and dancing. And more singing and dancing can definitely make the world a better place.