McKinley High Tackles a School Musical
Over the course of 2 Seasons of Glee, we’ve seen and heard our New Directions belt out show tunes from various beloved Broadway musicals such as Wicked and Rent. Now in Season 3, we finally get to see them partake in one.
According to an interview with the The Hollywood Reporter at Fox‘s Eco Casino Party, Lea Michele revealed that McKinley High is producing a musical that the members of New Directions will be auditioning for. When asked what musical they were producing, she would not give any specifics, but Michele revealed:
[It's a] classic Broadway musical with one female lead and one male lead.
With that being said, drama is sure to ensue as the members of New Directions fight for the leads. In regards to Rachel Berry’s main objective, Michele revealed:
[Rachel is] vying for the lead in the school musical and she has a little competition with Mercedes (Amber Riley).
Not only is competition for the female lead stiff, the competition for the male lead is just as tough, if not more. Chris Colfer‘s Kurt, Cory Monteith‘s Finn, and Darren Criss‘ Blaine are all in the running for the top honor. Yes, you read that right! Blaine is auditioning for the musical! That means Blaine will eventually make the transfer over from Dalton Academy to McKinley High in Season 3.
One person notably missing from the competition for male lead is Kevin McHale‘s Artie. Instead of participating as an actor, Artie has been credited as co-producer of the musical alongside Dot Marie Jones‘ Coach Beiste and Jayma Mays‘ Ms. Pillsbury. The trio will be holding auditions and call backs to see who they’ll cast.
Glee yet again continues its streak of arts education by informing the viewers of the hardships that accompany an entertainment production. Some of the issues sure to arise during this new story arc is the heartbreak of not getting a part and the discrimination of typecasting. Colfer reveals that typecasting might have an influence on the casting decision. In regards to Kurt’s reaction to the situation, Colfer said:
It’s a really interesting learning process that he goes through, learning that people can’t see him as anything but him.
Will typecasting play a role in the outcome? Who do you think the trio will award the lead female and male roles? What musical do you want them to produce? Sound off below!
Source: ‘Glee’ Season 3: The Battle for the School Musical Begins
I was really excited to hear that the members of New Directions will be auditioning for (spoiler alert) West Side Story. It is such a classic and it will be fun to see their rendition of it. I am a little upset to read that Artie will be missing from the competition for male lead. Though producing is something we’ve never really seen him do before. Typecasting is a really interesting point. I wonder where they will place Kurt- I just hope he ends up happy as he has suffered multiple “losses” to Rachel (though I do think she’d make a good Maria, as she points out in the first episode). As for the male lead? I’d love to see something other than a Rachel/Finn lead- let’s see something new! Also, really hoping for a Glee-ed version of “Gee, Officer Krupke”!