Theatricality
"Theatricality" | |
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Poker Face " | |
Production code | 1ARC20 |
Original air date | May 25, 2010 |
Guest appearances | |
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"Theatricality" is the twentieth episode of the American television series Glee. The episode was written and directed by series creator Ryan Murphy, and premiered on the Fox network on May 25, 2010.
In "Theatricality", glee club member Tina Cohen-Chang (Jenna Ushkowitz) has an identity crisis. The female club members and Kurt (Chris Colfer) pay tribute to Lady Gaga, performing in a selection of her costumes, while the rest of the male club members perform as Kiss. Rachel (Lea Michele) meets her mother Shelby (Idina Menzel), the coach of rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline, and Finn (Cory Monteith) and his mother move in with Kurt and his father, leading to a confrontation between Kurt and Finn, and Finn continuing to control Kurt about keeping his sexuality away from him, and using scare tactics to keep Kurt away. The episode features cover versions of five songs, all of which were released as singles, available for digital download, and three of which are included on the soundtrack album Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers.
"Theatricality" was watched by 11.5 million American viewers and received generally positive reviews from critics. Tim Stack of Entertainment Weekly deemed it one of his favorite episodes of the season, and both Terri Schwartz of
Plot
Rachel (Lea Michele) discovers that rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline is planning on performing a Lady Gaga number at Regionals, so glee club director Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) sets the club a Gaga assignment. The girls and Kurt (Chris Colfer) create costumes inspired by Lady Gaga and perform "Bad Romance". The rest of the male club members, unwilling to do a Gaga number, dress as Kiss and perform "Shout It Out Loud". Puck (Mark Salling) suggests to Quinn (Dianna Agron) that they name their daughter Jackie Daniels, as in Jack Daniel's. Later, in an attempt to show her he is serious about being a father, he does another Kiss song with the guys, "Beth", and suggests that Quinn give that name to their daughter. Quinn agrees that he can be present at her birth.
While spying on a Vocal Adrenaline rehearsal, Rachel shockingly realizes that their director,
Kurt's father
Production
"Theatricality" was originally intended to air on June 1, 2010, but was switched in the schedule with the episode "Funk".[1] The impetus for the Lady Gaga tribute comes from Tina's conflict, with Ushkowitz explaining that the storyline reflects Tina "slowly coming out of her box. Making her way out of her shell."[2] As well as allowing Glee the rights to her songs, Lady Gaga also loaned the series her costume designer to recreate her signature looks. Series creator Ryan Murphy, who also directed the episode, stated that, because of the elaborate staging and costuming, the performance of "Bad Romance" was the show's most expensive number to date. "Bad Romance" took six hours to film, with Murphy describing it as "big and athletic and hard." Michele damaged her knee from exertion during the performance.[2] In a statement released to Entertainment Weekly, Gaga eagerly anticipated the covers of her songs: "I love Glee. I love the cast and the creativity of the writers. I went to a musical theatre school, and used to dream that someday the students would be singing my songs. Can’t wait for "Bad Romance" + "Poker Face" in Glee fashion!"[3]
Glee's costume designer
The episode includes an acoustic performance of Lady Gaga's "Poker Face", performed by Rachel and her mother Shelby.[15] Menzel explained that the sexual meaning of the song is different in the context of the show, calling it "actually very simple and truthful."[16] The male glee club members, except Kurt, perform "Beth" and "Shout It Out Loud" by Kiss,[17] while Shelby also sings "Funny Girl" from the film of the same name.[18] "Speechless" was featured as background music in the scene where Finn wiped off his Kiss makeup while Kurt fixes his outfit. All of the songs performed in the episode were released as singles, available for digital download.[19] "Poker Face" and "Beth" are included on the deluxe edition of the soundtrack album Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers,[20] while "Bad Romance" is included on both the deluxe and standard editions of the album.[20][21] "Bad Romance" charted at number 91 in Australia,[22] 46 in Canada,[23] 10 in Ireland,[24] 59 in the United Kingdom,[25] and 54 in the United States,[23] while "Poker Face" charted at number 26 in Canada,[23] 16 in Ireland,[24] 70 in the United Kingdom,[25] and 20 in the United States.[23]
Recurring guest star Mike O'Malley appears in the episode as Kurt's father Burt, sharing a scene with Colfer and Monteith which Colfer has described as the most emotional scene of the series thus far, explaining: "Reading it on paper I had no idea it was going to be that intense. Once I got into it, then I kind of realised, 'Oh, there's such a bigger meaning behind this. Oh my God, this is so dramatic'."
Reception
Ratings
In its original broadcast, "Theatricality" was watched by 11.5 million American viewers, and led in the
Critical response
Following the episode's original broadcast, "Asian Vampires" became the fifth most discussed topic on the social networking website
Bobby Hankinson of the Houston Chronicle called the episode "pretty great", also praising O'Malley's acting and noting: "I was impressed with how visceral the confrontation between Kurt's dad and Finn got and how the writers kept the language as raw as the emotions."[40] The A.V. Club's Emily VanDerWerff graded the episode B+. She called the Rachel and Shelby storyline "very well-handled, another emotional story that the series is mostly nailing the execution of", and opined: "Chris Colfer and Mike O'Malley (always good together) brought out the best in Cory Monteith, who sometimes struggles with the weightier stuff." Overall, VanDerWerff felt that "Theatricality" was not as good as the preceding episode, but contained some well-executed moments and many funny lines.[41] James Poniewozik of Time was "pleasantly surprised" by the episode, praising the Kurt/Finn and Rachel/Shelby story lines; however, he found the Tina, Quinn and Puck subplots "ridiculous and dispensable."[42]
Henrik Batallones of BuddyTV felt that "Theatricality" was a "pretty strong, albeit not perfect, episode", deeming O'Malley the star of the show. Batallones criticized the Rachel and Shelby story line, however, suggesting that it was rushed and would have been better stretched out across the remainder of the season.[43] Mary Hanrahan of Broadway World also felt that the Rachel and Shelby plot was rushed, calling it "sloppily handled". She criticized the performance of "Bad Romance", additionally noting that "Poker Face" did not work in the context of a mother–daughter duet. Hanrahan commented that she was tired of "themed episodes" of Glee, concluding that the episode: "fails on a lot of levels, and has actually made the episodes preceding it look better as a result."[44] Kevin Coll of Fused Film criticized the selection of "Poker Face", noting that it was well done, but badly matched with the scene and storyline.[15]
References
- ^ "Shows A-Z: glee on fox". The Futon Critic. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
- ^ Dos Santos, Kristin (April 13, 2010). "Ga-Gouch! Glee's Lea Michele Injured During Lady Gaga Dance Number". E!. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ Ausiello, Michael (May 25, 2010). "Exclusive: Lady Gaga calls 'Glee' tribute a 'dream' come true". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 4, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e King, Joyann (May 24, 2010). "Glee's Costumer Dishes On Gaga Looks". InStyle. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ Odell, Amy (March 23, 2009). "Does It Matter If Lady Gaga's Bubble Dress Is a Hussein Chalayan Knockoff?". The Cut. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- Tribune Media Services. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ a b Mellini, Michael (May 26, 2010). "Glee-cap: Gleeks and Idina Menzel Hit By Gaga Fever". Broadway.com.
- ^ "Gaga wants millinery internship". BBC News. May 19, 2010. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
- ^ a b Wightman, Catriona (May 26, 2010). "'Glee' cast discuss Lady GaGa outfits". Digital Spy. Retrieved June 2, 2010.
- ^ Ryan, Chris (December 8, 2009). "Lady Gaga Meets The Queen Of England!". MTV. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
- ^ "Lady GaGa Praises Glee Tribute Episode". MTV. May 26, 2010. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
- ^ "Going Gaga for Gaga". Harper's Bazaar. 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
MAC Viva Glam Launch Event: Head-to-toe lace by Jeffrey Bryant and a masquerade-appropriate sculptural blossom.
- ^ "Black Rose « Charlie Le Mindu". Charlie Le Mindu. March 2, 2010. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
- ^ Anitai, Tamar (February 11, 2010). "Lady Gaga In Alexander McQueen's Fashions: Photos Of Our Favorite Looks". MTV. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ a b Coll, Kevin (May 26, 2010). "TV Review: GLEE – Episode 1.20 – Going Gaga With "Theatricality"". Fused Film. Archived from the original on June 3, 2010. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
- Dos Santos, Kristin (May 26, 2010). "Glee Stars Dish on Tonight's Emotional (What?!) Lady Gaga Episode". E!. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ Peter, Thomas (May 19, 2010). ""Glee" Ratings: Spring Season Episode 6". Playbill. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ "Idina Menzel to Sing 'Funny Girl' on Upcoming GLEE". Broadway World. May 10, 2010. Retrieved May 14, 2010.
- ^ "Glee Cast". iTunes Store. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
- ^ a b "Glee: The Music, Vol. 3 Showstoppers (Deluxe Ed.)". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
- ^ "Glee: The Music, Vol. 3 Showstoppers". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
- ^ "Chartifacts - Week Commencing: 31st May 2010". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on February 27, 2010. Retrieved June 2, 2010.
- ^ a b c d "Glee Cast". acharts.us. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
- ^ a b "Irish Charts > Glee Cast". irish-charts. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
- ^ a b "The Official Charts Company – Glee Cast". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 25, 2010.
- ^ Wightman, Catriona (April 27, 2010). "'Glee' Kurt to have "emotional" plots". Digital Spy. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
- ^ Semigran, Aly (May 25, 2010). "'Glee' Star Chris Colfer On Wearing Lady Gaga's 10-Inch Heels: 'I've Gained Lots Of Balance'". MTV. Archived from the original on October 8, 2011. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. September 13, 2010.
- Tribune Media Services. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ Gorman, Bill (June 2, 2010). "TV Ratings Top 25: American Idol, Big Bang Theory, Two And A Half Men Top 18-49 Ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 28, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
- ^ Deans, Jason (June 1, 2010). "Coronation Street's HD debut draws more than 500,000 viewers". The Guardian. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
- BBM Canada. Archived from the original(PDF) on March 2, 2012. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
- ^ "Australia Goes Ga-Ga For Glee - 1.41 Million Viewers". ebroadcast. June 11, 2010. Archived from the original on June 16, 2010. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
- ^ Relaxnews (May 26, 2010). "Current Twitter trends: Lee DeWyze, Asian Vampires, Oil Spill". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
- ^ "What did Lady Gaga think of 'Glee?'". USA Today. May 26, 2010. Retrieved June 2, 2010.
- ^ Stack, Tim (May 25, 2010). "'Glee' instant reaction: Was the Lady Gaga episode its best yet?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ Schwartz, Terri (May 26, 2010). "'Glee' Recap: New Directions Kids Do Lady Gaga Proud". MTV. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ Respers France, Lisa (May 26, 2010). "Gleeks go Gaga for 'Glee'". CNN. Retrieved June 2, 2010.
- ^ Goldman, Eric (May 26, 2010). "Glee: "Theatricality" Review". IGN. Retrieved June 2, 2010.
- ^ Hankinson, Bobby (May 26, 2010). "Glee: Going Gaga for 'Theatricality'". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on May 29, 2010. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
- ^ VanDerWerff, Emily (May 26, 2010). "Glee: "Theatricality"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ Poniewozik, James (May 26, 2010). "Glee Watch: Going Gaga". Time. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ Batallones, Henrik (May 25, 2010). "This Week on 'Glee': The Freaky Little Monsters of McKinley High". BuddyTV. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ Hanrahan, Mary (May 26, 2010). "GLEE-Cap: Theatricality 2010/05/26". Broadway World. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
External links
- "Theatricality" at Fox.com
- "Theatricality" at IMDb