It may come as a shock to you (it definitely will to my TikTok algorithm) to hear that I have never watched an episode of Glee. A cultural juggernaut at its peak, Glee was Pitch Perfect before Pitch Perfect, Riverdale musical episodes before Riverdale, and—some have even claimed—CODA before CODA.
It was such a force (for both good and evil) that the members of its sprawling cast have struggled to break out its shadow, even 7 years after the series finale—but perhaps none more so than Lea Michele. While she was no stranger to the tabloids during her six seasons as Rachel Berry, I kind of was and ultimately came away with no strong opinions on her one way or another (to the tune of Phoebe Bridgers’ “Moon Song”: I hate Don’t Stop Believin’ (Glee Cast Version) / but it’s sad that her boyfriend died).
It was blissful ignorance, as the post-Glee era has become increasingly cursed for Michele. Accusations of diva-esque behavior have dogged the actor over the years, the most damning coming from season 6 co-star Samantha Marie Ware:
These aspersions on Michele’s character have also led me to my favorite conspiracy theory: that she is illiterate. The story goes that because she spent her childhood acting on Broadway, she didn’t have time to go to school and learn to read or write. As such, she will only work with accommodating showrunners like Ryan Murphy (Glee, Scream Queens) who feed her her lines. The list goes on (the original video was 40 minutes!); it’s silly, but just wild enough to be true.
If a return to Broadway could be a return to artistic respectability and audiences’ good graces, Michele suffered another setback when Beanie Feldstein was cast over her in the recent revival of Funny Girl. Lea is on record as coveting the Fanny Brice role, mirroring her Glee character’s arc. Alas, she missed out on this opportunity, likely due to a combination of her aforementioned 2020 controversies and Feldstein’s family connections.
In an ironic twist, Feldstein’s vocal performance is being largely panned by critics following the revival’s opening this month; gifting us this perfect tweet:
Determined to make it back to the Great White Way on way or another, Michele jumped at the chance to reprise her role in Spring Awakening, the Tony-winning production that elevated her career alongside future Glee co-star Jonathan Groff. For one night only, the cast came together last year to mark the 15-year anniversary of the musical, recorded as part of a documentary coming to HBO Max next week.
Never one to stay out of her own way, Michele has been “promoting” the documentary with various quotes that are doing nothing to combat the villain accusations:
Lea Michele Had Feelings for Jonathan Groff Before He Identified as Gay: 'Why Can't You Love Me?'
Lea Michele Was So Close to Jonathan Groff in Spring Awakening, She 'Showed Him My Whole Vagina'
Lea Michele Tells Jonathan Groff She'll Carry His Baby If He Wants to Be a Dad
But you know what they say: it’s not stupid if it works. Lea Michele is making herself into one of those personalities you don’t dare look away from, lest you miss a front row seat to something wildly, inexplicably unprecedented. I learned my lesson from missing Glee, from now on, I’ll be watching.
What do James McAvoy and I have in common?
(We’re both Macklemore apologists.)
Scottish actor James McAvoy is currently starring in a new production of Cyrano de Bergerac at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. In an audacious twist, this version’s Cyrano is not unsightly or physically impaired anywhere other than in his own head—New York Magazine calls it “Sexy Cyrano.”
“The way I’m playing Cyrano is like me if I was really fucking angry and lonely and insecure about the way I look,” says McAvoy. And how does he get into this headspace? “I listen to a lot of Macklemore.”
Listen, I’m still tired from my annual Grammy-season defense of The Heist (Macklemore’s debut album continues to catch strays for its 2014 Best Rap Album win over Kendrick Lamar) so I can’t muster up the energy to co-sign the “braggadocio” that McAvoy is finding. I imagine it’s the same crowd-pleasing energy that led the Seattle Mariners to controversially swap in “Can’t Hold Us” for the seventh-inning stretch song.
I do like Macklemore though, he gave me my most-liked IG photo after all.
Weekend read
This glorious ode to The Lion King 1½, the best Disney sequel: Lion King 1 ½ Makes Sense If You Were Raised on Home Video
Be well,
Derek
boy that Lion King 1½ article sure does illuminate a lot about why I like the kind of movies and humor I do