Glee Live at the Rosemont Theatre: Photos + live review

The concert begins in the parking lot: The car that pulls up beside ours carries two gay guys and their female friend—and blares at full volume the Glee cast’s version of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’.” On Tuesday evening, as my partner and I join the masses pouring into the Rosemont Theatre lobby, we notice that, other than middle-aged gay guys like ourselves, the audience is made up mostly of t(w)een girls in tight tees and short shorts with oversize purses slung over their shoulders, some of them with moms in tow. We make our way past the throngs crowding the merch table.

As we find our seats, the Glee logo, with a thumb and index finger forming the title’s “L,” is projected onto two jumbo screens flanking the stage. At that alone, the massive theater of young women lets rip an ear-splitting squeal. I’ve seen only pictures of Elvis’s and the Beatles’ audiences: girls frantic with joy and desperation upon seeing their idols. Most likely, this is the closest to that I’ll ever experience. It’s one thing to read about Glee’s rapturous fans; it’s another to encounter the rapture in person.

I’ve had concerns about Glee Live. I enjoy the Fox series like crazy, but with so much of its success reliant upon its vivid characters and zippy editing and story lines that ride the line between campy and sincere—conjuring the thrill and terror of high school and the high-school feeling that only singing to (and as) your favorite pop musicians could release you—how could a stage version compete? What would Glee be without the all-important foil of cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester to offset the giddy show-choir kids? And how would the young singers actually sound outside a studio?

After an entertaining half-hour set from the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers and a half-hour intermission (at the end of which actors in Cheerios uniforms pass out barf bags), a video segment runs: Sue (Jane Lynch) appears. The barf bags, she explains, are for us: “This show is that bad.” It bodes well. The show’s creators haven’t forsaken Sue’s bilious voice.

Then the Glee kids appear: the actual living Glee kids. On cue, hundreds of girls (sounding like tens of thousands) shriek. And shriek. The singers dive into the music and don’t come up for air till an hour later. “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “My Life Would Suck Without You”: They sing and dance numbers from the series within character and with choreography and costumes that evoke those from the show, all while their images are projected onto the huge video screens, but the concert doesn’t force a phony narrative on them or attempt an overproduced, overpolished look. Instead, it maintains the series’ raw, let’s-put-on-a-show feel. Without mimicking the TV show, the live show captures its spirit. And that spirit is sheer, open-hearted, goddamn glee.

Rachel (Lea Michele) soars through “Don’t Rain on My Parade” as she walks through the theater aisles (a gum-chomping security guard close beside her), Mercedes (Amber Riley) belts “I Am Beautiful,” Puck (Mark Salling) croons “Sweet Caroline,” Kurt (Chris Colfer) and Rachel duet “Defying Gravity.” Yes, the Glee kids really can sing—though it’s hard to tell just how well, given the overamped sound. Then again, the rattling mikes might be necessary to project the singers over their screaming fans. (After the concert, my hearing’s shot for a good half hour.)

During a (rare) spoken bit between numbers, dumb-girl Brittany (Heather Morris) swoons over gay Kurt. The young girl sitting beside me sighs “awww” so genuinely I’m both touched and a little embarrassed.

After a rousing “Like a Prayer,” the curtains fall, and the impatient crowd chants (demands), “Glee! Glee! Glee! Glee!” At last, the kids reappear and sing a couple more songs from the TV show. Confetti guns shoot, stage sparks fly. And my partner, who has dragged me to countless Bears games at North End, says, “That was about 50 times better than I thought it was going to be.”

Afterward, we walk past a few girls who have camped out to try to snag tickets for Wednesday’s show. “It’s so worth it!” an exiting teen screams at them. I don’t really agree with her now that I’m at home and I’ve got a new episode of Glee waiting for me on the DVR, but at that moment, feeling my inner tween twirl, I totally do.

Photos by Bekki Y. Wasmuth