Verdict: Move (over-exuberantly) to the music, yeah. Just picture it, Madonna the Musical. No, not Evita.
Of course it would feature screechy stage voices, young girls punching the air and gyrating in ridiculous pointy bustier and fishnet costumes. It would all be very lip-glossed-smile.
But the album of hits from what would be just this kind of show, is about as captivating as listening to a concert from the cold streets outside a venue. It's missing an essential element: visuals.
Of course Lea Michelle who plays wannabe superstar Rachel, is a lead vocalist. Her thespian projectile vocals are particularly suited to the final track Like A Prayer, perhaps the most emotive rendition of the song out there - especially when her crush Finn (played by Corey Monteith) sings "You're here with me, it's like a dream" to her. Unfortunately some of the poignancy is ruined by the faux drum-kit sounds and bleeps from the synth. If a Madonna record sounds tinny these days, the Glee club's CD sounds could be a cheap cellphone ring.
Jane Lynch's version of Vogue, might be better than the original because of the images she conjures up. A highlight of her spoken lyrics is "Will Shuester, I hate you".
It's a quirky, if not eyebrow-raising to have the boys in the cast singing "do you know what it feels like for a girl" but the baritone accompaniment of Matthew Morrison to the track Like A Virgin, is actually quite refreshing.
-Jacqueline Smith
