So far, on their 10-city promotional tour for Fox’s “Glee,” the show’s cast has lost sleep, geographic bearings — and more than a few belongings.
Cory Monteith, who plays hunky but naive Finn, lost his Kindle.
Amber Riley, who plays larger-than-life Mercedes, lost her bank card.
Dianna Agron, who is deliciously nasty as head cheerleader Quinn, lost her camera.
And Jenna Ushkowitz, who plays an angry Goth named Tina Cohen-Chang, lost her Nintendo DS.
They’re not irresponsible high-schoolers. They just play them on TV.
Seven “Glee” cast members passed through Denver briefly last week, greeting fans at a mall and talking up the show for the local Fox outlet.
They’re due to be in Australia for the series’ premiere two weeks after its debut here. Clearly the marketing whirl is new to most of them. They are just beginning to understand that the amount of energy and money Fox is putting into the launch of this show is something special. Never has a network groomed a hit so intently.
At lunch in Denver they discussed how they are like and unlike their characters, what music they listen to, the genius of the show’s creator Ryan Murphy (“Nip/Tuck,” “Popular”) and how they replay certain of castmate Jane Lynch’s on-screen facial expressions admiring her comic acting.
Agron, who is frighteningly pert as the cheerleader Quinn, has been dancing since age 3 but “can’t do a cartwheel to save my life.”
Monteith, all adolescent awkwardness on camera as Finn, is actually 27, eldest of the group. He relies on his “momager” — not his mother but a manager who acts like one — to keep him semi-organized.
Chris Colfer, who plays overly dramatic, attitude-infused Kurt, is the youngest at 19. Personally, he says, “I’m a very suppressed version of Kurt,” he said. “There’s a lot of Kurt in me. More than I would like to share publicly.”
Lea Michele (“Spring Awakening”), who has the longest list of credits and award nominations, may be closest to her character, Rachel.
“I’ve been working since I was 8,” she says. She’s a ringer for Tony Award-winning Broadway star Idina Menzel, with whom she appeared onstage in “Nero.”
Like Rachel, the driven over- achiever, Michele has a competitive streak. She wants to direct a music video. She begged the producers to let her sing a favorite Barbra Streisand number and they finally relented. (It’s in episode 13). She’s aware that Monteith has 7,000 Twitter followers while she has 6,200 but promises to catch up.
Rachel reminds her of herself when she was younger. “Except if she were here she’d be leaning into (the digital recorder) saying, that’s R-A-C-H-E-L . . .”
Tougher than “Musical”
“High School Musical” it is not. Monteith says imagine ” ‘High School Musical’ if it had been punched in the stomach and had its lunch money stolen,” that’s “Glee.” In other words, it’s tougher, more adult, and full of sometimes risque humor that will sail over the heads of tweens.
A great geeky underdog story line, terrific singing and choreography and the acerbic delivery of Lynch — the show is just waiting to break out on Wednesday nights this fall.
Fox’s unusual “sneak preview” in May behind “American Idol” set it up for success.
The cast’s remake of the 1981 Journey song “Don’t Stop Believing” became a top iTunes download after the pilot aired. (Monteith says he just got a $600 royalty check.)
Public awareness of the show is already significant, although the cast can still walk through airports unrecognized.
This week, Fox will broadcast the “director’s cut” of the pilot at 7:58 p.m. Wednesday on KDVR-Channel 31, with extra scenes and a musical number. The official premiere is Sept. 9, by which time a chunk of the country should have all or parts of it memorized.
So far, the hour is a critical favorite (having seen three episodes, I count it as a top pick for fall). The first CD drops in November, another in December.
Really, the network has given “Glee” a terrific head start, now it’s up to the audience.
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com
