ROUND 1: STORY SQUABBLE
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL: Much ado has been made about the coming of the second high school musical. And, no, I’m not talking about the sequels to the popular Disney franchise. I’m referring to Glee, Fox’s similarly-situated primetime series about a group of prepubescent high school students with musical talents to match the best Broadway stars. But is Glee all that it’s cracked up to be? At its core, HSM features a star athlete’s struggle to choose between basketball and staring in East Side High’s musical.
GLEE: Glee’s premise is the same: a group of social outcasts at McKinley High seek refuge in a revival of the school’s long-defunct competitive show choir. When the club needs a male lead, they turn to Finn who is torn between his love for singing and his reputation as a football jock. Sound familiar?
Different sport, same story. It’s not always a good idea to “Stick to the Status Quo”.Troy Bolton nets the first point for HSM!
SCORE: HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL – 1
GLEE – 0
ROUND 2: REALITY CHECK
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL: One must give credit where credit is due and, unlike many teen dramas that fall into the trap of casting actors who are ten or more years older than the characters they play, HSM keeps it real. At the time HSM was being filmed, Zac Efron and company were still teenagers.
GLEE: Meanwhile, Glee stars a bunch of high school students, some of whom are played by actors much too old to pass for angst-ridden teens. For example, Cory Monteith, the Canadian actor who plays Finn, is actually 27 years old! Glee’s “True Colours” are revealed.
The actors’ age gap undermines Glee’s credibility. HSM scores again!
SCORE: HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL – 2
GLEE – 0
ROUND 3: VOCAL VIGOUR
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL: There’s no doubt that the actors of HSM are talented and many, like Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale, have gone on to release solo albums. However, with the Disney machine propping them up, the cast’s success has probably had less to do with their vocal talents (or lack thereof) and more to do with a smart marketing strategy. Case in point: Zac Efron didn’t even sing his own songs in the first movie.
GLEE: By contrast, Glee’s cast was hand-picked for their vocal abilities. One need only hear Mercedes belt out a heart-stopping rendition of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” for proof. Matthew Morrison (Will Schuster) and Lea Michele’s (Rachel Berry) Broadway experience also make them solid male and female leads.
Mercedes hits the right note and wins Round 3! “Don’t Stop Believin’” that there is still hope for Glee…
SCORE: HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL – 2
GLEE – 1
ROUND 4: SUPERIOR SONG CHOICE
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL: All the songs in HSM are original tunes written for the movies. A few tracks have stood out as catchy singles, such as “Breaking Free”, “We’re All In This Together”, and “Everyday”, but so many more have been boring ballads or had lame lyrics (“Bet On It”, anyone?).
GLEE: Combining the best rock, R&B, and feel-good show tunes about life, love, and friendship, Glee might not record original songs, but the songs it does feature are made better and more relatable by virtue of the fact that you have already heard them before. With classics like “Imagine” and “Proud Mary”, Glee’s repertoire makes HSM’s songs sound like the synthetic, low-grade pop tunes that they are.
“Get Your Head in the Game”, HSM! Glee is on a point-grabbing spree!
SCORE: HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL – 2
GLEE – 2
ROUND 5: AUTHENTICITY ARGUMENT
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL: HSM confronts issues of love and friendship and even goes so far as to challenge high school stereotypes, but it does so in a superficial way that maintains the franchise’s squeaky clean image.
GLEE: Glee is more authentic (and correspondingly edgier) than HSM both in how songs are presented and how it challenges stereotypes. Since the students only sing during rehearsals, performances, or as part of fantasy sequences, Glee avoids the cheesiness of breaking out into song at unlikely moments. Plus, Glee is not afraid to tackle the more serious but very real issues that face teenagers.
Glee captures the social awkwardness of high school that HSM doesn’t even come close to. Might as well “Jump”!
SCORE: HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL – 2
GLEE – 3
ROUND UP: Call it a copycat if you want, but anything High School Musical can do, Glee can do better. Disney’s small made-for-TV movie reintroduced the musical to a whole new generation of youth, but Glee boasts bigger talent, better songs, and a more authentic look at teenage life. But be warned: you “Can’t Fight This Feeling”. Just wait and see – it’s the feeling of Glee!
Glee returns with all-new episodes this April!
Web Links:
www.disneychannel.com/highschoolmusical
www.fox.com/glee