High School Musical Broadway veteran Jenna Ushkowitz gets full of Glee

Written by Hazel Lodevico

For most, the high school glee club was your squeaky-clean, bow-tie wearing ensemble singing oldies like Mr. Sandman. But watching one of the numbers of Fox's Glee, you know McKinley High School is not your average glee club.

You recognize those opening notes anywhere. The rhythmic piano sequence of Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing is the anthem for any down-and-out underdog. How fitting that the cast of Glee debuted its quirky, upbeat version during its anticipated pilot premiere following the mammoth American Idol finale. The show, about a group of ragtag misfits struggling to become the top high school glee club in the nation, is all about the underdog. The show’s rendition quickly caught on, reaching #4 on Billboard’s Hot 100.

Singing with her fellow misfits is veteran Broadway actress Jenna Ushkowitz, playing skater-punk Tina with a nagging stutter and an ever-present scowl. Her character’s audition – brassy take on Katy Perry’s I Kissed a Girl – is full of signature attitude. It’s that fighting spirit that Ushkowitz says it the heart of Glee.

“I think what’s great is that each character is really complex,” says Ushkowitz. “We all break out of the stereotypical high school role. Tina’s not all doom and gloom as she cracks out to be at first. Each character has heart and that’s what really makes us care for them. There’s someone for everyone.”

While Disney’s High School Musical sports beautiful people breaking out into song and dance numbers to further along an often-thin plot, Glee sings for the fun of singing. Along with the popular Journey tune, the series showcases powerhouse numbers, including a rambunctious ensemble to Amy Winehouse’s Rehab – definitely not Mr. Sandman.

But it’s all in good fun. Glee boasts the razzle-dazzle of a cheesy musical mixed with wit and charm to satisfy the older crowd. “You’ve got an amazing cast just having fun and the audience is invited to join in on that,” says Ushkowitz. “It’s your 9 p.m. guilty pleasure.” Not that she minds relishing in song and dance. Ushkowitz, 22, began performing on a Broadway stage as a nine-year-old in the King and I.

After making commercial and independent film appearances, Ushkowitz landed a role in the controversial Broadway musical Spring Awakening. While the play dealt with weightier issues of the teenage experience such as sex, abortion and rape, Ushkowitz says it helped her earn the role of the misunderstood Tina. “Spring Awakening was a huge learning experience for me,” says Ushkowitz. “Being surrounded by a talented cast and being in a production every day. Everything just seems to be falling in place. I feel really blessed.”

The road to a promising career was paved with the help of supportive parents. Ushkowitz, who was adopted in Korea and raised in New York, attended a performing arts high school. Far from the punk rebel she plays in Glee, Ushkowitz says she was the total Type A, overachiever in high school. “I was the classic theater geek, listening to Broadway music and dreaming that I was Lea Salonga singing for Disney,” laughs Ushkowitz. “It’s kind of weird showing up to the Glee set in my trendy pink dress and getting fitted in these black fish net stocking and gloves.”

While Glee’s pilot earned early rave reviews and promising viewer ratings, audiences will have to wait until September before the series premiere (although the pilot can be seen on the series Web site). Ushkowitz says it will be all worth the wait.“I think the title says it all,” Ushkowitz says. “We really have that much fun on set. I think the audience will, too.”

About the Show:
From Ryan Murphy, the creator of "Nip/Tuck" and "Popular," comes GLEE, a one-hour musical comedy that follows an optimistic high school teacher as he tries to transform the school's Glee Club and inspire a group of ragtag performers to make it to the biggest competition of them all: Nationals.

McKinley High School's Glee Club used to be at the top of the show choir world, but years later, a series of scandals have turned it into a haven for misfits and social outcasts. WILL SCHUESTER (Matthew Morrison, Broadway's "Hairspray"), a young optimistic teacher, has offered to take on the Herculean task of restoring McKinley's Glee Club to its former glory with the help of fellow teacher EMMA PILLSBURY (Jayma Mays, "Ugly Betty"). It's a tall order when the brightest stars of the pitch-imperfect club include KURT (Chris Colfer), a nerdy soprano with a flair for the dramatic; MERCEDES (Amber Riley), a dynamic diva-in-training who refuses to sing back-up; ARTY (Kevin McHale, "Zoey 101"), a geeky guitarist who spends more time avoiding bullies than chasing girls; and TINA (Jenna Ushkowitz, "Spring Awakening"), an awkward girl who needs to suppress her stutter before she can take center stage.

Will's only hope lies with two true talents: RACHEL BERRY (Lea Michele, "Spring Awakening"), a perfectionist firecracker who is convinced that show choir is her ticket to stardom; and FINN HUDSON (Cory Monteith, "Kyle XY"), the popular high school quarterback with movie star looks and a Motown voice who must protect his reputation with his holier-than-thou girlfriend, QUINN (Dianna Agron), and his arrogant teammate, PUCK (Mark Salling).

Driven by his secret past, Will is determined to do whatever it takes to make Glee great again, even though everyone around him thinks he's nuts. He's out to prove them all wrong - from his tough-as-nails wife TERRI SCHUESTER (Jessalyn Gilsig, "Nip/Tuck") to McKinley's cheerleading coach SUE SYLVESTER (guest star Jane Lynch, "Best In Show," "Role Models") to an ?ber-hip world that thinks jazz hands and sequined tuxedos litter the road to infamy rather than pave the way to Hollywood dreams.
Featuring a soundtrack of hit songs from past and present, GLEE is produced by Ryan Murphy Television in association with 20th Century Fox Television. Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan are co-creators of the series. Murphy, Falchuk and Dante Di Loreto serve as executive producers, while Ian Brennan and John Kousakis serve as co-executive producers. Murphy directed the pilot.

Series Primere on Sept. 9, 2009
Channel: Fox
Website: Glee