Glee's Being Alive

[bwayto]

Felt this was just lacking in power. He did an admirable attempt, but I just feel like his voice is not powerful enough to convey the emotion in the song. It was to pretty.

Discuss!

http://youtu.be/Q4ciOjJRYXs

[Wynbish]

It's been discussed

[Jane2]

I feel just the opposite as the OP.

[Jordan Catalano]

I think she sung it beautifully.

[CurtainPullDowner]

What key was that?

I thought it was pretty good, I'm just glad they didn't show images of his ex and that, I'm squeezin' out a big one look.

[Jordan Catalano]

Honestly though, it was horrendous. Like everything he's ever screeched out, it was a seizure enducing exercise in how to ruin a song.

[CurtainPullDowner]

The pants, now, they were horrendous.

[EricMontreal22]

I thought it was alright (pants, I agree with--didn't Rachel in the same episode say he shouldn't wear anything loud?)

[GatorNY]

Did she get in? I haven't been watching.

[Tony2600]

So glad that Bobby Baby, Bobby Booby has finally started the hormone therapy.

[Gothampc]

The problem is that Rachel reminded everyone of Kurt's "I Want To Hold Your Hand" peformance. "Being Alive" didn't live up to that performance.

[NoHSMisNotAMusical]

The problem is Chris Colfer is a terrible singer.

[wiggum2]

He does not have the acting chops(or singing) for that song. DISLIKE

[broadwaybabywannabe2]

while it certainly lacked the urgency of many other performers of this great SONDHEIM anthem, i thought Kurt sang it with wonderful yearning, and in it's own way was very effect for that reason...almost like 'someone, anyone hold me too tight'...and i am just very glad something SONDHEIM was sung by the Gleeks...i had almost given up hope...

[Wynbish]

They did a Sondheim-involved musical last season...

[broadwaybabywannabe2]

speaking about SONDHEIM and everything GLEE...i just love this quote from the talks FRANK RICH had with STEPHEN:

"When Rich asked if it felt strange to see the Glee character Kurt sing the Gypsy showstopper "Rose’s Turn" so completely out of context, Sondheim quipped, "I saw it completely out of context in productions of Gypsy."

this is why i love this man...:)

[wonkit]

How to make a complex song sound like someone shouting down a well... empty.

[Gothampc]

Unfortunately Chris Colfer sings like a castrati, high-thin voice. There's not a lot of music choices for him. It's out of place, but they should have let him sing O Holy Night.

Also, if he had better writing and direction, the song could have been put over better. The tear at the end of Being Alive was manipulative. But it was the wrong song choice for him.

And I can't believe that after all the crap that the Whoopi Goldberg character gave him that she would let him in the school with one of the most overdone audition numbers in the history of musical theater.

[uncageg]

He hit all of the notes fine, there was just no emotion or passion.

[jv92]

"Honestly though, it was horrendous. Like everything he's ever screeched out, it was a seizure enducing exercise in how to ruin a song."

What he said. Bring back Larry Kert! He'd wear better pants to boot!

[EricMontreal22]

He sang it fine, I felt. Actually better than I expected. I don't know what made it not work--but the episode was really badly directed when it came to the musical numbers. I know they have four hours (according to Adam Shankman) and two days to film a number. I am by no means a fan of Colfer, but he's so identified as Kurt that I think it's unfair to call into question his acting chops--I'd be interested in seeing him in a different role.

[CurtainPullDowner]

A Big problem is that a 18/19 yr old character doesn't have a lot to bring to that song. One affair? Nah.

But Comden, Green and Styne's BEING GOOD was a perfect song for Lea and her character at this point. A great match of character and song, and she sang the sh*t out of it (with some help, I suppose) but it sounded pretty damn good.

[GavestonPS]

"Horrendous" seems a little strong. Yes, Colfer's too young to act the song and, yes, it sits too low in his range to achieve the desired impact, but I figure Madame Thibodeau is quite accustomed to inappropriate audition choices. I'm sure her applicants sing whatever musical their high school last attempted.

[broadwayjim42]

I'd rather him singing in this key than his godawful falsetto. It wasn't bad but it wasn't Raul. And Lea was not Streisand, by a long shot. If Babs hadn't sent that song down the pike on "Release Me," it would never have seen the light of "Glee."

[strummergirl]

I actually think Colfer is one of the show's better actors. Problem is that he has to play the role that is the Ryan Murphy stand-in. He was turned from irreverent witty kid to humorless martyr and also he has usually been given song choices that in Season 1 would have been joked about (like the reference to people referring to him as a castratto) or made a plot point like "Defying Gravity" where nobody thought he should sing that song. Luckily the writers sort of moved him back to S.1 making jokes at the expense of Rachel but still very cautious although nothing will ever hit the low of him wanting to ban dodgeball in Season 3.

I'm just glad he is singing at a lower register and not singing songs once sung by Patti LuPone, quite frankly. Overall, I thought he did fine. He would have been helped a lot more if there was no focus on Rachel vs. Cassie and just on him in the NY story line. I could see the whole internalization and emoting for the song being relayed back to his senior year where he came up short in places where validation was necessary (class president, winning the role in West Side Story, and getting into NYADA the first time) rather than just Blaine. But like most Glee episodes it was all over the place but further fractured when there are two different settings.

And Colfer's whole off-screen persona seems very different from Kurt. Not nearly into fashion as one would expect and really into nerdy, genre stuff.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

I thought it was bad. I'm still a fan of the show, just about...I don't actively dislike it, but I just don't care anymore.