Gleequel - Faust Theatre

“Gleequel: A Satirical Stage Adaptation of the Second Season of the Hit Fox TV Show “Glee’” opened to a full house at the Arts Asylum this year at the KC Fringe Festival. No doubt their tremendously popular performance at the 2019 Fringe, “Gleesical”, contributed to the excitement about their return to the stage.

Fast paced and high energy from the get-go, the strength of this performance is the exuberance shown by the cast in all aspects of their stage time. “Gleequel” extends that stage to the entire auditorium, actors moving throughout the aisles at times, and contributing some lines from the back. It’s a delightful, immersive experience.

Fraught with all the teenage angst and drama one would expect from this performance, when the full choir sings together, everything else fades away. It’s spectacular. The one occasional disappointment that cropped up on opening night is when a performer either wasn’t mic’ed or wasn’t close enough to the microphone and couldn’t be heard clearly. One hopes that in the upcoming performances, every solo will be audible.

Rated PG for content, one hidden strength of this cast is that they could be a case study for diversity and inclusion. Not as part of the storyline or pointed out in any way, just about anyone can see themselves in this cast and the cohesion and affection shown by the performers for each other is a joy to behold. Recommended.