'Glee's' Lea Michele channels Rachel Berry at the Tonys

Between ScarJo taking the stage (to accept an award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress for her work in "A View from the Bridge"), Jay-Z and Beyonce in the audience, and a staged kiss that bucked conceptions of sexuality (nope Sandra Bullock wasn't involved -- it was between Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes), this year's Tony Awards felt oddly similar to last week's MTV Movie Awards. You almost expected the "Twilight" cast to make an appearance, but even without Pattinson and Co., it was a night that showed the increasing overlap of theater with film, television and pop music. The point was driven home when "Glee's" Matthew Morrison and Lea Michele -- Broadway babies turned TV stars -- took the stage to perform.

The two eschewed a duet, and potentially creepy teacher-student connotations, for back-to-back numbers. Morrison performed "All I Need Is the Girl" from "Gypsy," but it was Michele who got the diva moment, reprising "Don't Rain on My Parade," which she sang on "Glee's" fall finale. Michele's Tony rendition was powerful and poised, but it didn't quite live up to her Rachel Berry rendition.

As she did on "Glee," Michele started the song from the audience. Intense arm movements figured heavily in both performances. On "Glee" (watch that version here), she favored intense, double-arm thrusts toward the ground, that say "Hello world, Rachel Berry is here and she's a comer." On the Tonys, she went with a series of balletic single-armed sweeps to declare that Lea Michele had been doing this for years and will be doing it for many more. Her clothes carried on that theme; on the show, her twirling, knee-length black dress with red sash emphasized her girlishness, while at the awards, her floor-length cream-colored gown was all womanly sophistication.

If you can overlook the obvious lip-synching (and if you're a "Glee" fan, you already have), the "Glee" version was more powerful, more affecting, and, dare we say it, more heartfelt. All of which is to say that we're looking more forward to the second season of "Glee," than we are to a "Funny Girl" revival, whose producer has said that he's considering Michele for the lead. 

-- Hailey Eber

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Comments

[Amanda]

Well, I absolutely love both of them. They are incredibly talented. Though, I must say I am glad that Lea's performance wasn't just a re-d0 of Rachel Berry's adaptation of the song. She is a Broadway performer first, and that is the side of her we got from her performance at the Tonys.

[Me]

I liked Lea's performation, but she seemed a bit angry, I mean, her face and her voice, but even that she's amazing!

[Sarah S]

Has everyone gone blind and deaf. Lea Michele's performance was AWFUL. I've never been a fan of hers due to the whiny quality of her voice and that extremely irritating vocal hiccup that seems necessary in order for her to hit a note. That, and the fact that she's notorious for being an ill-natured diva. Her performance was so over the top, so "look-at-me-I'm-so-much-better-than-all-of-you-that-I-don't-even-need-to-sing-on-tempo," I thought the girl was going to give herself a stroke. Just atrocious.

[juliana]

I`m a big Lea fan but I actually didn`t like the first part of the performance. She has stage presence but something was missing, I`ve watched her sing live other opportunities and she can really sing without being annoying.

[Gabby]

Sarah sounds green with envy

[zakk]

It was a good performance, can I also point out that she had a mic in one hand and was quite a ways from the orchestra? Hard to make good gestures with a mic in your hand.

I wasn't sure if it was a live performance or not... I thought that the timing issue at the beginning had to do with the fact that she started from the audience facing the band. A lot harder to keep together in that instance. Conductors are imperative!

[Kylie]

This performance is completely misunderstood. If you've ever seen Funny Girl (the movie), this performance is supposed to be angry. But the movie's pretty old, so some people may not have seen it. But she was amazing! She was off from the orchestra at the beginning, but in live performances the orchestra is always supposed to perform to the singer's timing. And she was so far away from them and with a mic, she probably didn't hear them that well. But her voice was simply unbelievable. Of course the original was better, it's Barbra of course, but this version is great. I'd love to see her get the role, she'd be great. It's Broadway people, it's dramatic!!!

[Jim]

Sarah - you just don't like her so no matter what you would say it was awful. You can't even pretend to be open mined because you prefer to bow to gossip and other things that really mean nothing to a singers performance. It is too bad you can't be impartial. Are you that judgmental with everyone or just Lea Michele? Do you take in consideration everyone past problems or flaws or is she a particular target for your insecurities?. Really why hold a grudge for someone you don't know? Don't like her fine but no reason to hate. Must be a such a chore to be perfect like you.

Well it wasn't her best performance I though she finished strong and I didn't mine the theatrics it is the theater for god sakes.

[vicky]

I actually thought this performance was better than the one on glee. It is suppose to be dramatic its broadway and its the tonys. I think lea michele gets misrepersented alot. Yeah acts divalike and say divalike things but shes just joking around. People take it so literally sometimes. Plus most of the "reports" about celebrities are not true. Especially the report on how the glee cast don't really like Lea and don't really want to be around her. She lives with Dianna Agron. If you didn't like someone, you wouldn't live with them.

[Leslie]

that was a terrible terrible performance by Lea Michele. absolutely horrific. I don't understand why her voice was so much better in Spring Awakening and now it is horrendous.