I Admit It. I'm a Gleek!

After a full day at Maury Place, I have thoroughly enjoyed retiring to our innkeepers' suite and enjoying both seasons of Glee. It is such great fun, escapist entertainment! On one level, I identify with its misfit cast of characters. I went to Kempsville High School (Class of 1980!), which is a very large high school in Virginia Beach. I was somewhat of a geek, but I thoroughly enjoyed singing in the school's various choral programs and stage productions. Props to Mr. Tatum (chorus teacher) and Mrs. Bernick (drama teacher) for pulling some pretty great performances from a pool of limited resources! I think my Dad would have preferred that I play something athletic, but to his credit, he accepted that just was not going to happen. I was--and still am--a total spaz! I am sure he and my Mom attended every chorus concert and every play. Then there were the performances of the men's glee club at Washington and Lee University and University Singers at UVA when I attended law school there. So I relate to the bonding and transformation that can happen when you raise your voice in song! And though I had very few solos, performing in front of an audience was always fun too!

In more recent years, I have sung with the Richmond Men's Chorus, in which we sang our share of show tunes! Which brings me to the next thing I love about Glee. The tunes! I think my favorites have been the Burt Bachrach tunes, Defying Gravity from Wicked, and of course, the numbers from Funny Girl! (Mac is a good sport and watches the show with me even though he is not a huge fan of musical theatre. He has enjoyed, however, the performances of the songs by Journey and Freddie Mercury!) After her performance of Don't Rain on My Parade on the Tonys this year, it seems Lea Michele may be the one to fill Barbra Streisand's shoes in a revival of her star making show on Broadway! I think discussion of that will have to be the subject of another blog! Let's just say the first record album (yes, the primitive days of music recording!) I owned was the first Partridge Family album. Go figure. My sister gave me the second record I ever owned for my 13th birthday. It was Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits! I still have it! I think the "Barbra persona" of a "misfit" with a HUGE voice struggling to be heard above the crowd is at the core of Glee. Sing proud!

Mac Pence and Jeff Wells
your Richmond Virginia Bed and Breakfast Innkeepers at Maury Place at Monument