Remakes are either hit or miss. No one likes to see something classic destroyed before their very eyes- it just puts a bad taste in your mouth. However, a recent remake of Madonna’s iconic 1990 music video, Vogue, produced by David Fincher, appeared on Fox’s new show Glee. Although I rarely, if ever, watch this show as it airs on TV, it has become one of my favorite shows to watch on Hulu on my computer. Yes, I admit, I am a “Gleek.”
The Glee video features one of the show’s stars, Sue Sylvester (played by Jane Lynch), in a shot-by-shot remake that bears an uncanny resemblance to Madonna’s original. The costumes, set, and dance moves are expertly recreated to match, although Lynch at times looks a bit over-rehearsed. But, really, who can compete with Madge? The backup dancers in Glee’s version also include two of the show’s stars, Kurt and Mercedes (played by Chris Colfer and Amber Riley), who, like the original, give the video a sense of diversity and message that anyone can “vogue.”
While the remake does an excellent job keeping the essential elements the same as the original, parts of the Glee video pay homage to elements of the show. For one, the vocals are all Lynch’s, and she does a great job considering who she is up against. In addition, there are a few subtle line changes that add to its originality such as Lynch’s line that mentions her character, Sue, “Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Sue Sylvester dance on air.”
The video was fun to watch and, overall, was a great combination of an accurate remake and added bonuses that made the performance a Glee original. With all the layers of performance that this video portrays, it is hard to decipher if Jane Lynch is playing Madonna or playing Sue playing Madonna. Either way, she rocked it.