Interview

There's an old saying in Hollywood. "You're never truly a guest star until your character's named something that facilitates punning in the episode title." Such was the case for Kristin Chenoweth as April Rhodes in last night's ep of Glee, aptly called "The Rhodes Not Taken." A former McKinley High singing sensation and current washed-up boozy sexpot (albeit one of the smaller KitchenAid models: think Ragu for two, not penne for ten), April was Will's (Matthew Morrison) first-ever schoolboy crush–the very reason he decided to dedicate his life to glee. (PHOTO: MATTHEW MORRISON AND KRISTIN CHENOWETH)

The club is in trouble this episode. Rachel has abandoned her melodious compatriots to star in the school play, leaving Will without a female lead. He reminisces about the days of April and decides to look up her student records–confirming suspicions that his old-beloved was a few credits shy of ever actually graduating. So he gets on the Internet and tracks her down.

Will arrives at April's home, an enormous rhinestone of a place, and the booze-cougar wastes no time offering him a drink from a freshly-opened box of wine. But she's stopped mid-Franzia pour by the sound of people at her front door. In walks a real estate agent and a pair of prospective buyers, none of whom look particularly happy to see April. It seems our little sex-saucepan has been squatting in this house for some time, and the agent has had enough. April, Will and the Chateau cardboard are kicked to the curb. There on the concrete, April recounts her hard-luck story of bad men and even worse decision-making skills, while Will convinces her to re-enroll at McKinley, making her eligible to be his very own glee club ringer.

April is not welcomed warmly to her first rehearsal. The kids say she's too old to perform. She calls them "the world's worst Benneton ad." Then she grabs the mic and decides to let her vocal chords sing from themselves. Ms. Rhodes takes on "Maybe This Time" from Cabaret–starting off a bit timid, her soft soprano barely audible over the collective orgasm of every theater geek in America. But pretty soon she's gone full-Chenoweth, and the result is one hell of a white trash Sally Bowles. Accompanied by Rachel, who's rehearsing the same song across campus, the two women manage a lovely duet delivered via editing.

Later, Will joins April for a second duet, belted out on the karaoke stage of Lima's local bowling alley. They perform Heart's power ballad "Alone" in a scene that gives Will the chance to talk about all the roads–and Rhodes'–he has never gone down, and emphasizes Chenoweth's role as a troubled has-been.

After a series of antics made possible by April's inability to sober up, "The Rhodes Not Taken" concludes with the club's very first public performance. April delivers a down-and-dirty rendition of Carrie Underwood's "Last Name," and she of the four-octave-vocal-range knocks it thoroughly out of the trailer park. Next, the kids are scheduled to perform Queen's "Somebody to Love." Rachel appears backstage at the last minute, appealing to the group and resuming her place as a soloist. She and Finn sing their fickle little teenage hearts out to a glee clubified arrangement punctuated by collared shirts and sparkly ties. It looks like the kids are back on track.

As for April? She's decided glee isn't for her. Instead, she'll to clean up and head out for Broadway. Perhaps it really will be the big time for Chenoweth's character. There is, after all, that other old expression: April Rhodes bring May Avenues.