Glee stars Kevin McHale and Jenna Ushkowitz recall a failed dance number from the show

Glee featured an all-star cast of guest stars, including an early appearance by one of musical theater’s most iconic figures, Christine Chenoweth. The Wicked star played April Rhodes, a former glee club member who has lost her way in life. On an episode of their podcast A Guest Star Is Born, Kevin McHale and Jenna Ushkowitz reminisced about how excited they were to work with Chenoweth. However, during the scene where April and the glee club sing “Last Name” by Carrie Underwood, the untimely application of floor polish made the sole of their shoes slippery on stage. When it came time to rehearse the number, the artists could not hide their clumsiness.

“We were dirty, Zach (Woodley, show choreographer) wanted to kill us because it makes him look bad. We couldn’t hold our positions, it didn’t look normal,” Ushkowitz explained at around 5:07 am. episode, remembering that Ryan Murphy was concerned about making Chenoweth look his best. “They took a break for the day so we could rehearse that number again.” Her co-star couldn’t help but chime in. “Which was not normal. It didn’t happen,” McHale added. “Time is money.”

Adding to their embarrassment, the actors recalled that Chenoweth easily mastered the dance moves that it had taken weeks of choreography lessons for the Chorus cast to learn. Despite a slight setback, the issue was resolved and Chenoweth was eventually nominated for an Emmy Award for her role as April (via IMDb).