Glee, San Francisco-Style: Pony Up $200 and Sell 25 Tickets, Kids

How about a rendition of Flying Lizards' Money (That's What I Want)?

​No doubt, with the wild success of Glee. the TV show -- coupled with a bombastic cultural event that is American Idol  -- kids everywhere are dying to ride their nascent singing talent to fame. That also means that those adults who want to provide the opportunities for them find themselves in a seller's market. They're selling the dream.

But fame doesn't come without a price, kids. Especially not at the San Francisco Children's Musical Theater, which will be signing up the last of aspiring thespian kiddies for its Gleeful Live! production on Wednesday night at the Union Square Hilton.

First off, interested kids need $195 dollars to register. You get a $30 discount if your sibling signs up, too, which knocks it down to a mere $165 for your reluctant kid brother. Next, parents should be prepared to shell out $40 to $80 for the spangled costume necessary for your child to shine on stage.

But that's not all.

I'm not an outsider to the kid-performer lifestyle. As I child, I rocked a number of spandex and sequin get-ups while tapping onstage to Jailhouse Rock (chained by my ankle to the other dancers!) or kicking my head while in a chin-stand (just try it!) to Devil in a Blue Dress. My mom always lectured me that the costs for all these lessons and costumes were beginning to add up. But she, too, knew it was the cost of doing business if your kid wants to perform.

But this San Francisco production has one more requirement to weed out all but the most ambitious of child stars: Sweat equity. Every participant must sell 25 tickets to the show.

So get ready for these Gleeful kids to stand outside BART begging you to buy their tickets during the not-so-gleeful rush hour. Be on guard at school or church events. There's likely a child with starry eyes and tickets in hand to pounce on your wallet at every turn.

Start honing your excuse: "I already bought a ticket from that other kid down the street." Given the amount of Gleeful kids selling these tickets, it might just be true.

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