'Glee': Jenna Ushkowitz is ready to hit the concert trail

Jenna Ushkowitz is no stranger to theater work, which she sees as a bonus as the "Glee" concert tour nears its start.

In fact, the actress now known to loyal Gleeks as Tina worked on Broadway with current castmate Lea Michele in "Spring Awakening," so they're both ready for the performances being spun off from their hit Tuesday series on FOX. The live shows begin this Saturday (May 15) in Phoenix, then move on to Los Angeles, Chicago and New York.

"We're really excited," Ushkowitz tells Zap2it. "We start tomorrow [Tuesday, May 11] in Phoenix on the stage, checking the set and getting the costumes. We've been running the show, and it's coming together really, really nicely. I think people are in for a big treat. We're having so much fun."

Tunes that have been reborn as "Glee" standards, such as Journey's "Don't Stop Believin' " and Queen's "Somebody to Love," are on the concert roster. As familiar as she's become with them, Ushkowitz knows it's one thing to stage them for television and another to perform them for live audiences -- especially audiences that now have "Glee"-ful expectations.

"It's definitely an adjustment," Ushkowitz confirms. "In television, you have the luxury of having another take if you don't get it right; in live theater, you just go with the flow and wing it, but you also work off the energy of the audience. That's where I feel like I'm at home. In television, you also have a camera always in your face, but both (venues) are wonderful."

With filming of the June 8 "Glee" season finale completed, Ushkowitz is happy the concerts are giving her extra time with her co-stars before they go their separate ways for the summer.

"You have Cory Monteith, who's never performed live before, and he'll ask Lea or me what's the best way to do this or that. We help each other out as much as we can."

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