Suburban show choir takes the stage with Jane Lynch

Sue Sylvester probably would have thrown a slushie in Richie Roesner’s face had he tried on “Glee” what he did Sunday while taping a segment on “Windy City Live.”

The Wheaton Warrenville South junior pulled Emmy-winning actress Jane Lynch onstage to dance and strike a pose with his school’s Classics show choir as they wrapped up their performance of “I Saw Her Standing There” by the Beatles.

Whereas cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester wants nothing more than to dismantle McKinley High’s New Directions, Lynch, a Dolton, Ill., native, was happy to oblige.

“The entire thing was a complete rush,” Roesner said. “I just ran over and reached out my hand, asked her to join us and she smiled and jumped up.”

Twenty members of the Classics, winners of the 2011 FAME Show Choir Championship Series, are still reeling from their performance for Lynch and the live audience at ABC 7’s State Street studio. The Lemont High School cheerleading squad, which has won three IHSA state championships, also performed.

The edition of “Windy City Live” with hosts Val Warner and Ryan Chiaverini will air at 9 a.m. today on Channel 7.

Suzie LaBelle said performing on TV is definitely a highlight to her four years with the Classics. She said some of the Classics members watch “Glee” and appreciate how it portrays show choir as a group that transcends cliques.

“But it doesn’t show the hours and hours of work and practicing and planning that goes into every performance,” LaBelle said. “It was nice to see that effort pay off and feed off the energy from the audience.”

Classics Director John Burlace said his students put on a great show and clearly enjoyed themselves. He added that picking just 10 boys and 10 girls to perform from the 52-member show choir was one of the most difficult decisions he’s had to make. He took seniority into consideration, along with who would balance the ensemble vocally.

“It’s never easy to just give an opportunity to a select group of deserving students,” Burlace said. “I’ll be thinking about that for a long time.”