A Chorus Lie

A Chorus Lie
Episode	4.16
Written by	Tracy Poust & Jon Kinnally
Directed by	James Burrows
Release
Original network	NBC
Original airdate	February 7, 2002
Chronology
Previous	Dyeing is Easy, Comedy is Hard
Next	Someone Old, Someplace New

A Chorus Lie is the 16th episode of the fourth season and 87th overall.

Jack schemes with Grace to seduce a rival who is pretending to be gay. While on a party on Shelter Island, Karen starts a rumor that Will is a gigolo.

Synopsis

You want me to 'in' him for you?

Jack tries out for the New York City Gay Men's Chorus and is up against the attractive Owen, whom he suspects is straight pretending to be gay. He asks Grace, who is feeling to have lost her sex appeal to seduce Owen and have proof in order to disqualify him from the chorus. The plan back fires when the chorus director still chooses Owen over Jack in an effort to promote an environment of tolerance.

Zheegolo

Let's give them something to talk about.

Feeling sorry for Karen about her husband in prison, Will agrees to accompany her to Shelter Island for a socialite event she usually hosts. Annoyed by rival Beverley Leslie's mocking, Karen tells him that Will is a prostitute. Word immediately gets out and the clueless Will sets up appointments with "potential clients", who are mostly middle-aged women.

After telling Will the truth, Karen also admits that after Stan was sent to prison, Will is the only man in her life she trusts. However, Will is still upset and leaves the event. As the party is about to close, Will surprises everyone when he returns and slow dances with Karen, ending the event with a passionate kiss for everyone to talk about.

Cast

Main

• Eric McCormack (Will Truman)
• Debra Messing (Grace Adler)
• Sean Hayes (Jack McFarland)
• Megan Mullally (Karen Walker)

Guest

• Matt Damon (Owen)
• Leslie Jordan (Beverley Leslie)
• Patrick Kerr (Choral Director)
• Amanda Carlin (Mrs. Sanwald)
• Craig A. Meyer (Burton)
• Wendy Schenker (Woman #1)
• Jan Sheldrick (Woman #2)
• Julie Janney (Woman #3)
• Steve Goodwillie (Guy #1)
• Sonya Therieult (Pretty Girl)

Notes

• Jack and Owen sing Let's Hear It For The Boy from Footloose (1984) during the callback. For the final auditions, they sing Wishin' and Hopin' by Dusty Springfield (1964).
• Title is a reference to the musical A Chorus Line.

Cultural references

• Jack refers to the 1998 Divas Live concert and mentions the divas interrupting "Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin. Owen rebuffs him with "Cuba (Gloria Estefan), Canada (Celine Dion), Cowgirl (Shania Twain), Crazy (Mariah Carey), get out of my light and away from my snacks, bitch".
• Jack exclaims "Anne Heche Lafoon, he's straight!", referring to actress Anne Heche who was in a relationship with lesbian comedienne Ellen Degeneres before marrying Coley Laffoon.
• Grace mentions Screech on the 90s sitcom Saved By The Bell, who was known for being silly and gullible despite being an academic overachiever.
• After finding out the rumor about him, Will says he was thinking that he was Julia Roberts (in Erin Brockovich (2000)), where Roberts played a legal clerk, all the while he actually was Roberts (in Pretty Woman (1990)) where she played a prostitute.

Quotes

You know, I had to speak up for you just now. The ladies were saying how sad and pathetic you are being all alone here without Stanley, but I defended you. I said, "she's a hophead, too." — Beverly, to Karen

Jack:	You gave me the straight-guy-double-pat-on-the-back-no-hip-contact hug.
Owen:	Actually it was more the gay-guy-bend-at-the-waist-feel-your-delts-check-out-your-shoes hug.