Darren Criss/Blaine Anderson

[tom87]

Then, using Criss' example of playing the harmonica was mocked, while apparently Lea's "author" status is totally legitimate (and if you'd like, I could go back to that list and pick on different ones..that one just stood out to me.). You don't see the hypocrisy?

 

Not really  becasue some here not to long ago debated on if Lea wrote the book even.  You doing the same thing by negating her contribution to a book over Darren's efforts is where I see the hypocrisy or at the very least passive aggressive posting.   Makes no sense to do the same thing.

 

But you missed the point you decided to focus in on that one thing instead of looking at the bigger picture (take Lea out of the mix) and legitimate examples of multifaceted 20 somethings like Darren.

Edited May 2, 2015 by tom87

[fakeempress]

 

So you can't. This is too funny.

Oh yeah? Well, ain't that serendipitous!  I went to a dinner party last night, and joked about the renaissance man conundrum. Turns out one of the ladies there was originally from Bulgaria. So she did a list and we googled some links while sipping our cocktails. Whatever links aren't in English can be google-translated. She said the names are from her generation and older (40 yr + ), she's not familiar with the younger ones but her guess is the young talent is similarly versatile.

 

As actors, all named below have done all: stage theatre, film, TV and musical shows. She said that's how the actors are trained in the Academy, and how they hustle out of necessity as well as creative interests - they can't be movie actors only when the film industry produces about ten features a year. It's a small nation. The musical theatre tradition is more geared to operetta (which employs narrowly specialised performers), as well as musical cabarets and shows. Broadway-style musicals are a recent addition, but productions are sporadic, partly because of their cost. [she also meant I need to bear in mind the cultural tradition and the equivalents that exist]. Whoever of the actors did a B'way style musical in addition to all else, is indicated below. The stage tradition is for repertory theatre with resident companies staging several productions per season (fall / spring) -- meaning if an actor is engaged in all the productions for the season, each night of the week they may play a different role. They all dabble in instruments; it's mentioned below when they play something really well.

 

Stefan Valdobrev: Actor. Has guest-acted in Germany. Composer - scored over 70 theatre productions and 20 feature films and documentaries. Director of shorts, TV,  music videos. Singer-songwriter and recording artist, 6 albums. Plays at least piano and guitar, and uses loops and sampling. Plays in a rock band, with which he has toured and recorded. Was a busker at one time. 

Stefan is basically Darren x3. He also used to run a kind of "Starkid", he wrote and staged musical shows together with fellow actors from the Theatre and Film Academy. A couple of these actors are: 

Kamen Donev: Actor. Playwright, over 30 one act and three act plays. Choreographer (was also a folk dancer). Theatre and TV director. Author. Singer songwriter, 2 albums with the "Starkid" trio.

Maya Bezhanska: Actress. Puppeteer. Singer; recording artist with the trio. 

***

Marius Kurkinski: Actor. Theatre and TV director. Screenwriter. Singer. Recording pop artist, 2 albums. 

 

Samuel Finzi: Actor. Working mostly in Germany (obv. in German), but also in Bulgaria. Plays piano, percussion. Does solo musical shows, such as Blue in Blue (Gershwin) as actor, singer and dancer; Songs of My Mind -a Tribute to Stevie Wonder as singer.

 

Itzhak Finzi (Samuel's dad): Actor; was in a production of Oliver! Was guest actor in Germany and Austria. Violinist, singer, orchestra conductor. Did lots of variety shows, London Pops-style shows.

 

Todor Kolev: Actor. Stand-up comic. Late night show host. Author. Singer-songwriter and recording artist, with his comedy and variety show music band, with which he also toured. Played the violin. Was also a mainstay at the London Pops-style shows. 

 

Kamen Vodenicharov: Actor (no movies). Puppeteer. Pop singer and recording artist. Producer and actor in a SNL-type show. Reality show host. Producer.

 

Doni:  Singer. Recording and touring artist. Plays guitar, bass, keyboards and grand piano. Songwriter - as solo artist and for his band. Composer of 4 musicals, over 20 stage production scores and 2 film scores. Actor; was in a production of Aladdin. Playwright. TV producer (reality Idol-type shows).

 

Netti (Doni's wife): Actress, including three musicals. Pop singer. Plays the piano. 

 

Ivaylo Hristov: Actor. Theatre director. Was a Rep theatre manager. Screenwriter and film director. Professor in the Theatre and Film Academy. Author of a book on film acting. Plays guitar and saxophone. Was national champion in water polo. 

 

Kalki: Actor. Singer (rock; lyric baritone). Songwriter. Recording artist - solo and with his band. Plays guitar, banjo, flute, mandolin. Children's books author. Has a foundation for helping kids. Started as a dentist and was Assistant professor in Dentistry for children. 

 

*** 

She said if she thought of more, she'd let me know. I told her that's more than enough, I don't want to be calling her about online links for half the Bulgarian Actors Guild!

 

 

Then. Name. Them.

You're welcome!

Now you can try to find out by yourself about the rest of the world. Expand your horizons. 

Edited May 2, 2015 by fakeempress

[caracas1914]

Taking part of this discussion to cast in other roles..

[mercfan3]

Not really  becasue some here not to long ago debated on if Lea wrote the book even.  You doing the same thing by negating her contribution to a book over Darren's efforts is where I see the hypocrisy or at the very least passive aggressive posting.   Makes no sense to do the same thing.

 

But you missed the point you decided to focus in on that one thing instead of looking at the bigger picture (take Lea out of the mix) and legitimate examples of multifaceted 20 somethings like Darren.

 

I think my point was what was missed.

 

I never said that there weren't multi-faceted young entertainers. Heck, essentially every major young actor or actress on Glee fits that description. 

 

My point was that Darren seemed to be multi-faceted to a greater extent than a lot of entertainers. 

 

I didn't think that this list that was created in the other thread disproved my point.  

 

And because that list included every little thing that those young entertainers were involved in, I included every little thing Darren was involved in. The fact that one was mocked while the other appeared to be legitimate is what annoyed me. (And it wasn't just Lea's status as an author, there were a lot of fuzzy little things like the ability to play the harmonica.) 

 

Because yes, I do think it's rare that an entertainer is as involved in as many areas as Darren is.  Gosh, popular musicians are praised and considered a rarity when they write and sing their own music by themselves and are then able to play an entire show by themselves (because of their ability to play instruments). Never mind if you add in theatre, film and tv actor as well as apparently a competent dancer. 

 

If people can come up with other entertainers that are involved in all of the above, good on you. This is going in circles now, and I've been as clear as I can be. 

 

As for Hedwig, he seems to be getting decent to good reviews from those fans of the show. So good for him. 

[Sara2009]

Darren seems to be doing a passable job from what I've heard.

[tom87]

I think my point was what was missed.

 

I never said that there weren't multi-faceted young entertainers. Heck, essentially every major young actor or actress on Glee fits that description. 

 

My point was that Darren seemed to be multi-faceted to a greater extent than a lot of entertainers. 

 

And we all got your stance the first 5 times you said it.  Rare  (greater extent)  is what is being argue some think it is rare and  others do not think it is that rare. 

Edited May 3, 2015 by tom87

[crashboom]

Well, I saw Darren opening night, and just saw him again today (unplanned... a friend of mine won lottery and asked last minute if I wanted to tag along, I figured why not).

 

Shockingly (or, well, not at all), contrary to some here's "concerns" that the book would be "dumbed down" for Darren, that was not at all the case. There were no major changes. Jokes have been tweaked and added as they have been for Hedwigs past but that's it. 

 

For comparison's sake, I saw Andrew Rannells do the show last summer and saw JCM do it four times (including his last show). So, I know Hedwig pretty well and love it dearly. No one can touch John Cameron Mitchell's performance-- not in the technical sense, since his own voice is not as strong as someone like Andrew's, and his pitch is not perfect (and occasionally fell back on speak-singing rather than straight belting), but he is the embodiment of the character. But Darren has had a good start and from the first night to his fourth performance, I could already see a noticeable improvement both in the acting and vocally (his Origin of Love was bounds better today, and he had adjusted some of his line deliveries to be less emphatic). I have never been to a Darren Criss concert or listened to him sing live outside of videos and am aware of his limitations, but his voice has been strong for all of the songs, more than I expected. His vocals on Wig in a Box are particularly fantastic. Darren is not shy in tackling these numbers and as they are rock songs rather than straight-up Broadway he seems much more comfortable here. Supposedly he has a cold but you could not tell onstage (aside from one moment where he had to clear his throat, but immediately quipped a joke about lubricant).

 

It's a good performance and he is really committed. He nails the climactic scene which is the most emotional (the intense bits were his strongest and the parts he could improve on are more the comic timing). The last fifteen, twenty minutes of the show he truly shines. I'm looking forward to seeing him again later in his run when he is even more settled into the role.

[fakeempress]

 

My point was that Darren seemed to be multi-faceted to a greater extent than a lot of entertainers.

I just realised that Arthur Darvill was cast in CW's Flash spinoff. You may want to get to know him too, if you are into multi-faceted to a greater extent performers. 

[caracas1914]

I just realised that Arthur Darvill was cast in CW's Flash spinoff. You may want to get to know him too, if you are into multi-faceted to a greater extent performers.

 

Well that's the rub.  If there is any genuine interest in actually discussing  multi-faceted multi-talented performers in general as opposed to simply trying to argue that your favorite is the rarest, most distinct and unique of them all.

 

Which is OK, but let's call a spade a spade.

[Hana Chan]

Well, the grosses are in for Darren's first week and the numbers aren't fantastic. In six shows, he sold a total of 4203 for the week, an average of 700 tickets per show. And his average ticket price is also lower than for JCM's last week ($110.47 for JCM vs $99.62 for Darren), indicating that more tickets were sold at discount than the previous week. Outside of Darren's opening night and the Saturday 8:00 show, the numbers look pretty weak.

 

And this was the week when it should be expected that Darren's sales would be the strongest. He had a relatively good lead in from JCM and a ton of promotion but it didn't seem to help much. I'm going to be very curious to see what the numbers are next week when we're going to get a really clear picture of just how much power Darren has as a draw, because I suspect that ticket sales are going to slide pretty markedly.

 

http://www.playbillvault.com/Grosses/

[fakeempress]

Well that's the rub.  If there is any genuine interest in actually discussing  multi-faceted multi-talented performers in general as opposed to simply trying to argue that your favorite is the rarest, most distinct and unique of them all.

 

Which is OK, but let's call a spade a spade.

 

One more for the road: Billy Magnussen

It's fun discovering how many people I've seen just on TV, or just in a movie or a musical, do all sorts of things. 

[Coxfires]

Iwan Rhreon from Misfits and Game of Thrones won an Oliver award for his performance as Moritz in Spring Awakening (UK version) and has also 3 Albums out. Darren is definitely not rare

[caracas1914]

Gosh, popular musicians are praised and considered a rarity when they write and sing their own music by themselves and are then able to play an entire show by themselves (because of their ability to play instruments)

 

This is a joke, right?

 

Because seriously....

[tom87]

Iwan Rhreon from Misfits and Game of Thrones won an Oliver award for his performance as Moritz in Spring Awakening (UK version) and has also 3 Albums out. Darren is definitely not rare

Well if we are talking Mortiz's might as well add the original  to the club.    Tony winner John Gallagher has done, movies, tv, stage, sings, writes music and plays with a band.

[Ceeg]

There's Leighton Meester too. TV star who has transitioned into movies, and who released her own album a few months ago, filled with songs she wrote. She was also on Broadway a year or two ago.

 

Aside from not meeting the definition of "rare", I think the problem I have with calling Darren a rare talent is that he really doesn't excel at anything he does, except maybe as an instrumentalist (and even then, I don't think he's orchestra-ready good). He might be a jack of all trades, but he's a master of none. And I'm not sure if that's because he's just really not GREAT at anything and never will be, or if it's because he's just wearing too many hats to be able to concentrate on something and craft it into something great.

 

Take someone like Audra McDonald. Who has an amaaaazing voice and is also one of the greatest theatre actresses that has ever lived (not hyperbole). She can also dance, though she rarely has to anymore, and she was a regular cast member on a big tv show for a while, and has been nominated for 2 Emmys for a couple of made-for-tv movies. Audra excels at pretty much everything she does. She's not just a passable singer/actress/dancer. She is what I would call a "rare talent", in that she is genuinely one of a kind, and is an exceptional talent at many separate things. 

I don't really think anyone on Glee could be called a "rare talent". 

[Sara2009]

What sets Audra apart is that she's a rare talent even by Broadway standards, which arguably includes the best of the best in acting/singing-dancing.

[caracas1914]

Audra is the only actor to ever win a Tony in all ACTING categories, Female Lead in a Musical, Featured Female in a Musical , Female Lead in a PLay, featured Female actress in a play.

She's not just a passable singer/actress/dancer. She is what I would call a "rare talent", in that she is genuinely one of a kind, and is an exceptional talent at many separate things.

This so much.

Related somewhat to what I said upthread, someone who is successful AND exceptionally talented in various fields is what separates the jack of all trades from the true rare performers.

Another thing: if you are incredibly talented/gifted even in one thing, what does it matter? That is still beyond rarefied air. I doubt that Martin Scorsese, one of the greatest directiors of the last 100 years if anyone gives a flying fuck that he can't play the harmonica. Ditto Orson Welles.

Edited May 7, 2015 by caracas1914

[Hana Chan]

Darren may be able to "do" multiple things, but I don't find any of those talents so impressive. He's, at best, a serviceable actor, an adequate singer (when he's not being asked to sing outside his range), and a moderately decent amateur song writer.  Not outstanding in any one area. Jack of all trades, master of none.

[KatWay]

Okay, great, we've established that Darren Criss isn't the most amazing thing to ever grace the earth. Yeah, there's tons of more talented performers out there. But he's got some talent, and I don't really think it's fair to ridicule everyone who really likes him. Sure, stans might have a blind spot where their faves are concerned, but that's hardly unique to the Darren Criss fandom. Other stans just don't see it that way because they think their fave deserves that praise.

I'm not a huge Darren Criss fan and I roll my eyes at the over the top praise he sometimes gets, but honestly, at least in this thread he gets a lot more vitriol than love, so....

Happy to hear he's not doing badly at Hedwig. I hope he has fun with it, in this business you never know when/if you'll get the next great opportunity.

[fakeempress]

It wasn't a matter of personal preferences and your garden variety fan liking. He was proclaimed to be objectively a rare example of a renaissance man in entertainment. You can't argue with personal preferences but an exclusivity statement like this can be tested for validity. 

 

I've had the same reaction to people proclaiming Lea a singular talent. 

Edited May 12, 2015 by fakeempress

[Hana Chan]

Whatever Darren's talent may be (and it's certainly a debatable point), moving tickets apparently isn't one of them. Despite having some pretty significant sales for Hedwig seats this week (with some mezzanine seats going for 50% off face value), this was a poor week for tickets sales. Darren's first full week is now the second lowest in terms of gross revenue and one of the lowest for total number of tickets sold (for a regular 7 performance week). Looks like all that PR hasn't been helping much.

 

http://www.playbillvault.com/Grosses/Show/14041/Hedwig-and-the-Angry-Inch

Edited May 12, 2015 by Hana Chan

[caracas1914]

Goodness knows I'm not a huge Darren Criss fan, but as far as his stint in Hedwig. He is playing a "dream role" (per his interviews) so it's all win/win/win as far as himself and his fans.

I feel the same way about the "relative" lack of gold/platinum success of Lea's album, or Chris movie "Struck by Lightning"(panned by many critics).

When something is near and dear your heart as far as a project, it doesn't have to be the ultimate box office /commercial gold standard to be a "success". Doubt the artist regrets taking the risk.

Edited May 12, 2015 by caracas1914

[Hana Chan]

Goodness knows I'm not a huge Darren Criss fan, but as far as his stint in Hedwig. He is playing a "dream role" (per his interviews) so it's all win/win/win as far as himself and his fans.

I feel the same way about the "relative" lack of gold/platinum success of Lea's album, or Chris movie "Struck by Lightning"(panned by many critics).

When something is near and dear your heart as far as a project, it doesn't have to be the ultimate box office /commercial gold standard to be a "success". Doubt the artist regrets taking the risk.

 

That might be okay when they still had Glee as a day job. Then they could do other projects strictly for love and if they weren't critical or commercial successes, could be weathered. But none of the cast has Glee as a safety net any longer. All of them now need to prove that they can be profitable and/or earn critical note if they want to keep performing. Like it or not, how well Darren's run in Hedwig sells really matters for his future career now. And it's the same for Lea and Chris and everyone else in the cast. They need to prove their worth if they want to keep performing as a profession.

 

So it's great that Darren's having a blast playing Hedwig. I'm sure that means a great deal to the producers who have to count all the empty seats at showtime.

[caracas1914]

Like it or not, how well Darren's run in Hedwig sells really matters for his future career now. And it's the same for Lea and Chris and everyone else in the cast. They need to prove their worth if they want to keep performing as a profession.

 

 

For all we know, NONE of the cast will ever again experience the highs/stardom/fandom/commercial appeal, (take your pick) of having been on a red hot  “watercooler” show like Glee.

 

That doesn’t mean they can’t carve a showbiz career , with relatively “modest” achievements or limited commerical success. 

 

Of course they all want to do well post Glee, but there are hundreds if not thousands of actors/performers I can name  who never again matched their first commerical flush of success yet are still working in show biz for decades.

 

Just a hunch, but I think it's way too early to speculate whether Darren, etc, will somehow manage to "keep performing as a profession."

Edited May 13, 2015 by caracas1914

[mercfan3]

It seems like sales for the show were trending in that direction. 

 

I wonder if we'll see a difference when school is out (Both college and high school) as I think one of the bigger purposes to bringing Darren in was to try and get a younger crowd and that's where his fans are. 

[fakeempress]

I think it's quite possible, and summer is a heavy tourist season as well. 

Edited May 13, 2015 by fakeempress

[dizzyizzy01]

A lot of the shows were down this week.  it's a bit of a lull in the season before summer picks up.

 

It's kind of ridiculous to make these broad statements about the cast proving their worth and being able to keep performing as a profession.  The Glee cast is basically a couple of months out from ending a huge television show.  Darren's starring on Broadway.  Lea's got a new TV show.  Chris has a movie coming up and his books.  They're all doing pretty good, and if you can make a living in this industry I think you can basically call yourself a success.  And seriously, it's been a couple of months since Glee has ended.  This doom and gloom is a bit much.  Even if Chris' movie flops or Lea's show isn't a hit or Hedwig closes soon after Darren's run.  It's not the end of their professional careers or them not proving their worth.  That's ridiculous.  I guarantee if you look at virtually any performer's resume and there are some not so blockbuster projects on there at some point in time.

 

Also, no matter what you might think of Darren.  The dude is starring on Broadway.  That's pretty awesome for him.  I don't even like Darren, but all this histrionics about box office sales and not having Glee as a safety net being the end of a career is over the top.  

 

I think the over the top praise people have for certain cast members is ridiculous, but I think equally as ridiculous is some of the over the top criticism.

[caracas1914]

taking this to cast in other roles

[truthaboutluv]

I think the over the top praise people have for certain cast members is ridiculous, but I think equally as ridiculous is some of the over the top criticism.

 

 

This...1000 times this. 

 

I guarantee if you look at virtually any performer's resume and there are some not so blockbuster projects on there at some point in time.

 

 

I always love bringing up George Clooney who as far as I know still currently holds the record for the most failed television pilots ever - something like 30 or 32. And lordy some of those movie credits, like "Attack of the 50 Foot Shark" or something equally ridiculous like that.

[ComfySweater]

I always love bringing up George Clooney who as far as I know still currently holds the record for the most failed television pilots ever - something like 30 or 32. And lordy some of those movie credits, like "Attack of the 50 Foot Shark" or something equally ridiculous like that.

Tom Hanks is also an excellent example. He's done some great work in his career. He also made "The Bachelor Party." Look that one up if you ever need a bad movie night or excuse to get plastered. He defends that to this day as a paycheck. I can't argue with that logic. It's not like I can defend my grocery bagging days as art. Sometimes you work the jobs you can get.

[fakeempress]

A better analogy related to the OP (though I don't agree with them) than work to pay the bills is a passion project that you pursued and lobbied for. In any case, commercial and /or artistic success isn't guaranteed in most cases, whatever the reason for taking a role, sometimes what's good on paper turns out crap, and the other way round. 

 

But I agree it's too early to project career failure for any of the Glee people, just based on the commercial success of their current ventures. They're just starting on their post-Glee career and have years ahead of them. It's also misguided to extrapolate any industry feelings from our own. 

Edited May 16, 2015 by fakeempress

[Pink ranger]

An example of how much an actor can improve at their craft..

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lY_nmk4ZGvo

Steve Carell reads out an awful review that he received for his work on a 1997 sitcom. He was 35 at the time. Obviously he went on to have a strong Tv and movie career and is an Emmy and Oscar nominee getting big after age 40.

[mercfan3]

This is a really cool story. (The Whitney/Mariah one. Although the Obama one is cute too.) 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAMQFOWjb6I

[shantown]

The thing about Tom Hanks, George Clooney, etc is that yes, they all have some bombs in their careers. But their careers also span decades. While Darren may have some bombs and he may still have some success in his future, it's  WAY too early to champion him as some modern day renaissance man who can do everything. He can't.

[truthaboutluv]

As someone who brought up the George Clooney example, it had nothing to do with considering Darren some modern day renaissance man. I was simply agreeing with the point being made that it is far too soon to declare things dead and done for Darren. And that if his run in Hedwig is not some super amazing success, things are basically over for him in this business.

 

It's that hyperbole that was being challenged by making the point that some of the most successful actors right now struggled for years, had some massive flops before things worked out for them. So to declare Darren over a few months from Glee ending, is a bit much. But hey, far be it for me to rain on some people's obsessive determination to declare him a flop. Have at it...

 

On another note, that interview clip is cute but I'm reminded why I don't watch many interviews with Darren. He seems like a nice enough guy but man he can ramble and commit word vomit. As someone who works in Communications where it is drilled into us to get to the point and be as brief and succinct as possible, I almost want to scream while watching Darren, "get to the point."

Edited May 17, 2015 by truthaboutluv

[mercfan3]

I love those interviews for that reason. I find word vomit endearing. I love Mary Lambert for the same reason. As much as I love all of her music, the best part of her shows are her stories. 

[indeed]

Just in case anyone is interested in who is going to fill Darren's Hedwig heels...

Next Hedwig

Nice choice.

[mercfan3]

I love Taye Diggs. I love anyone with ties to Wicked though, so I'm an easy sell there. 

 

I recently saw Darren. Great energy. He nails the glam rock aspect of the show, his comedic timing is very good. He also nails the "dude voice" for Tommy. He also didn't pop out of character and into "Darren" at all, which would have always been my biggest criticism of Darren's acting in Glee. Very Very entertaining. 

 

His accent is..I'd say it sounds like Stewie from Family Guy. Sort of a mix between German and English. He's at least consistent with it, even if I'm not sure it's quite right. I'd also say that the more sentimental aspects of the show ended up falling a little flat. I'm not sure if it's the show itself (certainly not my favorite broadway story) or Darren's acting, or quite frankly the soundmix, but that part wasn't nearly as entertaining. 

 

But I standby what I said earlier, especially after seeing the show. They need to get Adam Lambert to do it. 

Edited June 22, 2015 by mercfan3

[truthaboutluv]

They need to get Adam Lambert to do it.

According to Adam, they've asked and offered but he's not interested.

Edited June 22, 2015 by truthaboutluv

[mercfan3]

According to Adam, they've asked and offered but he's not interested.

 

Yea, I saw that. But he was making his album at the time they offered it to him. It's really perfect for him. It's too bad he doesn't seem interested.  

Edited June 23, 2015 by mercfan3

[truthaboutluv]

It wasn't just about his album. I've been a fan of Adam's since he competed on Idol and I think, without him ever explicitly saying so, that he sees Broadway as a step back for him. One of the constant criticisms that was lodged against him during his season of Idol was that he didn't have a "current sound", he would never be viable as a current pop singer and that he was better suited for Broadway. So I'm not the least bit surprised he would say no to Hedwig even if yes, he probably would kill it. 

Edited June 23, 2015 by truthaboutluv

[fakeempress]

Some time ago there were a couple or so "friend of a friend" tumblr posts that Adam was approached twice about it. Sounded like at least one of those instances was earlier in the run of the show. Adam mentioning the offer now makes them more believable.

Edited June 23, 2015 by fakeempress

[truthaboutluv]

Actually what I read at one of Adam's social media fan sites was that someone who knew someone who worked on Hedwig said Adam was asked and when he turned it down is when they asked Darren. 

Edited June 23, 2015 by truthaboutluv

[mercfan3]

Actually what I read at one of Adam's social media fan sites was that someone who knew someone who worked on Hedwig said Adam was asked and when he turned it down is when they asked Darren. 

 

Wouldn't surprise me. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if they ask him every time they need a new Hedwig. :P I can't think of a more perfect person for that role.

 

Not to take this too OT: But Adam is simply one of the most talented entertainers out there. I so wish I liked his original music more than I do. Loved his first album, but he keeps delving farther and farther into electronic dance pop..

[caracas1914]

OK, someone had to mention it,

from Darren's FACEBOOK:

"I want to sincerely apologize to Caitlyn Jenner, all transgender people, and anyone who was offended for my words on stage during Tuesday evening's performance. In no way do the remarks reflect my personal belief system or my support for transgender people. However, I do realize the severity of the comment and the weight that words can carry and for that, I take full responsibility. I commend Caitlyn on her strength and for spreading acceptance around the globe. I have been and remain a proud and unwavering ally of the LGBTQIA community, and will continue to walk alongside my friends on the road to full equality and acceptance."

[ComfySweater]

What the hell? Are the outraged people ones who haven't seen the show? Or at least ones who didn't get it. Hedwig is supposed to be very offensive there. That joke was on point as to something Hedwig would say in that moment. The audience is supposed to be offended and very uncomfortable with what she says. That's the point. Hedwig is transphobic. Hedwig is a hot mess of problematic views. 

[truthaboutluv]

I haven't been following Darren in Hedwig or much media about him so I only found about this randomly when his apology showed up on my timeline. I admit I'm still not sure what was said during the play but I will say I read a few of the comments in response to his apology and seems a lot felt like you comfysweater. That the people who were upset clearly don't know much about the play and that Darren had nothing to apologize for.

 

But some others said that even if he didn't necessarily have anything to apologize for it probably was smart to try and diffuse the situation and acknowledge and respect that some people were upset. I don't think whatever was said has necessarily become a huge thing though, because like I said, I didn't hear anything about this from any of the entertainment publications I follow like People Magazine or The Hollywood Reporter. 

Edited June 26, 2015 by truthaboutluv

[Snow Apple]

I admit when I heard the joke in it's original form, I thought of Caitlyn Jenner. I don't think he said anything wrong since Hedwig makes jokes about Hitler, child molesters, immigrants, Sri Lankin mothers, Christians, Jews, and many many offensive things. JCM even made a really offensive Obama joke in at least one performance. Where are the outrage for those jokes? Why is Caitlyn untouchable? Is it because Darren has so many haters? I can't help but wonder if there would be such outrage if another Hedwig made the joke first. 

Edited June 26, 2015 by Snow Apple

[truthaboutluv]

Is it because Darren has so many haters? I can't help but wonder if there would be such outrage if another Hedwig made the joke first.

 

 

Probably. I just read the story on US Weekly and finally saw the whole comment in context and read how the whole thing evolved - someone who had attended the show, said something about it on twitter and a bunch of people who hate Darren ran with it, calling him transphobic and offensive. Honestly, reading the whole situation, I agree even more that it was ridiculous he felt he needed to apologize for something that was said in the context of the show and in character.

 

But again, as some said, he probably figured it was best to try and diffuse the situation as quietly as possible. Doesn't matter though, I think this is just further proof that when people hate someone, they can find ANYTHING to use as a judgement against them. I honestly could not be famous, even on the smallest scale. 

Edited June 26, 2015 by truthaboutluv

[Sara2009]

I think part of the problem is that Darren has been a huge douche lately(ie. Throwing things at audience members, and getting angry when they don't give him a standing ovation), so this just gave his haters more ammunition.

Edited June 26, 2015 by Sara2009