Let's try to market this: media, articles and interviews

[Higgs]

Very few leading men or ladies in Broadway musicals can "dance", and very few musicals of any widely-acknowledged prestige require that they do. If Darren can dance at all, as suggested by the NYTimes article cited, above, he'd be "better than most", by definition.

Moving and dancing are not the same thing. Lea can move, but can't dance. NPH can't dance either, and Hedwig doesn't require it. "Choreography" can apply to individual or mass movement, not just dance.

Edited April 27, 2015 by Higgs

[fakeempress]

Very few leading men or ladies in Broadway musicals can "dance", and very few musicals of any widely-acknowledged prestige require that they do. If Darren can dance at all, he'd be "better than most", by definition.

By this logic he'd be on their level at best, since he isn't a trained dancer either. "Can dance at all" can mean anything. But I'm not going to argue with you on that because I'm not sure we have the same concepts of what dancing means.

Edited April 27, 2015 by fakeempress

[Casual Viewing]

There are trained dancers who spend years honing their skills and talents, and then there are people who can pick up choreography and have a natural musicality with little to no training. There are also those who have good rhythm and musicality who struggle with learning choreography and then there are those who have two left feet and no sense of rhythm at all.  One only has to watch auditions for STYTCD  to see all of the above.

 

Darren has never struck me as being more than average at dancing, but then again, I've never paid any particular attention to Blaine if I can help it and I've never seen Darren in anything apart from Glee that requires dancing.  I'll withhold judgement for now, but I do think the Hedwig PR on this is getting a tad ridiculous. 

 

Speaking of dancing, this showed up on tumblr a few days ago.   I believe they had 12 hours over a 2 days to learn the 6 min. routine.  They had to learn and film an entire 6 mins.even though not all of it was used because of the inter-cutting with Quinn scenes.  According to the DVD extras there  were injuries on the day of the shoot,  one sprained her ankle, one of the guys got a concussion (which meant some on the spot changes to the choreography because he wasn't fit to dance) another broke her finger, one hit her head on the steadicam ; not to mention that in rehearsal Jon got a  five-inch scar on his biceps from his dance partner's stiletto.

 

Groff also learned to tap for the epic Miscast "Anything Goes." So although he doesn't consider himself to be much of a dancer, I think he does well for being an "untrained" dancer and I think he and Matt are very well-rounded performers.

Edited April 27, 2015 by Casual Viewing

[AndySmith]

I don't know if Darren is better or not at dancing than Jonathan Groff, but I do find JG to be better at singing and acting. But, to each their own.

[caracas1914]

I cringed when Ryan Murphy called Lea " the voice of a generation" and mind you, that's someone who I think is an exceptional singer.

The hyperbole from the Hedwig team is getting ridiculous.

[fakeempress]

 

Also, he sings about as well as Jon

I'd like to hear him take and sustain the notes Jon does. Live. After tap dancing for half the song.

[Glorfindel]

I'd like to hear him take and sustain the notes Jon does. Live. After tap dancing for half the song.

At about the 7.10 mark in that song you can see Jon breathing a bit heavily because of how much breath and energy the 4-5 minutes(!) of tapdancing took, but he then only takes one big inhale and sings smoothly on. Now that's breath control, that's not easy to do.

 

If you think about the few rehearsal hours and the little time to record, rehearse and film performances for the show the cast and crew got, it's amazing that they still pulled it off so well so often. And most of the Glee cast were not trained dancers when they started, nor trained singers. They sure learned fast (well...most of them, lol).

 

The hyperbole about how mulit-talented and wonderful Darren is going to be in Hedwig is a bit OTT imo. There are plenty of guys in his generatlon who are just as talented (and much more imo) than him, especially in places like Broadway. Same with Ryan calling Lea the "voice of a generation" (as already mentioned above), when in almost every musical on Broadway, West End or anywhere else in the world there are female singers just as talented as her performing every night.

And imo they're not really helping Darren by building up such high expectations for Hedwig, as Darren will have to fulfill those expectations all on his own every night, singing live without auto-tune and a bunch of background dancers/singers (like the Warblers) supporting him.

We'll see, In a few nights we will know if it was all indeed exaggerated PR push or if Darren really can live up to the hype.

Edited April 27, 2015 by Glorfindel

[jaytee1812]

The hyperbole about how mulit-talented and wonderful Darren is going to be in Hedwig is a bit OTT imo. There are plenty of guys in his generatlon who are just as talented (and much more imo) than him, especially in places like Broadway. Same with Ryan calling Lea the "voice of a generation" (as already mentioned above), when in almost every musical on Broadway, West End or anywhere else in the world there are female singers just as talented as her performing every night.

And imo they're not really helping Darren by building up such high expectations for Hedwig, as Darren will have to fulfill those expectations all on his own every night, singing live without auto-tune and a bunch of background dancers/singers (like the Warblers) supporting him.

We'll see, In a few nights we will know if it was all indeed exaggerated PR push or if Darren really can live up to the hype.

I can't see what is to be gained by hyping Darren like this. Say a reviewer reads this, it hypes Darren in his mind. Darren comes out and gives a great performance, but it's a good as the reviewer thinks several other actor could give as good a performance, so Darren gets a good review but it's tempered by not being as amazing as expected. You don't hype him, he gives a great performance, he gets great reviews.

On the earlier discussion about dancing. Both JGroff and Darren look like they can move well and pick up choreography, but why on earth are they not dance trained? If this is the career you want why on earth would you miss out a vital part of training? I can understand those on glee who were primarily actors or musicians not being dance trained, but if you're on Broadway that seems to be it would leave you at a disadvantage in both going for roles and in the skills required once you get them. Also, I think dance training makes actors better.

[Hana Chan]

More to the point (about the OTT praise of Darren by the Hedwig team) is that Darren isn't as good as they are making him out to be, then not just Darren's credibility as a performer is affected, but the credibility of the Hedwig team. I have no issue with them praising Darren (because they do have to sell him) but it's very much out of line with how replacement actors are promote. Much bigger names than Darren took over roles on Broadway with much less fanfare.

[fakeempress]

 

Both JGroff and Darren look like they can move well and pick up choreography, but why on earth are they not dance trained? If this is the career you want why on earth would you miss out a vital part of training?

I think when they say not trained, they mean not trained to be a professional dancer in a dance company or a chorus dancer. At least that's how I take the phrase and how I use it. I don't think it means they haven't taken a dance class or instruction in their lives, but they aren't Sutton Foster types who have been dancers first. 

 

Dianna has said she's trained in ballet but I don't think of her as a trained dancer based on what she's shown on Glee. 

Edited April 27, 2015 by fakeempress

[caracas1914]

Now the trained dancers on Glee would be Harry Shum Jr., Heather Morris and Jacob Artist. Both Harry and Heather worked professionally as dancers prior to their Glee stint. Jacob was accepted to Julliard (didn't go) as a classical dance major and it showed on his Glee dance performances. He was probably the most trained dancer , technique wise, the show ever got as a regular.

Edited April 27, 2015 by caracas1914

[Sara2009]

Now the trained dancers on Glee would be Harry Shum Jr., Heather Morris and Jacob Artist. Both Harry and Heather worked professionally as dancers prior to their Glee stint. Jacob was accepted to Julliard (didn't go) as a classical dance major and it showed on his Glee dance performances. He was probably the most trained dancer , technique wise, the show ever got as a regular.

Matt Morrison is actually trained too. His first Broadway gig was as a featured dancer in " Footloose."

[jaytee1812]

Matt Morrison is actually trained too. His first Broadway gig was as a featured dancer in " Footloose."

Not in the same way. Harry and Heather were professional dancers pretty much up until Glee. Matt's an actor who dances and does it very well. Technically so is Jacob, but he'd been dancing for fifteen years when he was cast on Glee just before he was 20.

[Sara2009]

Not in the same way. Harry and Heather were professional dancers pretty much up until Glee. Matt's an actor who dances and does it very well. Technically so is Jacob, but he'd been dancing for fifteen years when he was cast on Glee just before he was 20.

Matt has always considered himself a dancer before anything else. He might not have trained as extensively as the other three, but he's still a dancer/singer/actor.

[caracas1914]

Matt has always considered himself a dancer before anything else. He might not have trained as extensively as the other three, but he's still a dancer/singer/actor. 

 

Oh, there is no doubt in my mind that Matt was by far, the most versatile performer /regular on Glee.  (Though of course no one has claimed he's the best singer/dancer of his generation..LOL)

 

And yes, alot of BW folks love to consider themselves dancers, however, Matt's last 3 BW gigs, "The Light in the Piazza", "South Pacific" and now "Finding Neverland" emphasizes more his singing/acting skills more than anything.

 

There are the  BW performers such as  Gregory Hines, Tommy Tune, Sutton Foster, Chita Rivera, Gwen Verdon and say, Anne Reinking(sp),  who both sing and dance, where arguably one would say they are known primarily more as dancers than anything else.   Well Sutton maybe  not so much...

Edited April 27, 2015 by caracas1914

[Sara2009]

Oh, there is no doubt in my mind that Matt was by far, the most versatile performer /regular on Glee. (Though of course no one has claimed he's the best singer/dancer of his generation..LOL)

And yes, alot of BW folks love to consider themselves dancers, however, Matt's last 3 BW gigs, "The Light in the Piazza", "South Pacific" and now "Finding Neverland" emphasizes more his singing/acting skills more than anything.

There are the exceptional BW performers such as Gregory Hines, Sutton Foster, Chita Rivera, Gwen Verdon and say, Anne Reinking(sp), who both sing and dance, where arguably one would say they are known primarily more as dancers than

anything else. Well Sutton maybe not so much...

Fair enough. Though he does a lot of crazy choreography in " Finding Neverland."

[caracas1914]

I think alot of seasoned  BW performers pride themselves on being part of the chorus or dance gypises when they first started, and Matt is no exception.  Shirley McClaine decades after her last BW work still identified herself as a "dancer" in interviews.

 

It's a compliment to how very  good Matt is, that as naturally gifted he is as a dancer, his singing and acting skills still stand out.

[Higgs]

I'd like to hear him take and sustain the notes Jon does. Live. After tap dancing for half the song.

The problem is that Jon's singing BEFORE the tap dancing isn't particularly good and is not as good as I have heard Darren at his best.

The unfounded pre-performance attack on Darren's Hedwig amounts to calling John Cameron Mitchell a crass and venal individual who lacks the artistic integrity to prevent an unqualified actor from assuming the lead in his magnum opus. This may sound crazy, but if I want to know where the talent lies, I look to see in whom industry pros risk their money, time, and reputations. Sometimes it's merely a question of "horses for courses", and just as Darren couldn't do Barrie as well as MM, I doubt that MM could do Hedwig as well as Darren.

[fakeempress]

 

The problem is that Jon's singing BEFORE the tap dancing isn't particularly good and is not as good as I have heard Darren at his best

The problem is that you aren't bringing any evidence of his singing live, either before or after 5 min of dancing, where he does anything comparable to Jon on a technical level. 

 

The unfounded pre-performance attack on Darren's Hedwig amounts to calling John Cameron Mitchell a crass and venal individual who lacks the artistic integrity to prevent an unqualified actor from assuming the lead in his magnum opus. This may sound crazy, but if I want to know where the talent lies, I look to see in whom industry pros risk their money, time, and reputations. Sometimes it's merely a question of "horses for courses", and just as Darren couldn't do Barrie as well as MM, I doubt that MM could do Hedwig as well as Darren.

 

I have every reason to call Darren's hype as unequivocally the best of his generation hyperbolic and not credible.  I have a measure of critical thinking and am not required to agree with the OTT statements of any show creator regardless of how earnest or not they are. They have tickets to sell.The best of his generation is marketing on steroids to attract a specific audience -- the summer tourists, the Glee audience and the young crowd who may or may not have seen a B'way show in their life. Darren may well turn out to be great and have enormous success in this run, and it still won't qualify him as the best of his generation. I can't call anyone the best, period, as I have not seen all possible contenders for this title, even if we limit ourselves to B'way and Hollywood, and I doubt anyone has. 

 

Since I'm a curious person, I saw the old Hedwig fans still chewing the fat about the disastrous casting of Ally Sheedy back in 1999, who the Hedwig creators also had immense faith in and told people she'll be fantastic. For Finding Neverland, some fans are still wedded to Jeremy Jordan's interpretation and don't like Matt's casting. People on message boards are opinionated and disagree with show creators all the time. This shouldn't be news to anyone.

 

As for risking money and reputation being the measure of talent and success:  I can't believe I need to spell it out but shows close early practically every season, producers have risked money and reputation without recouping or success. A lot relies on name and star power which is not the same as best talent, I hope we all get that distinction in principle.

Edited April 27, 2015 by fakeempress

[phoenixrising]

Yeah, opinions are always going to be subjective. While maybe the Hedwig people think Darren is this talent of a generation, I don't.

Maybe I'm weird, but I don't really care if someone's a good dancer or not when I'm watching a show. It can be fun watching the professional dancers, but as long as you look comfortable on the stage with whatever you're doing, I can enjoy it.

I do think the hype around Darren is OTT, especially considering past Hedwigs (NPH and Michael C. Hall are kind of amazing. Not familiar with the other ones). It does seem like a slightly desperate move on their parts to get people in the seats (the hype more than the casting), but I find it bizarre that for their stunt casting, they didn't try to go bigger. Out of the group of people I know, anyway, only people I know who watched Glee have any idea who he is, and based on my conversations with the average person, most people forgot about Glee years ago. Until he gets another hit project, he's nowhere near being an A-lister. I dunno, I buy they like him, but to this degree? Nah. It'll be interesting to see how it goes.

[mercfan3]

Then maybe it wasn't a stunt casting so much as he earned the part? 

 

To me, Darren is a bit of a "renaissance man." He's not great or amazing at anything, but he's essentially good at everything. From singing, to dancing, to acting...in theatre and television..with diverse genres, to song writing, to playing instruments. And I'd be willing to bet that entire skill set is pretty rare, especially considering people tend to specialize. 

 

But that being said, I'm still not sure why they'd hype him to this degree. Unless they are really just excited about having a younger guy play the role. 

[caracas1914]

Then maybe it wasn't a stunt casting so much as he earned the part?

 

Actually JCM said in an interview he didn't even audition Darren for the role, nor did they ask him to. So I"m not sure what body of work "earned" the gig for him.  Mind you, it's their right to choose who they want so so I don't think it's that big a deal why they chose him.

 

And I'd be willing to bet that entire skill set is pretty rare,

 

Darren is OK, but certainly when it comes to his acting I would be hard pressed to call him a consistently good actor.   His "live" singing I actually would rate passable for his songwriter sets with intimate small audiences,  but certainly  the limitations of his BW voice are surpassed by many BW people of his generation. That alone would disqualify him IMO from being "rare".  There are many, many good actors on Broadway who can learn well enough choreography and who can also sing good enough.  So I just don't see how Darren being OK in all three  areas makes him some exotic bird outside of the ass licking PR the Hedwig people are doing.

 

You can just have to go to his first BW gig, "How to Succeed": from many accounts, despite having different weakness (like Darren) both Daniel Radcliffe and Nick Jonas did good "enough" in all 3 categories in their take on the role, so again, in that context I'm puzzled how that makes Darren "pretty rare".   You add Jonthan Groff, Aaron Vdeit,  and Jeremy Jordan , who I opine all three  sing rings around Darren and can act, and all from  *this* generation  and you have at least 6  actors who can sing/dance/act for BW roles.

 

Anyhow  it's pretty much a moot point;  within two days we will start having a body of work and reviews/previews/opinions from folks of the Darren's  Hedwig. Then we can see if any agree that the "best singer/dancer of his generation"  of the PR hyperbole is matched by the actual performance.

Edited April 28, 2015 by caracas1914

[fakeempress]

 

I find it bizarre that for their stunt casting, they didn't try to go bigger.

Pure speculation -- a bigger name commands a bigger paycheck. But who knows. There was some mention floating on tumblr they have approached Adam Lambert a couple of times, but he wasn't able (I guess due to Queen and his album). Don't now how accurate that report is but sounds plausible, and if so, this again means to me they are after a new segment  of audience that maybe they haven't been able to tap into with NPH, Michael and Andrew who are more age appropriate for the role but may not mean much to the young crowd. 

 

 

I'd be willing to bet that entire skill set is pretty rare

Not that rare, really, esp. on B'way. And in general, so many act, sing, have bands, and can learn choreo. I wouldn't have thought Michelle Williams and Emma Stone could be in a musical but they apparently were successes in Cabaret. The Les Mis movie actors --Anne H. got an Oscar for it. Meryl Streep isn't a name I associate with singing and musicals but she has an awesome voice and was great in Into the Woods, ditto Emily Blunt. Kelsey Grammer is mainly known as a sitcom actor but he's right now in a musical, and is a really powerful  dramatic actor (see Boss). Sean Hayes, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Christian Borle, John Gallagher Jr., Stark Sands, Andrew Rannells, Aaron Tveit, Michael C. Hall, Skylar Astin, Anna Camp, Anna Kendrick, Kristen Bell, Cheno, Idina, Taye Diggs, Sutton Foster, Dan Radcliffe, Nick Jonas, Lea, Matthew, Jane, Jon.....can't list all the actors who have done most or all -stage, TV, film, musicals...and were good at all. I'm not really into urban and hip-hop (more into soul) but I just mainlined Empire, and it reminded me how many artists in these genres can also act, not to speak of dancing.  I don't want to count how many actors have bands and play instruments -- the proverbial Kevin Bacon, Ryan Gosling, Hugh Laurie, Russell Crow, tons. So many examples when you really think of it, in the States alone. 

 

As for Darren's acting, mileage varies, I don't consider him a good actor in all genres. I also think he has definite strengths as a singer (mainly as a live act), but also limits especially for B'way. 

Edited April 28, 2015 by fakeempress

[caracas1914]

If I had a dime for every actor who also plays in a band, or sings on the side....

Edited April 28, 2015 by caracas1914

[dizzyizzy01]

Darren obviously has his fans, and he does have talent.  However, I think to call him some sort of "rare renaissance man" is way over the top.  For the most part, he's a decent singer, a passable actor, and an ok dancer.  I actually think he's pretty average relative to a lot of talent that's out there on Broadway.  The difference Darren had vs. a lot of similarly talented actors out there was a huge break from being cast on Glee at the right time, with the right character, and the right song.

Edited April 28, 2015 by dizzyizzy01

[fakeempress]

 

Actually JCM said in an interview he didn't even audition Darren for the role, nor did they ask him to. So I"m not sure what body of work "earned" the gig for him.  Mind you, it's their right to choose who they want so so I don't think it's that big a deal why they chose him.

I think in the same interview he said they went to see him in H2$ which is like an audition, and liked what they saw in him (a star), and from the phrasing it was also clear they very much liked the young audience and the grosses for his short run. From what he says in the latest clip, it's clear Darren campaigned like full court press for the role. None of it unusual really, for show business. I don't think this is the only B'way role he's campaigned for since H2$, I think he made a few mentions of the Emcee in Cabaret as a favourite role that made me think he was circling that at one time, and he made friends with Alan Cumming.

 

All the OTT hype aside, break a leg on opening night.  

Edited April 28, 2015 by fakeempress

[mercfan3]

Actually JCM said in an interview he didn't even audition Darren for the role, nor did they ask him to. So I"m not sure what body of work "earned" the gig for him.  Mind you, it's their right to choose who they want so so I don't think it's that big a deal why they chose him.

 

Darren is OK, but certainly when it comes to his acting I would be hard pressed to call him a consistently good actor.   His "live" singing I actually would rate passable for his songwriter sets with intimate small audiences,  but certainly  the limitations of his BW voice are surpassed by many BW people of his generation. That alone would disqualify him IMO from being "rare".  There are many, many good actors on Broadway who can learn well enough choreography and who can also sing good enough.  So I just don't see how Darren being OK in all three  areas makes him some exotic bird outside of the ass licking PR the Hedwig people are doing.

 

You can just have to go to his first BW gig, "How to Succeed": from many accounts, despite having different weakness (like Darren) both Daniel Radcliffe and Nick Jonas did good "enough" in all 3 categories in their take on the role, so again, in that context I'm puzzled how that makes Darren "pretty rare".   You add Jonthan Groff, Aaron Vdeit,  and Jeremy Jordan , who I opine all three  sing rings around Darren and can act, and all from  *this* generation  and you have at least 6  actors who can sing/dance/act for BW roles.

 

Anyhow  it's pretty much a moot point;  within two days we will start having a body of work and reviews/previews/opinions from folks of the Darren's  Hedwig. Then we can see if any agree that the "best singer/dancer of his generation"  of the PR hyperbole is matched by the actual performance.

 

But I'm not talking about in the context of Broadway, I'm talking about in the context of the entertainment industry. 

 

How many young actors or actresses are involved in writing music, performing music (vocally and with instruments), theatre, film, and tv? Serious question because I really don't know of that many. And I think that makes him rare in that regard. And despite what people here think, he does get a lot of praise from a lot of different outlets from all of these forms of entertainment. So I don't think calling "good" in all of those areas is hyperbole or OTT. 

 

Now, that's in a lot of ways irrelevant for his role as Hedwig. But I could see where someone getting to know Darren might be impressed with all that he is involved in. 

 

Oh, and Adam Lambert would be the dream casting for Hedwig. I don't know that there's a better entertainer/role match out there, anywhere. 

[kdm07]

How many young actors or actresses are involved in writing music, performing music (vocally and with instruments), theatre, film, and tv? Serious question because I really don't know of that many. And I think that makes him rare in that regard. And despite what people here think, he does get a lot of praise from a lot of different outlets from all of these forms of entertainment. So I don't think calling "good" in all of those areas is hyperbole or OTT. 

 

De-lurking because:

 

If I had a dime for every actor who also plays in a band, or sings on the side....

 

They do exist these young actors who excel at many things. They just usually do them as hobbies and focus more on acting than anything else.

 

Good luck to Darren though.

 

*goes back to lurking*

Edited April 28, 2015 by kdm07

[Higgs]

All I ever claimed is that Darren sings about as well as Jon Groff. Here he is with two more tasteless performers who chose Darren in order to trade on his worldwide fame in order to make a cheap buck.

w/Salonga http://youtu.be/0bEk1l8ryeM

w/Feinstein

PLEASE HELP - how do I just include the link on an iPad?

So I still stand by my original claim, but I resented having to go listen to him sing in order to prove it. As to Hedwig, I believe he has the uninhibited manic energy and boyish charm to pull it off. But then again, I expected (and hoped) MM would triumph in Neverland, but I was wrong.

Edited April 28, 2015 by Higgs

[truthaboutluv]

Oh, and Adam Lambert would be the dream casting for Hedwig. I don't know that there's a better entertainer/role match out there, anywhere.

 

 

Funny you should mention this, because I was browsing around Adam's fandom and read a post by someone who claimed to either know the person responsible for casting for Hedwig or knew someone who knew that person personally but either way, apparently they claim that Adam was initially offered the role but turned it down and that's when they offered it to Darren. Now, as with most hearsay things online, take with a grain of salt, but I thought I would share. Carry on...

[fakeempress]

 

How many young actors or actresses are involved in writing music, performing music (vocally and with instruments), theatre, film, and tv? Serious question because I really don't know of that many.

You don't seem to realise how many of the young actors only on Glee are multi-hypens. And as caracas said, young actors with bands on the side who sing and/or play an instrument, are dime a dozen. If you haven't had the occasion to be as interested in them as you are in Darren, you may not know about it. Maybe songwriting isn't so very common, but others paint, write screenplays, poetry, etc. which Darren doesn't. 

 

So, here's a starter list, ages 18-34, just from the Glee roster. I don't even want to start on the non-Glee deep bench on B'way, H'wood, the West End...

Lea: musicals, TV, film, recording artist, author

Jon Groff: musicals, stage theatre, film, TV, shows

Telly Leung: musicals, TV, film, recording artist, plays piano

Grant: musicals, film, TV

Skylar Astin: musicals, film, TV, plays piano

Adam Lambert: recording artist, touring artist, songwriting, TV, musicals

Demi:  recording artist, touring artist, songwriting, film, TV, plays piano and guitar, author

Phoebe Strole: musicals, stage theatre, film, TV

Nolan Gerard Funk: musicals, TV, film, plays some guitar

Lindsay Pearce: musicals, TV, film

Oliver K-J: stage theatre, TV, film, screenwriting

Billy Lewis Jr.: musicals, TV, songwriting, plays guitar, has an EP out

 

 

So I don't think calling "good" in all of those areas is hyperbole or OTT.

The hyperbole and OTT was about the Hedwig team saying there is no one that does what Darren does, i.e. sing, act, pick up choreo quickly -- when just a perfunctory look at B'way gives you many names in his age group, who have done all three, and at least as well as Darren but mostly better. If they are cast as leads or featured in a musical, they simply have to be able to do all three depending on the material, so a requirement of the trade being promoted as some uniqueness of Darren's is a head-scratcher. 

 

I think you already got here from a few of us a lot of names you may want to check out.

 

All I ever claimed is that Darren sings about as well as Jon Groff.

Based just off A Whole New World, you must be joking, or confusing Darren with Lea Salonga.

Edited April 28, 2015 by fakeempress

[caracas1914]

But I'm not talking about in the context of Broadway, I'm talking about in the context of the entertainment industry.

How many young actors or actresses are involved in writing music, performing music (vocally and with instruments), theatre, film, and tv? Serious question because I really don't know of that many. And I think that makes him rare in that regard. And despite what people here think, he does get a lot of praise from a lot of different outlets from all of these forms of entertainment. So I don't think calling "good" in all of those areas is hyperbole or OTT.

 

 

I think you're confusing GLEE , which made all it's actors sing, dance and act with versatility somehow unique  within the industry, There are  a lot of performers.out there when required for a role who can act, sing and dance.  Hell on Glee alone, you had Kevin McHale, Jonathan Groff, Chis Colfer, Matt Morrison, Jacob Artist, etc.

 

Many actors in Hollywood as a rite of passage/training/schooling took musical theatre in school.  Off the top of my head,  Matt Bomer, Jesee Tyler Ferguson, Dominic Cooper, Eddie Remayne, Zac Efron  James Mardsen all can sing well enough for a role and have  , and we just had Chris Pine surprise a lot of people with his singing in "Into the Woods".  Many actors play in bands or compose/write music on the side,  (Woody Allen has played in a jazz band for decades) and many write on the side books/screenplays (MIke O' Malley is a fairly prolific writer,  chris Colfer is becoming one, ).  Many direct plays and movies (Daniel Hyde Pierce, William H. Macy, Matt Dillon, Clint Eastwood, etc.  .

 

So sure, it's nice Darren can do a few things, but it hardly makes him this rare rare  bird in the industry, if anything there are many versatile and accomplished people who do things well in the industry and that's hardly surprising considered entertaining is their livelihood and passion.

Edited April 28, 2015 by caracas1914

[Hana Chan]

Even when looking at the greater entertainment industry, Darren's skill set isn't particularly unique. There are many actors who play musical instruments and have sidelines as musicians. Hugh Laurie is a pianist. Jeff Bridges plays guitar. John Stamos is a drummer (and played with the Beach Boys). Keifer Sutherland plays guitar, as does Keanu Reeves. It's not that unique a skill for actors.

 

Nor would he be the first actor to have a musical sideline. Bruce Willis, Jeff Bridges, Jared Leto, Johnny Depp, Lea Michele, Jennifer Love Hewitt... there's a pretty long list of actors who had some kind of musical career (of varying degrees of importance) alongside their acting careers. And as far as Darren's resume entry of writing songs and the musicals for Starkids (as well as his own songs), again others have also done this. Chris is an accomplished writer and has written screenplays. JCM wrote Hedwig. Steve Martin's writing credits are pretty lengthy (and he's also a musician). Jared Leto wrote many of the songs for his band.

 

I'm just not seeing anything that Darren does that is so special and unique that he should get this special designation as a performer or that makes him stand out from the rest of the pack.

 

It just goes to show that Hollywood is filled with multi-talented performers

[dizzyizzy01]

BTW, since when is Broadway not part of the entertainment industry?

[Hana Chan]

As to Hedwig, I believe he has the uninhibited manic energy and boyish charm to pull it off.

 

Except that Hedwig is not supposed to be "boyish". Bitter, world weary, beaten down and trying to rise again? Definitely. Boyish? Not even close.

 

What Darren needs besides "inhibited manic energy" and "charm" is vocal technique and strength (to not only survive a three month run but to do each show as strongly as possible) and serious acting chops (to show the deep nuances of the character through the course of the show). Thus far, Darren has not displayed the acting chops (to me at least) and he's never done a run like this to show that he's got the endurance. Doing a one time performance is no indication of how he's going to sound two months into his run.

 

I'm rather curious to see what the opinion of those who've seen Hedwig played by one of the other performers and then see it with Darren think.

[mercfan3]

Broadway is a part of the entertainment industry, but it's not the entirety of the entertainment industry. 

 

Darren Criss: Film Actor, Stage actor, broadway actor, television actor, pianist, guitarist, percussionist, plays the mandolin and harmonica as well, singer (touring and recording), songwriter, dancer

 

And despite people making a list of what people are involved in, it's still not as diverse as Darren's. And that's what I was talking about. I'm not saying other young starts aren't multi-talented. I'm saying Darren's list is extensive. 

 

  It's to the point where I don't know where he'll end up in his career..(I still think Disney songwriter might be the best place for him, but that's just my opinion.) I think you could argue it's not necessarily a good thing. That perhaps if he had focused in a few areas instead of going everywhere he'd be better.  But an entertainer that acts across all mediums, sings, dances, writes, and plays 5 instruments...I don't think that's as typical as some are making like. 

[Myrna123]

Broadway is a part of the entertainment industry, but it's not the entirety of the entertainment industry. 

 

Darren Criss: Film Actor, Stage actor, broadway actor, television actor, pianist, guitarist, percussionist, plays the mandolin and harmonica as well, singer (touring and recording), songwriter, dancer

 

And despite people making a list of what people are involved in, it's still not as diverse as Darren's. And that's what I was talking about. I'm not saying other young starts aren't multi-talented. I'm saying Darren's list is extensive. 

I bet if you'd led with the part about Darren playing harmonica no one would have refuted that he is a talent for the ages.

Bow down lesser performers.  Bow down!

 

 

It's to the point where I don't know where he'll end up in his career..(I still think Disney songwriter might be the best place for him, but that's just my opinion.) I think you could argue it's not necessarily a good thing. That perhaps if he had focused in a few areas instead of going everywhere he'd be better.  But an entertainer that acts across all mediums, sings, dances, writes, and plays 5 instruments...I don't think that's as typical as some are making like.

I don't think he's quite as stupendously astonishingly, heart-stoppingly, mind blowingly, jaw-droppingly amazing as some are making him either.

 

I don't think he's going to hurt for employment or anything, but I don't think he needs to clear off a mantle for all the shiny trophies he's going to collect either.

Edited April 28, 2015 by Myrna123

[Hana Chan]

Yeah... Darren is a "recording" artist. Releasing though... that's another story.

Edited April 28, 2015 by Hana Chan

[fakeempress]

 

 

Darren Criss: Film Actor, Stage actor, broadway actor, television actor, pianist, guitarist, percussionist, plays the mandolin and harmonica as well, singer (touring and recording), songwriter, dancer

And despite people making a list of what people are involved in, it's still not as diverse as Darren's. And that's what I was talking about. I'm not saying other young starts aren't multi-talented. I'm saying Darren's list is extensive.

LOL at least half the B'way don't need to include the school band, the community theatre, the college productions, and every single instrument they ever picked up in their bios any more. 

Edited April 28, 2015 by fakeempress

[caracas1914]

Darren Criss: Film Actor, Stage actor, broadway actor, television actor, pianist, guitarist, percussionist, plays the mandolin and harmonica as well, singer (touring and recording), songwriter, dance

 

 

Actually that doesn't make him that unique.   Most actors ACT across all mediums, film, stage, BW, TV...eventually.  It's really not that rare.   Being on BW alone with thousands of other name actors, you have to act, sing, and dance, again. not that rare.

 

I am going to be brutally honest here, many actor/musicians/singers play multiple instruments .  Sure it's nice and impressive, but again it is not that rare.  The question is how well do they do it , are they more than just  competent and are they successful in all those mediums. PRINCE plays many instruments and seeing him live he actually impresses many people with his guitar skills, including industry giants. 

 

Rosamund Pike of "Gone Girl" fame studied classical celllo for years, I'm sure she's fantastic in the instrument.  

 

However let's go with the Harmonica, shall we?

 

Hugh Laurie plays a mean harmonica and his blues album was the best selling BLUES album in the UK in 2011 with 192 K sold.   Another little tidbit,  Hugh  sings and plays piano, guitar, drums, harmonica and saxophone.  Add to that he's also a director  and an acclaimed actor and comedienne just as adept in drama as comedy and the list goes on and on.

 

George Clooney ain't so bad himself  wtth harmonica, (as is Steve Martin who also is a a very good banjo player and can play drums) and his acting seems pretty good, and he had a hit song from "Brother where are thou?" on bluegrass charts.   I hear that Justin Timberlake is a fairly versatile young buck himself, but I'm not sure he knows how to play harmonica.

 

Darren seems like a nice guy but I'm amazed how his stans try to elevate him as to being so incredibly unique in the entertainment business.

Edited April 28, 2015 by caracas1914

[fakeempress]

And let's talk how one of Darren's multi-hyphens is listed as "dancer"! He can do choreo! Professional dancers beware, he's coming for you!

 

Btw, is this from Wikipedia? Cause there was no sourcing.

Edited April 28, 2015 by fakeempress

[Myrna123]

Darren seems like a nice guy but I'm amazed how his stans try to elevate him as to being so incredibly unique in the entertainment business.

Well, to be fair, everybody's stans do that.  Lea is the most perfect dew drop ever to gently land upon the petal of a flower, Chris was practically kept locked in a dungeon and mercilessly and violently tortured every single day of his life until he heroically escaped through sheer will and determination and landed himself on a tv show.  It's just the way the fame-world goes.

Edited April 28, 2015 by Myrna123

[caracas1914]

Sorry for my rants  but this is  ridiculous.

 

Another example:

Oscar, Golden Globe, NY film critics and SAG award winning actor Jarred Leto is a million selling musician with his band 30 seconds to Mars, and yes, , he sings and he plays several instruments including  guitar, bass, piano/keyboards, the xylophone/glockenspiel and  the flute;  He's directed TV documentaries and multiple music videos which have won MTV awards  as well as touring successfully for years with his band.   ,

 

Forget to add all the rest of  musical instruments Hugh Laurie plays:

 

Besides several types of guitars, piano, harmonica, drums, saxophone, and accordion. He also plays electric mandolin, banjo, plus some organ, and mouth orchestra (producing the sounds of instruments with his mouth).
 

 

Well, to be fair, everybody's stans do that.  Lea is the most perfect dew drop ever to gently land upon the petal of a flower, Chris was practically kept locked in a dungeon

 

OH I have no problem with Stans loving what Darren does, just like  I love Lea's singing and Chris's acting and Harry's glorious abs..   I have issues with the habit of comparing him to everyrone else in the industry and vaunting his "versatility" as unique and rare in the entertainment business, as if artists with even more successful versatility didn't exist before DC. 

 

Now Harry's abs ARE unique and rare, let's get serious.

Edited April 28, 2015 by caracas1914

[dizzyizzy01]

Well, to be fair, everybody's stans do that.  Lea is the most perfect dew drop ever to gently land upon the petal of a flower, Chris was practically kept locked in a dungeon and mercilessly and violently tortured every single day of his life until he heroically escaped through sheer will and determination and landed himself on a tv show.  It's just the way the fame-world goes.

People always bring up these arguments as a straw-man but nobody in this conversation is saying any of this stuff.  

[indeed]

Hugh Laurie plays a mean harmonica ... Add to that he's also a director and an acclaimed actor and comedienne just as adept in drama as comedy and the list goes on and on.

Wow, that is impressive! ;)

Poor Darren. He's the Rodney Dangerfield of Glee.

[fakeempress]

 

Well, to be fair, everybody's stans do that.  Lea is the most perfect dew drop ever to gently land upon the petal of a flower, Chris was practically kept locked in a dungeon and mercilessly and violently tortured every single day of his life until he heroically escaped through sheer will and determination and landed himself on a tv show.  It's just the way the fame-world goes.

There goes fandom-created mythology. 

[Myrna123]

People always bring up these arguments as a straw-man but nobody in this conversation is saying any of this stuff.  

Not word for word, but there's general rending of garments and gnashing of teeth whenever someone has to audacity to suggest Lea Michele is not the best and brightest and best.  And also the best.  And a comment was made suggesting Darren's fans somehow stan him more mightily than any of the rest of us stan who we stan, and I was refuting that point.

[caracas1914]

Not word for word, but there's general rending of garments and gnashing of teeth whenever someone has to audacity to suggest Lea Michele is not the best and brightest and best.

 

Actually no. 

 

Which is why there is no "word for word" supplied. 

[Hana Chan]

There is a certain conceit to calling oneself a dancer when it's pretty obvious from Darren's bio that he hasn't had much in the way of serious dance training. I've taken lessons on an off over the years (ballet, jazz and raqs sharqi) but even with a halfway decent amount of training I'd be very hesitant to call myself a dancer. I dance and I enjoy it and I'm not halfway bad at the style that I'm still taking lessons in (the ballet is long in the past), but it's not a label that I feel applies to myself. I consider those like Matt and Harry who spent years in serious training to have the right to call themselves that - people who have the talent, training and devotion to dance.

 

It just feels like Darren is being built up (by himself or his PR team) as being more than he actually is. The original draft of his bio which listed Glee's awards so prominently felt like Darren was trying to claim the prestige of those awards for himself when in reality Glee's most critically acclaimed days were before he became a regular. And to his detractors (which I feely admit to being on), it just looks pretentious and arrogant.

[fakeempress]

Can you guys link to what you refer to, cause I'm lost which is talent PR, show PR, or fan-edited (aka Wiki). tnx

Edited April 28, 2015 by fakeempress