Brian d'Arcy James

File this one under Too Much Time On My Hands:

I have noticed that when listed alphabetically either at the front of a theater or on a cast CD, the fantastic Brian d'Arcy James is sometimes listed with the "D's" for d'Arcy and other times under the "J's" for James. His name is not hyphenated, so the former English major in me wants to believe he should be filed under "J" and be referred to as "Mr. James", not "Mr. d'Arcy James".

Similarly, and I have seen this discussed somewhere briefly before, I have seen David Hyde Pierce referred to on websites and in newspapers as both "Mr. Pierce" and "Mr. Hyde Pierce". I assume "Hyde" is his middle name, not his last, so the former seems much more appropriate. We don't refer to Neil Patrick Harris as "Mr. Patrick Harris" or Tommy Lee Jones as as "Mr. Lee Jones", so why the craziness with James and Pierce?

What do y'all think?

Joey (feeling like an old schoolmarm today)

I've never heard anyone call Dick Van Dyke, Mr. Dyke,
and he has no hyphen either.

I think the key confusion comes with whether the "second" name is a common name. I, personally, have never met anyone named "d'Arcy", but I have met many a fellow named "Patrick".

It should be James. I suffer no end of twitchiness that Simon Russell Beale is forever alphabetised with the Rs when every alphabetising bone in my body - of which I have many - knows he should be with the Bs.

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You were right in your first post. You DO have too much time on your hands. But then I took the time to read all this and to post as well. So what does that say about me?

I agree, it should be Pierce and James -- period.

By the way, Dick Van Dyke's middle name is Wayne. Van Dyke is definitely a single last name.