Darren Criss in Hedwig- Page 14

[broadwaygeek3]

Posted: 7/1/15 at 9:37pm

Clumsydude15 I didn't mean to imply he wasn't genuine with his interaction with his fans. He truly was.He engages them and answers questions and makes small talk.  He is really very sweet.I put act in quotes because when the person near us starts telling him a story about the last time they met and asks his he remembered he smiles and says oh sure. Really doubt he remembers with as many people he has interacted with.Yet, He makes them feel special.Watching him interact with them has made me a fan of his and I will support his work in the future because of that.I also thought he was very talented.The man moved around a lot...it appears he moves and dances around a lot more than previous Hedwigs and he sounded great doing it.Which is really incredible.I highly recommend seeing this. Rebecca was also wonderful!

[findingthespotlight]

Posted: 7/17/15 at 1:41pm

Say what you want about the guy and his performance but you've got to admit this is pretty impressive from his fans.

http://www.gofundme.com/belascobuyout

[SDV]

Posted: 7/17/15 at 2:27pm

Very nice gesture.

His performance was still an embarrassment IMO. This guy can't get out of this show fast enough for me.

I'm praying Taye does well like its my job.

[ChiTheaterFan]

Posted: 7/19/15 at 7:55pm

I walked by the Belasco on my way home from Hamilton Saturday. (So way after the show got out.). I have never seen so many people at a stage door. It was insanity. Even when Daniel Radcliffe was in How to Succeed there were not that many people--and I thought that was a zoo. 

 

I did not think Darren's audience would overlap that much with the Hedwig audience but I was 100% wrong. There were so many young 20-something women when I saw the matinee on Saturday. The crowd was wild and full of energy--a great audience. As for Darren, he surpassed my expectations. I'm thrilled I made the decision to see this with him (especially after my dad was the lucky recipient of the car wash!) I expected him to be a good singer but too young and not enough angst. So wrong. I thought he was really incredible in this role and his age didn't bother me. As a side note, I felt bad for the numerous people after the matinee hanging out by the stage door. There were no barricades and no security so given the bedlam that evening I assume he did not come out. I don't think they'd be able to do it without a barricade. 

 

I'll be seeing it again with Taye Diggs. I am so stupid excited for that it's ridiculous. 

[VotePeron]

Posted: 7/19/15 at 8:21pm

There are no words to describe how excited I am that #DarrenIsNoLongerHedwig

 

Bring on Taye! I know they've done even more rewriting for him, and the show has already evolved so much! Making my 8th trip to the Belasco to see my 6th Hedwig this Saturday!!

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 7/19/15 at 8:26pm

I am so excited to see Taye Diggs take on the part!

[Phillypinto]

Posted: 7/20/15 at 12:30am

im assuming Alan is going to be the next hedwig 

[ethan231h]

Posted: 7/20/15 at 12:41am

I thought Darren was amazing as Hedwig, Seeing Taye in 2 weeks and I am hoping that Alan is next if he is I will be back!

[HedwigInch]

Posted: 7/20/15 at 9:19am

Saturday evening and his closing were both sold out so that explains the amount of people at stage door to an extend, I guess.

This was the stage door crowd yesterday.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 7/20/15 at 9:25am

Wowza! And I thought it was crazy the 2x's I went! I thought Criss was great in the role, he put his own personal spin on the character but I think every actor who takes on the role wants to bring something new to the table and put their own personal stamp on it. It keeps it fresh and interesting for those who go repeatedly to catch each new Hedwig.

I really hope that whatever Criss does next on B'way that it's an original show and not a revival. He's amazingly talented and he still has great things ahead of him.

Updated On: 7/20/15 at 09:25 AM

[SDV]

Posted: 7/20/15 at 9:50am

Where the hell were all those people when the theater was half empty for 3 months??

[HedwigInch]

Posted: 7/20/15 at 9:53am

"Where the hell were all those people when the theater was half empty for 3 months??"

 What an exaggeration. 

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 7/20/15 at 12:02pm

"Where the hell were all those people when the theater was half empty for 3 months??"

This is a load of b.s. of the highest order. The two times I saw Darren in the role the show was very much full, it was definitely NOT half empty.

You didn't like him as Hedwig? Cool, that is your OPINION but please don't attribute your dislike for Criss in the role to take it upon yourself to post highly exaggerated inaccuracies on the board.

 

 

Updated On: 7/20/15 at 12:02 PM

[ACL2006]

Posted: 7/20/15 at 12:08pm

"Where the hell were all those people when the theater was half empty for 3 months??"

 

not quite half full, but Criss didn't exactly pack 'em in. His grosses ranged from $400K-$450K most weeks with his capacity ranging from 61%-81%. I don't think he had any sell-outs until this past weekend.

 

[HedwigInch]

Posted: 7/20/15 at 12:18pm

61% was his lowest which was a terrible week for Broadway in general.

On average (not counting his final week since we don't have numbers) his capacity was 73%.

Could have been better but it's definitely not close to only half way full.

[Glittergrrl]

Posted: 7/20/15 at 8:15pm

Why are people saying Alan will be next? Was this announced or hinted at somewhere? By Alan, you mean Alan Cumming, right? I think Alan Cumming could get me back to the Belasco.

[mariel9]

Posted: 7/20/15 at 8:23pm

As far as I know, the Alan Cumming rumors are based on him attending the show twice in the past month, including Criss's last performance.

[Phillypinto]

Posted: 7/20/15 at 8:25pm

Because he's seen the show like a million times

[VotePeron]

Posted: 7/20/15 at 8:26pm

This tweet only helped confirm the Alan rumors that started a while ago. Seems to be getting much more solidified these days...

 

https://twitter.com/stephentrask/status/617038486319833088

[SingMeToSleep]

Posted: 7/20/15 at 8:28pm

"61% was his lowest which was a terrible week for Broadway in general.
On average (not counting his final week since we don't have numbers) his capacity was 73%.
Could have been better but it's definitely not close to only half way full."

To be accurate, the averages for Darren's 12-week run were:

Attendance percentage: 74.64%

Gross % of potential: 66.08%

[Glittergrrl]

Posted: 7/20/15 at 8:30pm

Thanks for the hed's up!

In case you missed it, there's an old video on youtube of AC singing a Hedwig medley at Joe's Pub.

If he's the next Hedwigm I'm in!

[A1st]

Posted: 7/20/15 at 8:39pm

^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SAdNuhZT3M

[ChiTheaterFan]

Posted: 7/20/15 at 8:53pm

He's great in that medley. I've only seen him in cabaret, but I have a hard time imagining him doing the harder rock numbers?  Does he have that side to his voice?  I mean, ultimately I don't care. As an actor he's f-ing brilliant and I will book yet another trip to the Belasco if he signs on. I'm just curious if his Hedwig might be different vocally?

 

 

I booked a front row seat to Cabaret just for him and I would be ecstatic to see this regardless of the style he might bring. 

Updated On: 7/20/15 at 08:53 PM

[Phan2]

Posted: 7/21/15 at 3:09am

Can’t afford to go to NYC to see this wonderful musical (college student on the west coast), but I really loved the film version.   I didn’t know too much about Darren until he was cast in Hedwig. Since he went on just before Taye (and I’m a fan of Taye), I started following how Darren was doing during his term in Hedwig.     I watched what bootlegs I could find, and saw JCM off-Broadway and in the Broadway role, and NPH, Andrew and Darren in the Broadway musical. Thought they all were wonderful in their own way.  John is the master of course. But every one of the actors in the Broadway version was great, including Darren. Based on the bootleg video and the audios of Darren, his performance is hardly “embarrassing,” IMO.   He sounded great, and I thought his acting was very good, especially the last 20 minutes or so of the show (which is the part of the show that I especially love).  And I understand that the bootleg video was taken only about one week after he started.  If I were to actually see him on stage, versus just relying on a video taken early in his term, or relying on an audio, I’m sure he would be even more wonderful.

 I’ve seen a few of the reviews listed by HedwigOnBway, and they talk about Darren’s performance in such a positive way (some of them are extremely positive).   Even the twitter mentions by some Hedwig fans and by people who love theater are mostly positive.  Again, hardly “embarrassing,” IMO.   There are always going to be negative comments by some, here or at other sites. So my advice to fans of Darren, don’t let it upset you. You can’t please everyone.   The majority of what I’ve seen is positive in regard to Darren’s performances.

 And as a Taye fan, I am incredibly excited about Taye’s term, and am so looking forward to it. But I would never say to fans of the preceding Hedwig actor that he can’t get out of this show fast enough. I also would not phrase my words, by saying that I am so excited Darren is no longer Hedwig.  However, I would say (and am saying) that I am so excited that Taye is now having his opportunity to play this iconic character in this very important show!

 As for the attendance figures or the amount of potential gross Darren brought in, it seems that since the early part of the year, the show is trending toward lower numbers. Except for his final week, since every Hedwig actor’s final week has sold well, the last few weeks of John’s run reflect this slowing trend. (Michael’s numbers were higher as a whole than during John's run, especially during/after March 2015 in John's term.) I believe there were 13 new shows on Broadway in 2015. Seven of the 13 new shows made their first appearance on Broadway in March, which is also the same month during John’s run that there was a significant drop in gross percentage potential and attendance. Two of the new shows began on Broadway in February, one in May (“An Act of God"), one in June (“Amazing Grace") and two in July (“Hamilton" and “Penn &Teller on Broadway"). Darren and Taye (and also John for part of his run), as replacements (putting quotation marks around "replacements" in John's case) in a show that is on its second year, face the challenge of competing with new shows that are younger. It’s reasonable to expect that it is going to be harder to get the higher numbers as this show goes on.

 I wish Darren the best. He seems to have done well during his run. I’m looking forward to hearing about Taye’s run since he’s now up as the next Hedwig! As a fan of both Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and of Taye, I couldn’t be more excited!

Updated On: 7/21/15 at 03:09 AM

[WWBB London]

Posted: 7/21/15 at 7:15am

I think he looks kinda hot haha

 

By the way guys I have a bunch of theatre tickets that I need to sell (up to 60% off) if any of you fine people are interested ;D. Hurry because I only have a limited amount of tickets left!

 

If you're interested please contact me at 

[e-mail]

 

Tar!