Posted: 4/21/15 at 4:05pm
I can't be the only one thinking this will close soon. You folks are all Hedwigged out and the repeat business stops now, just guessin.
Posted: 4/21/15 at 8:17pm
I can see the show running as long as they keep getting unexpected stars. This is a celebrity vehicle show, not a limited engagement for the fan club.
NPH was a left field choice who turned out to bring it. I can see Jack Black, who has been trying to distance himself somewhat from being "only broad comedy guy," being an interesting Hedwig, though he doesn't have the slender figure we associate with Hedwig.
Posted: 4/21/15 at 8:51pm
I know this is kind of obscure and also way out of left field, but what about Joseph Gordon-Levitt? There are a few videos out on YouTube of him singing Midnight Radio and I think he could pull it off if he were to get the part. Thoughts?
Posted: 4/21/15 at 9:18pm
Whoever plays Hedwig is front and center. So either by star magnetism or acting ability and rocking voice , or a combination of all three, the lead actor has to pull it off and become the character. Angry, defiant and heart breaking Hedwig.
I have no idea if Criss can do it, but at this point with just a week to go, speculation is moot since we will have the actual performance to gauge.
With Hedwig there is nowhere to "hide" on stage, your acting and singing and dancing is under the microscope from the moment the musical starts.
Updated On: 4/22/15 at 09:18 PM
Posted: 4/28/15 at 4:31pm
Who is seeing his opening and is there a press preview tonight?
Posted: 4/28/15 at 4:34pm
Tonight I believe is an invited dress, similar to what John Cameron Mitchell had before his first official performance.
Posted: 4/28/15 at 5:09pm
If anyone would like some entertainment, search "Darren + Hedwig" on Twitter. Too many gems. My personal favorites are:
"I think Darren's fans have more class than people give us credit for. Like the ones in attendance are going to sing along to Hedwig."
"Wait do people seriously think Darren Criss' age is an issue for Hedwig Literally nobody plays the age they're supposed to IT'S ACTING"
"Darren so do the revival of cats after Hedwig"
Posted: 4/28/15 at 10:09pm
Was anyone there tonight? Initial Twitter buzz is positive, but that doesn't really mean much...
Posted: 4/28/15 at 10:28pm
"the repeat business stops now"
Perhaps, but the newest, younger business starts tomorrow.
#NextGenHedwig
Long may you kids love her.
Posted: 4/28/15 at 10:42pm
First time posting, hi all! I was there tonight, and it was....I mean hey, it was a dress rehearsal. What all do you really expect? Flawless performances? No mistakes? There were mistakes, there were issues, but there is also some interesting potential.
I'm such a JCM fan, and whether Darren was good or not didn't even cross my mind until midway through Wig in a Box, because I was so bizarrely devastated that he wasn't JCM. It felt like I was watching a tribute concert to Lena and JCM with Rebecca (though I think she's great) and Darren as Yitzhak/Hedwig. I really wanted to love him, but I also really wanted to hate him because he isn't JCM. That isn't fair to Darren as a performer, but it is what it is.
I think he could make something of the role, but he's not there yet. He did have flashes of real, true excellence - his Tommy Speck is really great. He gives a lot to the Tommy lines in the scene right before The Long Grift in a way that is different than NPH, Andrew, Michael, or even JCM. It's odd to see the show now with no crate, he's back in the car again, etc.
I'm sure I'll suss out better thoughts once I get my head around it, and once I see it NOT as a dress rehearsal. I was just there on Sunday and man, I already really, really miss JCM. I feel for anyone who has to fill his tremendous, talented, heartrending shoes.
Posted: 4/29/15 at 10:33am
My friend and I stage doored JCM on Saturday... The crowd was SO PUMPED ... until the new Yitzhak came out. It definitely feels like nobody is feeling her or her performance. Even the dressed-up Hedheads were like, "Can this basic please move on so we can get to JCM?"
Posted: 4/29/15 at 10:39am
Jesus Christ himself would have been a disappointment to the crowd on JCM's last night. I think opinion on Rebecca is split. My opinion is that her voice is killer, I like how she's playing Yitzhak angrier, and she's still too tentative. She's still brand new, though, and has improved in the couple of weeks she's had. She was great Sunday night. JCM was playing with her more, like he did with Lena, and she handled it well.
I'm a Darren skeptic, but I admire his willingness to take on this role after JCM. That's gotta be terrifying. I wish him and the rest of the cast and crew the best, and I hope he helps make money for the creators, who deserve only good things.
Posted: 4/29/15 at 12:09pm
"My friend and I stage doored JCM on Saturday... The crowd was SO PUMPED ... until the new Yitzhak came out. It definitely feels like nobody is feeling her or her performance. Even the dressed-up Hedheads were like, "Can this basic please move on so we can get to JCM?""
i didn't get that feeling. i was down on the opposite side of the theater doors (where the line of people seemingly went halfway down the block). there were big cheers for her and for matt the bassist when he came out earlier, but let's face it, no one's going to compete with JCM for getting that crowd excited. i don't think that's a reflection on how people feel about her performance at all, just the fact that it was JCM's last night and everyone was so excited to say goodbye to him after the show.
i was standing right at the very end of the barriers on that side, where the barrier ends (but the line kept going, security had to keep coming over to tell people to stand back and leave room) and when rebecca got down past the end of the barrier, someone in back of the crowd yelled out for her to come back there, and she walked right back into the crowd and signed and took pictures and talked with the people back there for a good while, before returning and walking the rest of the way down the line. very nice and cool of her.
darren also got a good round of applause during curtain call when john pointed him out.
Updated On: 4/29/15 at 12:09 PM
Posted: 4/29/15 at 5:22pm
I may be way off base here, but I've skimmed a few interviews with Darren Kriss and he constantly refers to Hedwig as a b!tch. I've never thought of her that way. I've always found her endearing... Not without her flaws, of course. She's certainly not very kind to Yitzak. I feel like he just doesn't get the character. Maybe it's me. I didn't read the interviews too closely, but I can't imagine I'll go see him.
Posted: 4/29/15 at 6:34pm
Id like to see Darren before I judge him. In interviews though he does seem a little naïve about the subtext and Hedwig. Darren does refer to her as a bitch quite often and he tends to act like he playing a drag queen. He also seems to gay it up and act campy and say girl a lot, and I don't really view Hedwig as a gay story either. I think he will deepen his understanding over time. I trust his skills to get there with plenty of notes.
Also, I found Rebecca great. I think she had a real hurdle in having to join the show with JCM midway through his run. What a tough feat. I give her mad props. I think she will settle into her interpretation with a new less threatening actor to cut her teeth with.
Posted: 4/29/15 at 7:43pm
I don't understand why Darren or anyone taking the role for that matter, wouldn't know what the story was about and what kind of person Hedwig is. I wonder, do they just hand a script to the actor, or do they explain it all first to make sure they've got someone who feels the character.
Posted: 4/29/15 at 7:48pm
well, no one said Criss was a smart actor.
Posted: 4/29/15 at 8:05pm
His interviews make it seem like he's living out his glam rock drag fantasy and doesn't get the character at all, what with the " sassy bitch" and " mama look nice" nonsense. Maybe he's just not particularly articulate.
Posted: 4/29/15 at 9:53pm
I hope he plays the part differently then the impression one gets he will from watching his interviews. Who knows, maybe he will be good, but i can't imagine anything else but just good.
Updated On: 4/29/15 at 09:53 PM
Posted: 4/29/15 at 10:12pm
A lot of the interviews I've seen have been of the two-minute "give us some soundbite" junket variety, not any real in-depth interviews. I'm sure given more than two minutes, he could give us a little more into his process, but if he's in selling tickets mode, he's going to play up the more "this is gonna rock, come join us" kinda statements.
Posted: 4/29/15 at 10:33pm
"It definitely feels like nobody is feeling her or her performance. Even the dressed-up Hedheads were like, "Can this basic please move on so we can get to JCM?"
Updated On: 4/29/15 at 10:33 PM
Posted: 4/30/15 at 12:08am
Well, today I learned that Darren Criss has a nice pair of legs.
Posted: 4/30/15 at 12:14am
I was there tonight, and enjoyed more than I thought I would. Having seen JCM's last show on Sunday night, the standards for tonight were set pretty low. Darren's voice was fine, he did a lot of different things with the music none of the other Hedwig's did. His acting was my problem: I didn't feel like he had the comic acting down. The last 10 minutes (Hedwig's Lament to end) were his shining moments, but some of the jokes didn't land as well as they did with other Hedwigs. He would stretch out the delivery and lose the laughs, if that makes any sense? His mic work was rough during Tear Me Down, but it improved throughout. With John Cameron Mitchell I saw HEDWIG, tonight I saw Darren Criss in drag sing songs and try to use an accent (it needs work).
