Nick Jonas & Michael Urie in HOW TO SUCCEED... Thoughts? — Page 7

Pitfever, I can list A LOT of Broadway performers who are versatile. And IMO, who do it better then Criss. Don't get me wrong, I think the kid is a good singer, just not the second coming of Christ like the GLEEKS make him out to be.

---

I ended up seeing Darren and Beau in How to Succeed twice last week (once was planned, the other I ended up getting a friend's free ticket last minute). I saw their opening night show and then the matinee on Sunday.

I will say, I was slightly disappointed after the opening night show. I'm a Starkid fan (not as avid as most of their fans, but I still enjoy their shows) so I was looking forward to seeing Darren in a more professional show and thought he would do great. It definitely was not what I pictured. His dancing was terrific, his acting okay, and his singing okay but nothing spectacular.

Then, I went again on 1/8 mainly cause it was a free ticket and I was very surprised that I actually thought Darren improved A LOT within that week. His voice sounded a lot stronger and his acting was more easy to follow for the character (he still has the innocent take on Finch but you took it more as Finch being an extremely good actor when scheming his way up in the company). It just worked a lot better.

Something I've always found about Darren is that he is not the most consistent performer, at least vocally. So, I can understand why people that were not previously fans walking in would not fully enjoy his performance. It can also be a hit or miss when going into the theatre to see his performance. I enjoy his voice but it definitely has flaws, which is what I think a lot of people enjoy about him surprisingly. I think he could do well in other roles, but he needs to be very careful about which ones he does take on. I think Finch managed to work overall for him but there are not many traditional roles I could picture him in. I think his highlights were "Rosemary" and "Grand Old Ivy." "Brotherhood of Man" was great dancing wise but was vocally shaky. He does put all of his effort and energy into his performance though.

Beau was just a disaster both times. His acting was rushed to me and his singing voice was just horrendous.

Be warned though, the audience can be insane and rude if you're going. I was fine with the cheering but people were leaving in the middle of the 2nd Act to go outside and wait at the stage door. THAT, I was NOT okay with.

Anyway, overall I'm glad I went twice. The 2nd time was way more enjoyable and the audience was more tolerable. Darren definitely has talent, he's definitely someone that people either love or hate though. I'm glad I got to see Dan and Darren, cause I will not be going back to see Nick as Finch.

I still can't get over how forgiving you all are. Noticing improvement? What is this... A broadway show or a scene study class?

---

Updated On: 1/11/12 at 02:25 PM

DAME, it's not about how forgiving some people are. Yes, it's Broadway, so what? So because it's Broadway, one can't improve after getting more performances? Not everyone can perform the best right from the start, not even Broadway veterans. That's why they have weeks of "previews" before the official opening. Darren Criss did not have that opportunity. With only 2 weeks of preparation and 1 dress rehersal, that's darn impressive to say the least!

Fingerlakessinger, and how many of those Broadway vets have a sucessful music career outside of Broadway?

Updated On: 1/11/12 at 04:23 PM

Fingerlakessinger, and how many of those Broadway vets have a sucessful music career outside of Broadway?

Yes, yes, they're all jealous of Darren Criss because he has had success as part of a show that puts out CDs of bland, Autotuned crap.

---

WELL Darren Criss must have done a complete turn around in a week because what I saw today was pure musical theatre excellence
I am admittedly a Glee/ Darren fan but a broadway one first. How to Succeed is one of my favorite shows all around. I did the show in High School, playing Bud Frump, and saw this current revival in previews with Daniel Radcliffe. I personally love this revival. It's everything a broadway musical comedy should be, bright, colorful, polished, and fun.
Darren Criss delivers a performance that is very different than his predecessor Daniel Radcliffe. Mr. Criss' Finch reminded me of Jimmy Stewart in a sense. He played finch as a bright eyed, eager, old fashioned gentleman way, which I enjoyed and appreciated. I would say that Mr. Criss is more of a song and dance man than Daniel Radlcliffe, however that is to be expected given his background with GLEE, and his other previous experiences. His dancing was superb, he is very quick on his feet and moves well.
My one and only small criticism, would be his voice is a little weak, but by absolutely no means whatsoever as horrendous as people on this thread make it seem to be. To be honest, going into the show, I was a little curious to see how Darren Criss would handle this role vocally. It is a very classic American broadway Musical Theatre score, and Darren Criss is a pop singer; no questions about it. That's his style and that's what he feels comfortable doing. However, given the fact that he only had two weeks of actual rehearsal to prepare for the role, and that he ADMITTEDLY has had no formal vocal training, he did a great job. He does have a very good voice. I think if he was in this show for a longer run, and he did not have another project like Glee going on, which is incredibly demanding, he would have been more secure vocally and it would have just given his voice that little push to make it THAT much stronger. He could have really devoted the time to work on it, but given the circumstances, he was fine.
In all sincerity, when he finishes with Glee, he could have a career on broadway if he wanted too. He has everything going for him. If he found a good project that was built around him, or one at least he was involved in from the very beginning, he could definitely do it. The theatre was packed so he obviously will sell a show and bring people in. Not only that but he can deliver. I think this was a great project for Darren to get his feet wet and get a taste of Broadway. Broadway also got a feel for him. I encourage everyone, Glee fan, or not, to catch Darren in his run of the show before he leaves.

Updated On: 1/11/12 at 08:22 PM

Yes! This excuse has been driving me nuts. According to Playbill: "The rehearsal process for most new Broadway musicals ranges from four to five weeks (with about three to four weeks of previews). However, when an actor is put into a long-running show, he or she has, on average, only one to three weeks of rehearsals before the first performance in front of an audience — not to mention the final put-in (an actual run-through with the entire cast), which usually happens only once before show time."
Understanding Broadway: The Replacement

He's had plenty of time to work on his voice. The two week rehearsal period is not for him learning to sing the songs. It is for the blocking and choreography. He's had the songs and been working on them for months, presumably. He just isn't a Broadway singer.

WELL Darren Criss must have done a complete 360 in a week because what I saw today was pure musical theatre excellence

Not to be a bitch, but you do realize that doing a 360 would bring him back to where he began, right?

---

I'm glad to hear he's improving. Now that I managed to hear more complete and coherent clips of him in the role recently, he HAS improved since he started.

His highs are still the same: charm, charisma, a winning presence, some good dance moves and a pleasant voice. However, his shortcomings, though a little diminished, have not essentially changed: his stylized and somewhat light pop voice doesn't entirely mesh with the brassy Frank Loesser score.

So I ended up seeing the show today and actually enjoyed him in it. He sounded a lot stronger than those clips I'd heard on line and was very charming in the role. I really didn't have any problems with him at all, it was obviously the audience I hated

Read more: https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?page=7&thread=1040567&boardid=1#ixzz1jI3RAdUc

So you are saying you attacked this kid all this time and you hadn't even seen the show. When did the Broadway boards become Tumblr?

Not to be a bitch, but you do realize that doing a 360 would bring him back to where he began, right?

---