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

[jacobsnchz14]

"Fresh-faced "Glee" actor Darren Criss trades in his red Warbler jacket for the bowtie and two-piece suit of J. Pierrepont Finch in the Broadway revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. He is joined by Emmy, Golden Globe and Grammy Award winner Beau Bridges, who also begins performances Jan. 3 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre."

For those who were there tonight, how did Darren and Beau do in their roles?


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"Pop star Nick Jonas punches the clock as J. Pierrepont Finch in the Broadway revival of How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying starting Jan. 24 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. "Ugly Betty" star Michael Urie also joins the cast as office brown-noser Bud Frump."

The thread can continue to discuss Darren/Beau, but I am going to rename it for Nick and Michael...

[pitfever]

I have not seen. But I heard that Criss is very good. Better dancer and singer than Dan. He's also more theatrical. Just a bit nervous at the beginning.

I think that's very impressive considering he had only 2 weeks of rehearsal.

[Eris0303]

The only comments I've seen on twitter so far have been very negative on both Criss and Bridges.

[PlayItAgain]

^ i have seen the opposite

[snl89]

The only comments I've seen on twitter so far have been very negative on both Criss and Bridges.

Granted most of the sources I've been able to find are admittedly biased, but I really haven't been able to find any negative reviews at all so far. Everything I've seen has been very positive :)

[kidbroadway2]

Radcliffe the first preview got "rave" reviews from twitter if I remember. People were already predicting Tony awards, so I'd wait a couple days for the non fan boys to see the show.

[pitfever]

I wonder if the media will be reviewing this since Criss will be only there for 3 weeks? They might wait until Jonas?

[dramamama611]

I would guess that IF they were going to re-review at all, they would wait for Jonas -- he's going to be around for awhile. The run with Criss has probably sold well enough that the producers don't feel the need to give away more seats.

[CenterOrchestra]

Caught the first show. Darren Criss is incredibly talented as an actor, a dance man - but when he sang - there was a thinness to his voice that made you want to turn up the volume. This was contrasted by real Broadway performers around him that made his voice sound very weak. Especially obvious was his version of "I Believe in You" which was barely audible followed by Rosemary's reprise which was Broadway performer loud strong and beautiful.
But in spite of that he was extremely charismatic and shockingly good as a dancer - think Fred Astaire. I just wish his voice was stronger.
Was his voice strained from too many rehearsals and he was holding back? Maybe. But it was strange.

[pitfever]

Maybe he was nervous? But I know that Criss doesn't have the typical Broadway powerful voice.

[Bettyboy72]

How could someone who sings weekly on GLEE have a thin voice??? Well I never! Impossible I tell you! He sounds so loud on GLEEEEEEE!!!!!

[keb2]

I don't believe they're offering members of the press comp tickets to see Darren.

[CurtainPullDowner]

The kid may have some talent, but putting his name in the same sentence as Fred Astaireis is blasphemous!

[snl89]

Yeah, even Darren himself has said (even in an interview from a couple years ago before he was ever involved with Glee) that he's always wanted to do Broadway but didn't think he could because he doesn't have that powerful, glossy "Broadway voice", so I can understand how his voice may come across as weak, especially in comparison to well trained Broadway singers.

I personally just love his tone and the character in his voice, though, so just based on a couple lower quality audios that were released from last night's show at least, I thought he sounded lovely :) Softer, yes, but lovely. And I'm sure also some of it did have to do with some opening night jitters, too, so as he gets more comfortable I bet he'll start projecting a bit better too


Anyway I'm so happy to hear positive reviews especially on the acting and dancing, and can't wait to be back in NY so I can see him! I'm actually quite impressed with all the great comments on his dancing, just because, assuming they kept the choreography the same, that seems like some very tricky choreography and he didn't have much time to practice it! I knew he could dance and everything, but it sounds like he's probably even better than I'd thought!

[darquegk]

The article on his rehearsal process seemed to suggest that Criss is a "dancer who sings," though his singing voice is pleasant and good for what it is- a super chill indie-pop voice, not the brassy Broadway trumpet of a Broadway tenor.

Does it work in the role? Well, that's for everyone with a ticket or a bootleg to decide.

[somethingwicked]

I'm more interested to hear what people thought of Beau Bridges, since some of the chatter I saw indicated he was borderline disastrous.

[ILuv2shop531]

keb2, the press are not reviewing Darren since it is a 3 week run. They are reviewing Nick.

[maila]

billboard.com reviewed darren's performance:
http://www.billboard.com/events/glee-s-darren-criss-succeeds-in-broadway-1005791362.story#/events/glee-s-darren-criss-succeeds-in-broadway-1005791362.story

[snl89]

That's a really nice review from Billboard :) Positive while still being objective about some of the things that could use a little work.

I'm not worried about the vocals- as a fan, I've heard enough of his vocals (live, not just on Glee, where they actually tend to autotune his voice to the point of making it sound worse than it is) to be confident he'll get more comfortable and strong in the songs. But all things considered, being that he only had two weeks of rehearsal, I'd say the reception to his performance seems pretty darn good! I'm excited to hear more peoples' opinions as the run continues :)

[sorano916]

I saw the matinee today and while Darren is talented, I found him only adequate. His voice isn't the strongest & he had a very pop sound. His phrasing cuts off sometimes & he had some off-key moments.

I frankly thought his acting was all over the place. The mugging was terrible & he messed up a couple of lines. He seemed to hit his stride later in the second act but it was too late.

His dancing will improve over time. He didn't hit his mark all the time & even the show stopper of Brotherhood, he didn't shine. But I think that can get better with confidence.

Did I think he was better than Daniel? No. Not by a long shot.
Will he improve? Maybe. He has potential.

My thoughts on Beau... It was awkward & it seemed like he was guessing through the lines. There is no chemistry/banter between Finch & Biggley, which was so perfect between Dan & John. "Old Ivy" was one of my favorite scenes but today, I cringed through the whole thing. Neither of their voices are strong enough to carry that song.

I would like to see the show again later in Darren's run to see if he improved but with only 3 weeks, I don't know how much of a difference it will be.

[cglaid]

I haven't seen Criss, nor do I even know what he sounds like, but I did see Radcliffe in the role. Let's be real here, Radcliffe didn't have much of a voice either -- he just is DANIEL RADCLIFFE and has a built-in fanbase with glossed over eyes, er, ears.

[danmag]

I saw the matinee today and was fairly disappointed in both Bridges and Criss. While I would say the show was certainly entertaining, criss's voice was incredibly thin and he seemed to stumble through his lines several times. Bridges was just a hot mess....his voice was pretty awful.

Criss was a much better dancer than singer. Hopefully he will get better after a few more shows.

[Emmaloucbway]

Oy. Hopefully they will improve by the 14th...

[snl89]

Well I don't know really anything about Beau, but I'm very confident Darren will get more comfortable in the role really quickly :)

I mean vocally, if people are looking for the typical well polished super powerful Broadway voice, they're probably going to be underwhelmed with Darren. But I wouldn't be surprised if he was a little on the shaky side these first couple performance just from nerves and getting used to the full run of the show and all that. So in that sense, I think he'll be up to his usual par (which I personally think is great- and again, that's based on his live performances, not Glee) in no time

Same goes for the line flubs- I'm sure that's just from not having had much time with it, so I'm confident he'll work those out really quickly. Frankly I'm impressed with anyone who COULD learn all those lines in two weeks!

[blaxx]

Frankly I'm impressed with anyone who COULD learn all those lines in two weeks!

It ain't Hamlet, love.