How to Succeed in Seeing Darren on Broadway

Kris
Jan 14, 2012
4 min read

There's that moment, when you're walking down 46th Street toward Times Square and you round the corner to see Darren's shining eyes and subdued smile among the top names, hovering underneath Mamma Mia and next to Wicked and Jersey Boys. Yet, his face on the gargantuan poster advertising the How to Succeed in Business musical steals all your attention; your breath stops, your heart skips, and you try to hold back your tears but not your smile because his 40 foot image is framed in lights.

You think back to where he began, those Disney Youtube covers, Harry Potter first uttering "underneath these stairs..." and Teenage Dream and you think: How the hell did he get here? It's ironically similar to the question you ask yourself while watching J. Pierrepont Finch climb his way to the top of the corporate ladder, though you ask it in regards to Finch with less emotional reverence and more shocked amusement.

I never expected to be able to see Darren in How to Succeed in Business at any point during his three week run. As of a few weeks ago, I was just another Darren fan wishing I had the money and the time to support Darren in all the ways I wanted. And then, on Christmas day, the tickets were placed underneath a pair of knee-highs, hidden there my my mom. She scheduled it as a day trip, so we - that is me, my mom, and my best friend's mom - woke up at an ungodly hour to catch the bus that would get us into the city by 10:30 AM. Once there, we began walking down a street I would eventually learn was leading us to Times Square. I saw a glimpse of the green from the Wicked poster and I just knew. We rounded the corner, I had that moment, and I knew this day would be special.

We had enough time before the show to immerse ourselves in the Disney Store for awhile and eat lunch, but we still got to the theater early. Even so, there were people lined up at the stage door awaiting Darren's arrival. I knew I wouldn't have time to wait after the show and the theater hadn't opened yet anyway, so I decided to wait around the same area. I also didn't want to disrespect the people who'd been there long before I'd arrived, so I retreated behind the crowd and waited by the road.

I watched the sleek black vehicle pull up and Darren's profile glide right by me, separated only by the glass of the tinted window. While I stood there, barely breathing and heart stopping, the two people who shared this experience with me were in the street, taking pictures for my inner fangirl who was too shy to attempt.

Darren was quick; he had a job to do, so he couldn't stick around. He dashed to the stage door, but was respectful to his fans and waved to everyone warmly.

Soon, we were inside the theater and the lights were dimming. The orchestra began the Overture, building the anticipation for the main show. Darren rose from the depths of the theater as J. Pierrepont Finch, the window washer reading a book on how to succeed in business without really trying. I breathed in the live experience and exhaled pure joy, readying myself for two hours and forty-five minutes of being in Darren's talented presence.

Darren's contagious energy transfers well on stage, his enthusiasm particularly ideal for the character of Finch who is charmingly devious in his ascent to the top of the corporate world. The exaggeration of Finch's ambitious character is easy for Darren to enact; he has the perfect facial expressions to emphasize Finch's ability to manipulate the system. There's a spotlight on Finch each moment he knows he's finagled the company to work in his favor, and Darren shines a quick smile to the audience, drawing out long laughs of disbelief.

Darren is able to command the stage in the way a lead should, yet shares it with the entire cast who all make the show special. He is at home among the talents of the actor-singer-dancer triple threats he so often admires publicly, but is unable to recognize in himself. In his interview with Paul Wontorek of Broadway.com, Darren laments not having the "Broadway voice," and some fan accounts of previous performances indicate some weakness in iconic numbers such as "Brotherhood of Man."

It's a testament to his work ethic and dedication, as well as his high expectations for himself, that Darren seems to have reconciled his unique voice with the songs of Finch. Of course, his voice is exceptional for the softer songs like "I Believe in You" and "Rosemary," but, by the time we saw the show, his voice was just as strong in "How to Succeed," which opens the musical, as it was for "Brotherhood of Man," which almost concludes it. What is special about Darren's singing voice is that it stands out in quality, yet merges with others' effortlessly in a way that is particular beneficial for songs like "The Company Way" and "Been a Long Day." This aspect contributes to Darren's obvious chemistry with the cast, and indicates, to me, a continued success in the Broadway career he may develop in the future.

Darren was all smiles at curtain call, loving the applause and grateful for the support. I was proud to be able to participate in his well-deserved standing ovation. He was amazing up there; he belongs on the Broadway stage.

Then, everything was over, the night arose, and we were back on the bus driving away from New York, away from the man to whom I am so grateful, and away from one of the best days of my life. But first, I went back to Times Square to take one more look at that beautiful poster - a reminder that he's made it, truly and completely. And I could not be happier for him.