As I sat in the audience of the Power Center Thursday night, I heard high pitched chatter all around me, anticipation crawling up my spine. My last Starkid show had been in 2012, and this felt even more special for some reason. This time, Starkid was in their home turf. But then again – this time was different. I wasn’t just watching and enjoying this show. Notebook and pen in hand, I sat poised over my notebook.
My first two notes?
“The lights dim and I flinch.”
Why did I flinch?
“Screaming. All Screaming.”
The audience erupts into a dull roar as Darren Criss sits in the darkness, waiting for his cue to grace us with his beautiful voice.
This, my friends, is a Starkid show.
I’ve been a Starkid fan since at least 2009, my freshman year of high school. I thought I was clever making jokes about how that movie sucked royal hippogriff, and how when I went to college I’d be transferred to Pigfarts. I’m no ameteur. But even with all that preparation, I didn’t know what to expect for their reunion.
Of course, Darren opened with a much more polished rendition of “Goin’ Back to Hogwarts,” and I wondered vaguely how much rehearsal he really needed. Did he remember all of the words, or was relearning them like riding a bike; one shove and he was gone?
I continued wondering about the nostalgia, especially as the screams grew quieter during the second half of the concert. What did it feel like for Joe Walker and Brian Rosenthal to be bound together again in that damn turban? What was Jaime’s view from the stage, as she led the cast of Me and My Dick? Did Joey care that his vocals are being overpowered simply by the sheer will of screams?
Throughout the concert, performance, variety, whatever you may call it, I tuned out the screams and really tried to focus my critical eye on this phenomenon I loved. But there’s nothing to criticize. I could tell that these weren’t kids singing in the Walgreen Drama Center any more – all the vocals were polished, vowels open and consonants crisp. These were now seasoned professionals. I personally loved Brant Cox’s solo, when they performed “Beauty” from their 2011 musical Starship, and the subtle tweaks to writing, where Darren went off about there being another Spider Man and Meredith Stepien pointed out that Red Vines are disgusting (because they are), were nothing short of ingenious. No, the show wasn’t perfect, but since when has a Starkid show ever run smoothly?
Despite all the screaming and frustration at not picking my favorite songs (where was Granger Danger?!?!?), I remembered why I fell in love with Starkid. It wasn’t the jokes, it wasn’t the Harry Potter, it wasn’t even the perfection of Lauren Lopez. It was the honesty of all their performances, and how they made you feel like you could jump on stage and join them. And that’s how they took the stage at the Power Center, filled with joy, a bit of quirkiness, and hope.
It was clear Starkid wasn’t just reliving their old memories by recreating their favorite musical numbers from all their shows. Even through Brian Holden’s self-deprecating humor, it was clear Starkid was emphasizing that no, they hadn’t forgotten about where they came from. Even Darren in all his glory loved to come back hoMe.
“Michigan was our Hogwarts” they proclaimed, instantly making everyone in the audience who wasn’t a Wolverine immediately decide to apply to Michigan. I can’t lie, though, because despite its cheesiness, as a senior I felt their words ring true.
At the end of the night, I looked to the front of the audience, where Nick Lang, director, writer, actor, everyman sat watching his creation, pulled together in the span of mere days, a little over 12 hours rehearsal and prep put into making this show. He erupted in cheers, pulled onto stage by his castmates, his Starkids, his very best friends. As I watched, I thought I may feel just a tiny bit of what he felt: pride in what this group of quirky kids became, all because of one idea and the determination to see it through.
