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Fangirl Friday: Brian d'Arcy James

If you look at the spreadsheet I use to organize my blog ideas, you'll see that Brian d'Arcy James has been at the top of the list for the past two years. I've been wanting to write about him for as long as I've been blogging, but haven't had the right motivation or inspiration. He is a man who has lived rent free in my head for nearly a decade and he has one of the most amazing voices in opinion.

NOW despite first being introduced to him in 2015, when I watched Mozard in the Jungle - he appeared as Beethoven - I did not become a fan. At the time I had no idea who he was obviously. What put him on my radar was the following year when I got into Hamilton. He was the original King George III off-Broadway. I had a name and face in my head that I would end up recognizing a few times before becoming the fan I am today.

What turned me into a fan of Brian's was when I watched Shrek the Musical for the first time. I watched it for another actor - John Tartaglia, who I've written about - but I ended up falling in love with Brian's voice. He portrayed Shrek and let me just say the man knocked it out of the park. Should have won the Tony, if you ask me. I was hesitant at first because I believed NO ONE could portray Shrek like Mike Myers has, but Brian proved me so wrong. His portrayal of our beloved green ogre was iconic and amazing. He is the reason "Who I'd Be" is one of my favorite songs from any musical. I know the whole Shrek franchise has turned into a meme, but I HIGHLY recommend watching the proshoot of the musical. The whole cast did an amazing job. All that being said, I'd say I was only a surface level casual fan of his at the time.

Brian also was part of the Broadway production of Something Rotten! Which is a musical near and dear to my heart. I wrote about it back in 2017 because it's one of my most played cast albums. He portrayed Nick Bottom, who was a rival of William Shakespeare in the show.  I'll be honest, I only looked into Something Rotten for another actor - Christian Borle who I've also written about  - but ended up falling more in love with Brian's voice. But once again remained a casual fan.

Brian d'Arcy James and Debra Messing
as Frank and Julia Houston in Smash

What turned me into the Brian d'Arcy James fan I am today was his portrayal of Frank Houston in the TV show, Smash. Yes, I have written about Smash on my blog before. Frank quickly became my favorite character. He lives rent free in my head and is on my list of "fictional men I'd die for". I still wholeheartedly believe he deserved better. I've been itching to rewatch the show for some reason. Maybe I just might.

I ended up having a full fixation with him for a few months between 2017 and 2018. During that time, I ended up watching a good chunk of his filmography. He's been in a whole heap of films and TV shows. I ended up watching the first season of 13 Reasons Why and Hawkeye just for him. I've been trying to actively keep up with his filmography. So far I've been mostly successful.

He played Sergeant Krupke in Spielberg's 2021 West Side Story remake, giving us a great Krupke. While Krupke isn't an "important" character in the musical - despite having a song named after him - Brian's performance was iconic. I love the 2021 remake and will at some point write about it here.

(L to R) Daniel Breaker, Brian d'Arcy James, Sutton Foster
as Donkey, Shrek and Fiona onstage of Shrek the Musical

While I do enjoy watching him act, I also enjoy listening to him sing. As I said at the beginning of this post, I believe he has one of the most amazing voices. I can listen to the man sing for hours - and I have. I hope to one day see him perform live whether it's in a musical, a play, or a concert.

In 2022, he was part of the Broadway revival of Into the Woods. He portrayed The Baker, opposite Sara Bareilles' Baker's Wife. If you have not given the cast album a listen, I cannot recommend it enough. The whole cast was phenomenal. One of those dream cast moments. The 2022 revival production deserves its own post. And it will get one.

Most recently he was in an off-Broadway production of Days of Wine and Roses as Joe Clay. I am not familiar with the show, but it's coming to Broadway next year so I will become familiar with it especially because it's a musical. I am so excited to get more of his voice to listen to - assuming we'll get a cast recording.

Brian d'Arcy James as Burrs with the cast of The Wild Party

I cannot end this post without mentioning my FAVORITE song that he's performed and recorded. I'll be honest The Wild Party isn't my cup of tea. HOWEVER, his version of "What is It About Her" from the 2000 off-Broadway production is one of my most streamed songs on Spotify. It's a song I can (and have) put on repeat for DAYS on end. The man's voice is incredible, what more can I say?

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