Starkid Saves the World at the House of Blues Sunset Strip

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Written by Brittany Woolsey

Saturday, 26 May 2012 21:09

“We’re like a cult,” a fan said at Wednesday night’s Starkid performance at the House of Blues Sunset Strip.

By that, she was referring to the tight-knit group of adolescent boys and girls who indulge in Starkid’s parody YouTube musicals, including “A Very Potter Musical” and “Holy Musical B@man!”

Starkid performed at the HOB from Tuesday through Thursday, attracting packed crowds each night.

On Wednesday night, special guest Darren Criss, a founding member of Starkid and now a “Glee” star, performed an acoustic set. He sang original songs, as well as numbers from various Starkid productions. Backed by only his white electric guitar and keyboard, Criss captured the attention of the crowd and made many girls in the crowd shrill and shriek in excitement. Later in his set, he was joined by Charlene Kaye, who Criss recorded with in the past. The pair performed “Good Old Moon” together, blending their voices beautifully, like they did in coffee shops years ago.

Kaye then took the stage after Criss’ set to pounding, tribal-sounding drum beats. Her songs possessed poppy, disco-like sounds, uniquely accompanied by Megan Cox on violin. Despite Popmatters.com calling her song “Woman Up” a “Cheesy misstep,” Kaye played it anyway, and said she knew one person who didn’t hate it ― Beyonce. Kaye later invited Criss back on the stage to perform “Dress and Tie,” a cute and romantic number.

While Starkid headlined all three nights, Thursday’s show was a bit different than the other two. On Thursday, Criss joined them on stage for the performance, having only one day to learn the choreography and blocking, since he flew in just the day before.

Like their YouTube musicals, this show was supported by a unique plot. In it, a Mayan god named Margaret (Jim Povolo) planned to destroy the world, and it was up to Starkid to stop him ― through “parody musical songs.”

With that, the group performed humorous songs from Starkid’s musicals, “Me and My Dick,” “Starship,” “A Very Potter Musical,” “A Very Potter Sequel,” “Little White Lie” and “Holy Musical B@man!”

One of the most standout numbers was “Different as Can Be” from “A Very Potter Musical.” In the song, Professor Quirrell (Brian Rosenthal) and Lord Voldemort (Joseph Walker) sang about how difficult it is to share one body. The song was hilarious, especially as it was accompanied by choreography of the two men attached back-to-back.

Toward the middle of the musical, the group figured out that another way they can please Margaret was by human sacrifice. In an unlucky game of “not it,” Joey Richter got selected to be sacrificed at “the hands of his best friends.” When they took out his heart, Rosenthal emerged in a red sequined suit to perform “Listen to Your Heart.” The song was cute and funny, and caused many in the crowd to cheer and laugh.

Added into the set were a few solos by Criss, including “Home” and “Hey Dragon.” The latter was extremely humorous as he sang it to Margaret instead of a Dragon. In the middle of the song, he sang “You never asked to be a dragon, I never asked to be on television,” changing up some of the lyrics to poke fun at his own success.

Overall, the show was a cheesy, good time. For Starkid fans and non-Starkid fans alike, the show was entertaining and a noteworthy example of a true Cinderella story, citing Starkid’s rise from YouTube fame to the stage.

For more information about Starkid, visit TeamStarkid.com.