Starkid/Starship

Team Starkid is a production company and theatre troupe formerly based out of the University of Michigan, now based in Chicago. They are perhaps best known for their connection to Darren Criss, of recent Glee fame. As far as I am concerned, Starkid is revolutionizing the way theatre is consumed.

A couple of years back, some UMich students decided to write and produce a Harry Potter parody musical. In something like 2 weeks, they wrote, scored and performed the show at their university. In order to make the footage easily accessible to cast members and their families, the performance was uploaded onto youtube.

Thus began a bit of an internet phenomenon. The success of A Very Potter Musical allowed the production team to write, score and produce Me and My Dick, as well as A Very Potter Sequel. This past February, they debuted their newest musical Starship in Chicago and after it was edited, it was uploaded to youtube at the end of April.

I’ve been pretty good. I’ve only watched it once. Albeit, mostly because I’ve practically been living out of my car this week. But still, I’ve been good. When I first saw AVPM, I watched it 3 times in a row, I loved it so much. And AVPM isn’t even necessarily that good. I mean, it’s hilarious and impressive as all hell, but the production value is low and it’s apparent that Darren Criss hadn’t memorized his lines before opening night. While the production value has increased with each self-produced musical, I love watching Starkid shows mostly because they are inspiring.

I’m not talking about them actually being inspirational musicals, like Thoroughly Modern Milly, kind of, if you can ignore all the racism. I mean that the fact that a group of friends, united in their love for theatre, who started a production company dedicated to writing and performing original musicals and making theatre cool, is an inspiration. Basically, they are kids who are doing what they love any way they can. Which is cool, right?

So I love them. And I really love Starship. It’s the story of a bug named Bug who lives on a distant planet who dreams of one day becoming a Starship Ranger. He spends most of his time in an old crashed Starship aircraft, watching the Captain’s logs and whatnot. But the needs of the many bugs outweigh the needs of the few bugs, and Bug must be assigned to a job that benefits the hive. On his first day implanting eggs into the chests of mammals, he comes across a beautiful, if not incredibly stupid, Starship Ranger named February who has been sent to the bug world in order to collect data. Bug helps her to her Starship, and in an effort to see her again, strikes a deal with the evil Pincer in order to obtain human form. The usual chaos ensues, as some people turn out to be evil, and robots have the chips that prevent their uprising removed.

Highlight include Joe Moses playing a character that isn’t Severus Snape (though he plays it so well), Joey Richter’s adorably crooked jaw, Lauren Lopez playing a man once more, and Joe Walker’s ill-concealed joke at the expense of Darren Criss’s role on Glee. My absolute favorite though as getting to hear Dylan Saunders sing in a regular voice, because he is in fact amazing.

With every show, Starkid outdoes what they’ve done before. The production value gets higher, the music gets better, and the ensemble remains delightful. So everyone should take some time out to watch Starship on youtube, and here’s hoping that DCriss is around this summer for them to perform A Very Potter Threequel.