Why Team StarKid is Important (to Me)

If anyone is reading this, they're probably asking, "What is Team StarKid?" There's really no clear answer to that question. They're a theatre troupe founded at the University of Michigan by Darren Criss (of Glee), Brian Holden, and brothers Matt and Nick Lang. But they're more than just a theatre troupe. For one, YouTube videos of their shows have garnered over 125 million views. It's also more than that, though. This rag-tag group of college graduates is an inspiration to young people. Teens and young adults around the world have fallen in love with the StarKids because they are unabashed and unashamed in who they are.

The group got a kick-start when their Harry Potter parody, A Very Potter Musical, went viral. The musical stars Darren Criss as Harry, Joey Richter as Ron, Bonnie Guesen (who is no longer with Team StarKid) as Hermione, Lauren Lopez as Draco Malfoy, Joe Walker as Lord Voldemort, Brian Rosenthal as Professor Quirrell, Joe Moses as Snape and Dylan Saunders as Albus Dumbledore. It's hilarious, cute, and it's full of fun and catchy music, the best of which is a duet between Ron and Draco called "Granger Danger," about their love for Hermione. Another gem is the ensemble piece "Going Back to Hogwarts," which starts out the musical. In viewing even just the first part of the musical, one can tell that the entire cast has a certain star quality.

AVPM led to StarKid's first original musical, Me and My Dick. Yes, that's actually the title. Darren isn't in this one, but he wrote some of the music, most notably, "Even Though." MAMD stars Joey, Jaime Lyn Beatty, Joe, Devin Lytle, Brian Holden and Nick Strauss in a tale that most every teen can relate to - a battle between your heart and your...well.... nether regions. It captures the hilarity that was AVPM, and it's charming in its own right.

MAMD led to a sequel to AVPM - A Very Potter Sequel. Darren, Bonnie, Joey, Lauren and Dylan reprised their roles, and Joe went on to play Dolores Umbridge. While not usually the case for sequels, AVPS topped AVPM in every way. The music was better, the acting improved tenfold, and it was much better written. "The Coolest Girl" and "To Have a Home" are quite possibly the best songs Darren and fellow lyricist AJ Holmes had written up to that point.

In what is StarKid's best work yet, the original musical Starship topped everything StarKid ever did. By the time this musical premiered, Darren had gained a starring role in Glee, and, according to Joe, he wrote the music for it from his trailer. Starship is The Little Mermaid of outer space and stars Joey as Bug, an alien from the planet Bug World who just wants to be a human. Other headlining cast members include Dylan as the dumbly cute farmer Tootsie Noodles and the villain Pincer, Meredith Stepien as the remarkably human android Mega-Girl, Brant Cox as Bug's best bud Roach, Denise Donovan as Starship ranger February (like the month, but a person), Brian Holden as evil-doer Junior, Lauren as badass ranger Taz, and Joe as the nearly-burnt-out leader of the Starship rangers, Commander Up. This musical is beautifully written and executed professionally. The music is the best Darren has ever written. "Status Quo" is a rare masterpiece that is not only a genuinely good song, but one that everyone can relate to. After all, "who cares about normal?"

Since Starship, StarKid has released another parody musical, Holy Musical B@man, and they've toured the US twice, each time to sold-out venues across the country. It's not often that a group can tour twice in 6 months and still sell out every venue, but StarKid can. Their first tour, the SPACE Tour, was in November of 2011. Apocalyptour was in May and June of 2012.

Now we've finally reached the meat of this post. StarKid has proven to be relevant, but that's not why I love them. I love them because they're a group of people I can relate to. As Meredith once put it, "I'm glad I found this group of weirdos, and you'll find your weirdos someday, too." They're a group of regular kids, college friends. They love each other, and they love the fans. They're good, inspiring role models. And I love them for that. Meredith, Jaime and Lauren, the main StarKid girls, aren't bad heroes to have. They're nothing like Miley Cyrus or Lindsay Lohan or whatever female celebrity is in the news now. They're intelligent, talented college graduates with good reputations. The boys are, too. Joe and Dylan and Brian, Brosenthal and Darren and Joey, they're good people. Darren makes it a point that people know he (and the rest of the StarKids) support gay rights (really, just equal rights), which is brave and honorable of them.

And what's really impressive about these people is that, even though they were thrust into stardom and spotlight, they're so incredibly kind and patient with fans. I didn't make it to SPACE Tour, but I did go to Apocalyptour with a close friend and fellow StarKid, and we stayed four hours after the show on the chance that they may come out and talk to us. It was us and maybe 50 other kids, and each member of StarKid took the time to have a little chat, to sign whatever needed signing, and to take pictures with each and every one of us. They were sweet, and even with the pushiest of fans, they smiled and laughed and genuinely loved everyone the entire time. Meredith, in particular, stood out to me (See? There's a reason she's my favorite). This sweet girl gets so much hate from fans sometimes for "rubbing people the wrong way" or "replacing Bonnie" (Mere was a StarKid first), yet she's so, so kind. I'm incredibly shy, and I was standing on the outskirts of the little group she was talking to. She looked up, saw me, and walked right up. She hugged me, thanked me for attending, listened when I told her that she's inspired me, and she genuinely lit up and we had a great conversation. She took a picture with me, told me she was happy that she and StarKid have helped me so much. That really impressed me because, while every took the time to chat and take pictures with each and every fan, Meredith sought me out when she saw I was shy in a big group and she made a point to make me feel worth something.

It's really still more than that. They're bigger than just a group of kids having fun. In the darkest and coldest parts of my life, StarKid has been there. Whether it's sweet and goofy Meredith and her rendition of "The Coolest Girl," a power anthem to all the girls out there who feel like they aren't worth anything, or Lauren telling us that you don't need to fit in, or Joey telling us to resent the status quo, or Darren telling us to be who we are, StarKid's been there for me and for millions of other kids who really need it. StarKid changes lives. I know that because it changed mine, and for the better. StarKid tells us that we aren't defined by boundaries, that having a home is really great, that we're the coolest girls in the whole wide world, and that's why they're important.

You can find StarKid's musicals on their YouTube channel, StarKidPotter.