I understand there may have been a slight distraction for most of you this week. However, that shouldn't have taken away from the other big event of the year- the release of the new Starkid production- Starship!
Now, it's not just your blank faces that tell me you know nothing about this. The numbers also tell a story. The Starship cast album was released yesterday. In four other countries, the album is or has been in the top ten of the iTunes album chart. In UK, it is currently at number 36. This upsets me. Hence, I will now explain who Starkid are and why you should watch their shows. You should thank me in advance for the mind-blowing you are about to recieve...
Starkid are a group of actors, writers, musicians and other talented artists who have come together to create some truly awesome musical shows. These shows they then record and share with the world on YouTube. Their name cames from one of the first shows they did, and certainly the first one that gave them major acclaim. This show was called A Very Potter Musical...
Yes, what you just saw was a the opening of a Harry Potter musical. I bet you wanna keep watching, but give it just a minute... let me explain some more.
This show was such a success that the group created a sequel to this, the appropriately titled A Very Potter Sequel. These shows are amazing, brilliantly funny and with their own original songs.
Obviously, Starkid could not make any profit from these shows, with the giants that are J.K Rowling and Warner Bros. owning the concept behind them. However, what the shows did do was gain Starkid a huge legion of fans, the...*ahem* well, the Starkids.
So, when Starkid created their own musicals based on their own stories, their fan base was already in place. The first of these productions was called Me and My Dick.
Yes, he may be singing to a personification of his penis, but this show is tremendously funny, heartwarmingly charming and full of infections songs. The acting's amazing too... seriously, all of them are so talented that is just not fair. Watch all of it and if you don't have Land of the Dicks in your head for days then something's wrong with you...
However, where Starkid have really come into their own is with their latest show Starship.
Each new show Starkid release is always bigger than the last and this is no exception. The hype for this show between the fans was incredible and April 30th really was as anticipated as the day before... even if the reasons for said anticipation was completely different...
And Starkid didn't disappoint. Starship tells the story of Bug, an alien from a distant planet who dreams of becoming a Starship Ranger, a term he learned from the human space ship that crashed on his planet 18 years ago. When another Starship arrives, Bug leaps at the opportunity to fulfil his dream... Unsuprisingly, This show is full of that infectious charm that Starkid are now renowed for; it's witty, intelligent and incredibly nerdy ("You. Are. A. Toaster.").
If you watched some of the videos I've posted on this page (if not, do it now!), you'll already know how talented these guys are. Just to name a few, because they are all so amazing, Joey Richter (Bug, Ron and err... Joey Richter) is stunning and needs to be on Broadway now. Lauren Lopez (Draco and Taz) makes me die with laughter everytime I see her, and Brian Holden (Lupin and Junior) not only totally steals the second act of Starship but he co-wrote it too. You've also probably noticed that Harry Potter is played by none other than Glee star Darren Criss, who also wrote the songs for Starship and many of the others you've heard too.
As Starship is their own original idea, Starkid are able to make money from it. As stated above, the cast album has been released, t-shirts and other merchandise is avaliable and The DVD of Starship is already SOLD OUT! But the best thing I've noticed about Starship? No where have a seen a link to a free download of the cast album; instead it's currently number 4 on the US iTunes chart. If that isn't a testament to fan loyalty, I don't know what is...
You've probably noticed how long this post is. For that I am sorry but I feel very passionately about these guys. They represent everything that's good about the internet; talented people being able to get the recognition that they deserve. The world is too full of people who are famous for nothing, and sure, the web usually gives us them too. However, if through all that trash, a group like Starkid are given the opportunity to shine, then I'm happy to sit through all the Rebecca Blacks and Charlie Sheens the internet has, so long as at the end of it all, I get to be a Starship Ranger...
For more info on Starkid and their productions, check out their website: http://www.teamstarkid.com/
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