Tumblr Musings of the Compulsive Writer

I'll be talking about this in terms of the Jack Wolfe fandom but this applies all around musical theatre.

there's no such thing as a best Orpheus. or a best Gabe Goodman, or a best version of any character. I'm gonna use Gabe as my main example here.

Aaron Tveit was the OBC Gabe, and Jack Wolfe was the West End Gabe. I cannot express how different the character choices were. disclaimer: I haven't seen the obc in full but from what I know about it, Aaron played Gabe like an asshole. And in the west end, Jack played Gabe like an innocent little boy.

When the character choices are completely different, you cannot fully compare them. You can absolutely have a preference! In a situation where two people make similar character choices, I'd say it's a bit more valid - because then you're comparing the quality of two similar things. You can't exactly compare the quality of two completely different things.

think of it like this:

there's a vacuum and a broom. you can like one more, and one can be more effective for you, but there's no justification that one is objectively better.

then there's one brand of vacuum and another brand of vacuum. they're similar, but one is way better quality compared to the other.

so all in all, this Reeve Carney Orpheus slander will not stand. Nor will slander against any other Orpheuses. They all make different character choices and each one is beautiful in its own way.

again this applies all over musical theatre.

I remember seeing a post here on Tumblr about how, in the Broadway run of Next to Normal, Gabe enters the set just as Diana sings the final "I loved you once and though I loved you still..."

That blocking seemed to imply that Diana isn't just breaking up with Dan; she's also breaking up with Gabe, trying to see if she could live without being haunted by him.