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d-criss-news · 2 months

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Darren Criss Comes to Little Shop of Horrors with Disney Fandom and a Yen for an American Crime Story

“Suddenly Seymour” from Little Shop of Horrors is, of course, one of the great musical ballads. Beginning with feather-light piano and words of reassurance that are nearly sung-spoken, it grows and grows and grows—much like the plant the story revolves around—ending with a finale so rousing it could probably be heard in outer space.

If there’s one guy who knows his way around “Suddenly Seymour,” it’s Darren Criss. Among his countless performances of the song, he has sung it with Lea Michelle on Glee, on Carpool Karaoke and, most recently, on stage at Carnegie Hall. “There's never a point where I roll my eyes at it or go, ‘Oh god, I can't. I have to play this again,” he told Broadway.com Editor-in-Chief Paul Wontorek on The Broadway Show. The song is “bulletproof."

The number hits a little different lately. In January, Criss stepped into the role of the downtrodden flower shop assistant Seymour Krelborn in Little Shop of Horrors off-Broadway, with Evan Rachel Wood (Westworld, Across the Universe) in the role of the similarly put-upon Audrey. “‘Suddenly Seymour’ suddenly has a narrative context. It's not you and me at a piano bar having a couple beers singing our favorite song. It comes from a real narrative place. It's nice when you are doing the show in context, telling the story.”

Despite a deep love of the musical, Criss never thought he’d play the role of Seymour. “I can't say I ever sat around going, ‘Oh, one day I'll play Seymour'—I just never saw that,” he said. “But here we are and I'm doing my damnedest.”

Criss is especially delighted to be sharing the stage with Wood, a close personal friend. As Criss reveals, he personally asked Wood to join him in the show. "I can't take full credit for it, but yes, I may have nudged it," he said. A couple of weeks into their run, audiences are buzzing about the pair. “Listen, come for me. Stay for Evan Rachel Wood. She's the chef's kiss. I'm just the amuse-bouche that you forget about by the end.”

"'Suddenly Seymour’ suddenly has a narrative context. It's not you and me at a piano bar having a couple beers singing our favorite song." –Darren Criss

Not that long ago, Criss played Andrew Cunanan, the handsome and tormented real-life killer in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. Weirdly, Cunanan’s story is not worlds away from that of Seymour Krelborn—another killer feeding insatiable appetites (albeit those of a monstrous plant). “I seem to have a thing—I don't know what it says about me—about playing men that will go to extraordinary lengths to accomplish greatness,” said Criss. The stories of Cunanan and Krelborn “have the same sort of parable to them, of the consequences and cost of obsession. There's only so far you can go before really bad things happen to the people around you and to yourself.” Seymour Krelborn: American Crime Story, anyone?

The crucial difference is that Little Shop of Horrors is enormous fun and packed with catchy doo-wop tunes. A lifelong Disney fan, Criss is also enjoying reveling in his love for the late Howard Ashman who, as well as writing and directing the original off-off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, was a central figure in the Disney Renaissance of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. Before his death in 1991 due to HIV/AIDS, and in partnership with musical chameleon Alan Menken, Ashman brought tremendous heart and intelligence—and a Broadway sensibility—to The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin.

“As the kids say, he’s like my Roman Empire,” said Criss. (Chatting before the formal part of the interview, Criss suggests that “Mushnik & Son,” with its minor-key Klezmer vamp, is a prequel to “Poor Unfortunate Souls” from The Little Mermaid, while the fizzy frolic of “Closed for Renovation” anticipates “Something There” from Beauty and the Beast.) “I spend a lot of time thinking about Howard Ashman. My whole life, he has been such a North Star in the way that I think about creating things as an actor, as a writer, as a songwriter, as a lyricist—anything. I never had the pleasure of meeting him. But anytime people ask me: ‘Dead or alive, who'd you have dinner with?’ I always say Howard Ashman. I pretend he's in the audience every night—sort of as a barometer of what I think he would like or not like."

"'Being in this is my own little contribution to the altar of Howard Ashman." –Darren Criss

As an example of Ashman's exquisite dramatic instincts, Criss points to the well known video of Ashman directing Jodi Benson's vocal performance of "Part of Your World" for The Little Mermaid. "If this show [Little Shop] is like proto-Disney Renaissance—if this show is the beginning of Little Mermaid and Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast, which had such a profound influence on my life—then there are so many pieces of those things in the show that I'm tipping my hat to that it's hard not to feel connected to him in some way every night. It's an extraordinary legacy that I've been so obsessed with my whole life. Being in this is my own little contribution to the altar of Howard Ashman.”

Criss is already looking forward to sharing his love of Disney (and all things Howard Ashman) with his daughter, who turns two in April. “I'm praying she likes them. I'm pretty sure she will,” he said. “I mean, listen, you don't have to give me a reason to rewatch anything that I love, but now it's an even more elevated reason, to share it with somebody.”

With a second child on the way with his wife Mia, Criss also shared his thoughts on fatherhood more generally. Child-rearing, he explained, is kind of like creating a storytelling franchise: “Look, if you're a fan of storytelling—which, most of us that love Broadway are—the inevitable, most natural, logical sequel is having kids. Right? Because you now get to experience the same characters and themes with a brand-new character that isn't familiar with the prequel. In that person’s movie, it’s the first one.”

#darren criss #paul wontorek #broadway.com #evan rachel wood #howard ashman #acs versace #mia swier #bb criss #little shop of horrors bway #little shop of horrors #press #video #feb 2024

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greatqueenanna · 3 months

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Delving into Hans' Sociopathy

Prince Hans is canonically a sociopath. Jennifer Lee intentionally wrote the character with specific behaviors and traits that align with this label. Within this analysis, I wanted to do an observation of Hans’ overall character and talk about his sociopathic behaviors.

The purpose of this essay is to only talk about his first film appearance. I do not mean it to be an analysis of whether he will return, if this will remain a canon aspect of his character for future appearances, or if he is capable of redemption. This is also not a post that is trying to get you to hate the character or use it as leverage for whatever opinions you may have. It is simply an analysis.

I am also writing about a fictional character, so a lot of his personality is over-exaggerated. Please refrain from using this as a tool for diagnosing yourself or others or as a general representation of these labels and disorders.

I want to emphasize that I am talking about a character who is both a villain and a sociopath. However, please avoid confusing these two things as one. Not all individuals with ASPD (sociopathy) are bad or engage in criminal behavior. For more information, you can read about it here. If you want to know the thoughts of someone with ASPD (sociopathy) on this topic, I asked a friend and you can read their response here on various related subjects.

Now that all that is out of the way, let's dive in.

Part 1: When Was This Confirmed?

Jennifer Lee first confirmed that Hans was a sociopath during an interview with John August and Aline Brosh McKenna of Scriptnotes, in Episode 128: Frozen with Jennifer Lee.

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Jennifer: Hans is a villain from the minute he hits her with the horse, in my mind. Aline: Really? Jennifer: But I am slightly a sociopath, I think. He’s just calculating from that moment.

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John: But clearly he’s a very talented sociopath. Jennifer: He’s very talented. He’s charming. He mirrors everyone. And actually, the original story had a lot to do with mirrors. In many iterations of the story we talk about mirrors and we bring them up. And so I held on a little to that, what Hans is is a mirror as a lot of charming, but hallow or sociopathic. Aline: And she’s (Anna) also so lonely that it’s like she’s falling in love with her reflection in the pond. Jennifer: Yeah, exactly. And he mirrors her and he’s goofy with her. He’s a little bit more bold and aggressive with the Duke, because the Duke is a jerk, so he’s a jerk back. And with Elsa he’s a hero.

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She later further confirmed this during a Q&A event with fans on Twitter (X), in response to a fan asking if Hans was ever a good guy during the early productions of Frozen.

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Santino Fontana, Hans' voice actor, also confirmed this in an interview. You can see this interview here, the Frozen segment lasts from approx. 15:35 - 19:35.

Santino Fontana: Yea, He's a good-looking guy. Also, a sociopath, but yea. - Broadwaycom, Show People With Paul Wontorek Interview

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Part 2: The Traits of ASPD (Sociopathy)

According to the DSM-5, those with ASPD are described with some of the following traits.

Ego-centrism; self-esteem derived from personal gain, power, or pleasure. Failure to conform to lawful or culturally normative ethical behavior. Lack of concern for feelings, needs, or suffering of others. Frequent use of seduction, charm, glibness, or ingratiation to achieve one’s ends.

To summarize, sociopaths are those who - lack empathy for others, have self-esteem that is based on personal gain and power, disregards social norms and manipulate and charm others to get what they want.

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There are also some anecdotal traits that are not directly referred to in the DSM-5, but talked about within ASPD communities and from those who know those with it. One trait is the concept of mimicry or mirroring. The idea here is that a sociopath will mirror the behaviors of another person in order to either charm or intimidate them - or in some cases, try to fit into social norms.

M.E, a person with sociopathy, describes this behavior as “métier, or bread and butter” for those who have sociopathy.

I think mimicry is interesting, and I think a lot of empaths think it's freaky. What I find more freaky is what constant mimicry suggests – that you have no baseline "you," that you are always just reactions to outside stimuli. I have a good friend who was initially very frustrated that I didn't seem to have defaults: no default understanding of right and wrong, no default beliefs, no default personality even. Everything had to be reasoned, everything had to be constructed anew. It can be frustrating for me too. It's time consuming. And sometimes it disturbs me how impressionable I am. Being a blank slate, sometimes I can surprise even myself with non sequiturs or unpredictable behavior. It's sort of scary. – M.E. Thomas - Sociopaths, Mimicry, and Blank Slates – Sociopath World

Part 3: Hans' Behaviors Throughout the Film

Lacking Empathy

Hans shows this behavior directly during and after his reveal, and more subtly before the reveal. The reason for this is because, obviously, they wanted to keep Hans' true intentions secret as much as possible, mostly due to John Lasseter's insistence to make the reveal more shocking. However, Hans' true nature does shine through in subtle ways throughout the narrative.

Let's focus on the more direct portrayals first.

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Direct instances of Lacking Empathy

During the reveal, Hans realizes that his 'True Love's Kiss' will not work because he doesn't love Anna. What makes a lot of this scene especially unemphatic and cruel, is how Hans actually looks like he is enjoying Anna's pain. Hans looks straight into Anna's eyes, smiling and slightly laughing, as he verbally insults her and tries to quicken her death. In this scene, he is simply enjoying telling Anna how he actually feels, and seems relieved to be rid of her.

Later on, Hans reveals to Elsa that Anna is 'dead'. When Elsa falls to the ground in anguish, he walks behind her with a smile on his face, ready to decapitate her until Anna intervenes.

Later on, something that my sociopath friend also mentioned, was how uncaring and completely nonchalant Hans was when he realizes that Anna is still alive and that he has lost. He just seems confused that Anna is alive. He seems very unemphatic even towards his own situation - that he's in trouble now.

The director says that her stand-out moment for him was when he questions Anna’s comment of being ‘just her’. For me, it’s when he stands up after being knocked out by the blast, without even acknowledging that he’s in deep shit, and just says ‘but, she froze your heart!” I laughed so hard. Only sociopaths would do this shit. “Anna, how dare you. You should be dead.” - "B.G."

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Subtle Instances of Lacking Empathy

The subtle instance of Hans showing a lack of empathy is how he lacks genuine awareness for people he supposedly loves. Hans says a lot of things, but doesn't really show it.

For example, during the scene after Elsa runs away. While Hans and Anna are walking towards the Duke, Anna is visibly cold. Hans notices that she is, but instead brings his jacket closer to himself. He asks after the fact if she is ok. Anna replies "No". Hans responds by immediately asking her if she knew about Elsa's magic.

In other words, after hearing directly from Anna that she is not ok, Hans disregards her feelings to ask about the situation. He doesn't offer his coat, a hug to warm her, or even asks her if there isn't anything he could do to help her. While yes, there is a crises going on - Hans supposedly loves and cares for Anna. Yet, he is not really showing that care, only asking an empty question.

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Another instance that shows this idea of Hans saying things but not showing, it is during the Castle Siege scene. Hans tells Elsa "Don't be the monster they fear you are!" But then immediately plans to kill/incapacitate her with the chandelier. He is trying to give off this impression of trying to help her, but does something completely contradictory to his words.

As a small side point before moving on, I recognize that some disagree that this was his intention. I feel that the scene pretty much speaks for itself, with little room for interpretation.

Here we have Hans looking directly at the Weselton's Henchman, and then looking towards his crossbow.

Then, you see Hans change his gaze towards the ceiling, way above the henchman, straight at the chandelier, and keeps staring at it as he moves towards the henchman.

As we see here, in a different angle, he is directly aiming that crossbow towards the chandelier.

I would also like to point out, that although I do not feel A Frozen Heart by Elizabeth Rudnick is entirely Lore Friendly (but apparently is part of the Book Canon Universe now as of All is Found: A Frozen Anthology), it is good to note that this scene was also acknowledged in this book.

Hans looked around the room desperate for a plan, and noticed the giant chandelier directly above Elsa. (...) True, it might kill her, but would that be so bad? One less obstacle to the throne.” - A Frozen Heart, Rudnick, Pg. 226

Thus, if this novel recognizes the intention behind this scene, then it was something present in the script and/or character notes at the time the author was writing the novel. Keep in mind, this scene is never actually mentioned by any of the creative team. Thus, the author had to be made aware of this to include it in her book.

If you are a fan of A Frozen Heart, and include it with your personal canon, I have an fairly old analysis where I go into a lot of these concepts with the novel as well.

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Another big thing that shows Hans' lack of empathy is something that is foreshadowed in Love is an Open Door. I'm going to quote some lines from my Meant to Be analysis on this song, that show how Hans actually doesn't really show any empathy towards Anna and does not focus on her at all - he instead is more concerned with himself and his goals.

Both Anna and Hans mirror each other - both felt neglected and underestimated by their families and thus want something more from life. However, the focus on how they go about mending their pain is very evident in the first few lines of this song. Notice how Anna focuses on people - she references Elsa closing doors and losing connections with her. Hans comes and gives her the attention she craves, and in turn, she focuses on him. She says - I bump into you. I see your face. Hans, on the other hand, focuses on Arendelle. I've been searching my whole life to find my own place. But with you, I've found my place.

Many fans have also pointed out this specific lyric here - Hans: You - Anna: And I - Hans & Anna - Are just meant to be. Pointing out how Hans never actually referred to himself directly. He and Anna only really refer to Anna herself. Hans says you (Anna) and Anna refers to herself (and I).

Desire for Power

This one is fairly obvious - as Hans himself explains quite clearly his intentions for being kind to Anna and the people of Arendelle.

As thirteenth in line in my own kingdom, I didn't stand a chance. I knew I'd have to marry into the throne somewhere - As heir, Elsa was preferable, of course. But no one was getting anywhere with her. But you - You were so desperate for love you were willing to marry me, just like that. I figured, after we married, I'd have to stage a little accident for Elsa. But then she doomed herself, and you were dumb enough to go after her. All that's left now is to kill Elsa and bring back summer. (...) No, you're no match for Elsa. I, on the other hand, am the hero who is going to save Arendelle from destruction. - Prince Hans, Frozen (2013)

Hans makes it quite clear in his tropey villain monologue here (haha) that he wants to be a King. It didn't matter to him where he went or who he married, but he was determined to make it happen - even if it meant having to murder someone to get them out of his way.

Hans also shows a complete disregard for social norms in this way of thinking. He believes that murder and manipulation is an appropriate way to achieve his goals, and feels no remorse for his actions, but instead (as stated by B.G) confusion when he fails.

There are many theories as to why Hans feels he needs this power, to the point of hurting someone - A Frozen Heart tried to give a background for this, giving the blame to his father and brothers for abusing him. The novel is not entirely far off, as Jennifer Lee herself has stated that Hans is a product of being raised without love.

However, while the details for Hans' background is still fairly mysterious, we can conclude that Hans canonically had a rough childhood whether you choose to only use the film's clues and Jennifer Lee's words, or go by A Frozen Heart.

I think Hans is a tragic figure because he's a consequence of being raised without love. - Jennifer Lee, Reddit (2014)

When it comes to ASPD, while the direct cause is still currently unknown - environmental factors, such as child abuse, are believed to contribute to the development of this condition. Thus, Hans was raised in a home without love, and it led to him developing ASPD and valuing power over anything else.

Manipulation

This is the biggest aspect of Hans' portrayal, and also the biggest hint through out the film, is how he manipulates and mirrors people. We begin with Hans' introduction - before and after the infamous "just you?" line.

When we first meet him, he is much more panicked. He just caused a scene and hurt the Princess after all, and then they started awkwardly tumbling around on a boat. He's not interested in Anna at this point, and doesn't want to get in trouble. When Anna falls on him in the boat, he just says "um..." and ignores most of her comments, including calling him "gorgeous". He goes straight into trying to apologize and smooth things over.

However, right after the "just you?" line, suddenly things change.

He smiles after her when she leaves, he stares at her during the Chapel scene, and seems to be following her around to the point where he is confidently able to catch her when she trips, and knows exactly what to say to get Anna to like him.

"I would never shut you out." - Seriously, how does the awkward guy in the beginning of his intro that didn't respond to Anna's silly advances, suddenly feel confident enough to just proclaim to the same girl he just met that he would be an emotional support for her? The sudden shift in his demeanor is actually a bit jarring when you think about it. Someone cannot go from awkward guy to confident prince charming so suddenly.

It goes even further than this when he starts to mirror Anna. Here, I am exploring Love is an Open Door again from my analysis, with how Hans mirrors Anna.

The rest of the song is them directly mirroring each other, representing an almost robotic relationship between them - the cover image for this analysis directly shows this robotic aspect on the clock tower, when they mimic the gears.

A funny thing actually happens during Anna's announcement of their marriage. Hans is actually switching between trying to appeal to Elsa while also keeping up with Anna. Let me show you what I mean.

Hans is trying to act stoic and reserved in front of Elsa, to match her tone. However, Anna keeps interrupting him and making him trip over his words. Hans eventually gives into Anna's goofiness and just loses his composure completely and just copies Anna, basically becoming her clone in her behavior. You can see here how he struggles to keep up with both women at the same time.

You can also notice how Hans keeps trying to look at Elsa to see her expression and reaction to their relationship. Anna, on the other hand, while she does look at Elsa occasionally, she is shown to be more infatuated with Hans and looks at him most of the time. Hans is trying to appeal to Elsa, while Anna just wants Hans’ support.

Later on during this scene, he completely sheds this goofier persona and goes back to trying to be stoic, like Elsa. He is even adopting her more serious and disinterested expressions, opposite to Anna's expressions that he was just mirroring moment ago.

He completely stops mirroring Anna here, and goes straight into trying to appeal to Elsa and match her tone. Right after this, he goes back to expressing Anna’s sadness again.

Since the beginning of his introduction, Hans has shown three different personalities that contradict each other. His awkward self that forgets to introduce himself and rams into people with horses, his charming self that is charming, fun and sensitive, and his stoic and reserved self that appeals to royalty.

This mirroring behavior and personality shift continues later on the film.Hans is shown to be kind and generous to the people of Arendelle, not having a mean bone in his body. This persona matches how he acts for Anna after their first encounter. However, Hans adopts the Duke's personality to threaten him, that is confrontational and even a bit childish.

"Do not question the Princess. She left me in charge, and I will not hesitate to protect Arendelle from treason!"

Hans literally starts yelling at the Duke, and accusing him of treason, which is an extreme accusation - just as the Duke is yelling and making accusations against Anna. He is pretty much copying the Duke to get him to back off in a way that he will understand.

Remember what Jennifer Lee said in the Script Notes interview?

Jennifer: Yeah, exactly. And he mirrors her and he’s goofy with her. He’s a little bit more bold and aggressive with the Duke, because the Duke is a jerk, so he’s a jerk back. And with Elsa he’s a hero.

Hans pretty much switches between these three personalities throughout the film. Goofy and charming with Anna, stoic and heroic with Elsa and Arendelle, and confrontational with the Duke.

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Other Hans Analyses

New - These I have written recently and have updated info.

Irredeemable Monster - Should Hans Make a Return?

Meant to Be - Frozen's Secret Villain Song

Frozen in Fear - Comparing the antagonist's reactions towards magic.

Old - May have some ideas that have missing info and overall needs updating

Different Perspectives - Why a Frozen Heart does not Support a Redemption for Hans.

Wolf in Sheep's Clothing - Hints that lead to Hans' Betrayal

#Hans #Prince Hans #frozen #greatqueenanna/analysis #helsa #hanna

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