BWW Blog: Greg Reuter - The Talent Crush

Today, I want to explore something that we have all experienced, whether we wanted to or not. The talent crush. Urban Dictionary defines a talent crush as "an affection for somebody based solely on their talents." There you have it. Example- every time I see Meryl Streep or Daniel Day-Lewis in ANYTHING, I get a talent crush. The talent crush has nothing to do with a schoolboy crush. It is often asexual. It overtakes you when you see someone do something artistically that stops time for you…

I could make a huge list of movie stars that I get a talent crush on (again, it's different from envy- it's giving it up for someone that deserves it), but let's push this idea through the iris of Broadway. It can start at a read thru. You hear someone read their lines off the page in a manner you never even conceived and BAM- you're smitten. I don't know about you, but scripts jump off the page to me in a certain quantifiable cadence. I get thrilled when a great actor or actress shows me an alternate route. It's beautiful. It's the start of a talent crush.

The pure talent crush, is just that. You have a visceral feeling in your stomach that draws you in. Sometimes there is a perilous zip line following it that can lead to romance, or regret. I can only speak from live theatre experience- when you do 8 shows a week, you don't have access to "regular" people very often. You are going to work when most people are coming home. Yes, there are plenty of "showmances" to witness, but the talent crush is much more specific. It invades your brain. It's like going to get your master's degree- but your professor that day is able to demonstrate what he or she wants to impart, rather than lecturing about it.

I sometimes see odd pairings (holding hands) come out of the stage door of friend's shows and I think, showmance, talent crush, or romance? Is this fair? No. I know some unpredictable pairings that are gleefully happy and beautiful to spend time with. Life is full of curveballs, regardless of talent.

I hope I never stop getting talent crushes, because then I will be painfully aware that I don't CARE anymore.

In the spirit of honesty, here are some of my recent talent crushes- Angela Lansbury (A Little Night Music), Colman Domingo and Joshua Henry (The Scottsboro Boys), and the writing team behind Jersey Boys- as good as any movie in or out of theaters.

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Angela Lansbury- incredible actress…period.

Colman Domingo- if you don't know, ask somebody!

Rick Elice, I have a talent crush on your writing.