To all of those who have just been introduced to the angel known as Aaron Tveit this past weekend via "Grease Live," welcome. Welcome to the wonderful world of Aaron and his dedicated fans. To be quite honest, I’m very sorry that you had to wait so long to be exposed to this singing, dancing, magical man. He’s a gem that shines brighter than most, and hopefully by the end of this article, you’ll be a true Tveiter Tot (that’s our #fandom title, live it, love it, learn it).
I advise you to hold onto your seat for this; there’s so much wonder you have yet to take in. You’ve got a lot of catching up to do. Let’s get cracking.
We really just have to get this out of the way before we try and discuss anything even moderately serious:
LOOK AT HIM.
Just use your eyes. Take it all in. No need for further elaboration.
Once you’ve come out of your swoon-filled, Aaron-induced tizzy, we can start going over some of the more pertinent Aaron material that will bring your newfound interest into full fangirl-mode.
"Run Away With Me"
This video of Aaron singing Run Away With Me is what sealed the deal for me. The song is from a musical called "The Unauthorized Autobiography of Samantha Brown," and Aaron’s voice draws you in and doesn’t let you go. You’ll definitely want to run away with him by the end of this song.
"RENT" & "Hairspray"
Aaron sang and danced throughout the country, first as Steve (and occasionally Roger and Mark) in "RENT," and then as Link Larkin in "Hairspray" (#heartthrob). This video of him singing One Song Glory from "RENT" is actually from his performance for the Hollywood Bowl, which was directed by another fave, Neil Patrick Harris! Touring with "Hairspray" eventually landed Aaron on Broadway, continuing with the role of Link, and continuing to win hearts left and right.
"Next To Normal"
This is the role that put Aaron on the theater-enthusiast map. The musical is super cool, and so is Gabe (the character Aaron portrays). NTN ran Off-Broadway for only a few months at first, but was then reprised later in the year, and, eventually, made it to the Broadway stage! Aaron interrupted whatever role he was doing multiple times to come back and play the role of Gabe every once in awhile, because that’s just the kind of stand-up guy he is.
"Wicked"
Just in case you were getting a little too comfortable with Aaron playing the nice, sweet male lead, he breaks your heart in a whole new way by playing Fiyero, the resident bad-boy, in the legendary show, "Wicked." Aaron came and went with this role, because he was busy doing assorted things and winning more hearts.
Now you’re probably asking, “wait, these videos aren’t of Aaron singing as Fiyero. What a rip off.” You are correct, he is not singing in the role here. "Out of Oz" is a little series that Wicked did to amp up potential audience members and "Wicked" fanatics, and it allows us to swoon over Aaron’s beautiful voice singing songs from "Wicked" in a studio setting.
"Catch Me If You Can"
I have provided you the opening number from this show, of which Aaron debuted the role of Frank Abegnale Jr., however I would highly encourage looking up the full soundtrack for the musical (it’s all on YouTube and Spotify) because it is golden. Aaron shines brighter than ever in this show, especially since it’s one of those cheeky, narration-type plots, where Aaron talks to the audience in order to melt your heart on a more direct level.
"Television"
Aaron isn't all song and dance, even if he is superb at it. Aaron played Nate Archibald’s cousin, Tripp van der Bilt, on "Gossip Girl." He stars as an FBI agent, Mike Warren, in the show "Graceland," and has also been featured on "Law & Order: SVU." Also, he appears in "Ugly Betty," "Body of Proof," and "The Good Wife." There’s probably a few I’m missing, but in summary, he’s done a whole lot of awesome things. He’s a man of many talents, and no matter if he's on the little screen or the big stage, he never stops making us swoon.
"Les Miserables"
This is probably the reason why many of you were saying, “Where do I know him from?” during "Grease Live." I have an answer for you: "Les Mis." Our darling Aaron sported a curly wig for the movie-version of the beloved show, where he played the role of Enjolras. Him and Eddie Redmayne made a fabulous rebel-duo for the movie, alongside other stars like Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, and Anne Hathaway. Let's be honest, you only have eyes for Aaron.
That about wraps up the major tidbits you’ll need to know before entering the fandom. Be mindful: I did leave out bits and pieces, if only for you to discover them whilst Googling and falling even further in love with Mr. Tveit. I wish you well in your research and fangirl (or fanboy) endeavors.
XOXO,
A Tveiter Tot