If you’re a Broadway fan, you know who Aaron Tveit is. The Tony Awards are coming up next weekend, and Aaron is a sure bet to win the Best Leading Actor in a Musical award for his performance as Christian in Moulin Rouge!, a role to which he returns when the show re-opens on Broadway next Friday.
I don’t make this prediction based on inside information or any particular insight into the theater world. It’s just that Tveit is the only person nominated this year.
He’s well-deserving of the honor. I was fortunate to see him star in Moulin Rouge! shortly before the shutdown, and I enjoyed him in Schmigadoon! on AppleTV+ over the summer. (Apparently, Aaron now only accepts roles in shows with exclamatory titles.)
But I didn’t know he was a Springsteen fan until I googled him to look up his full credits and discovered several performances of “Thunder Road” floating around the Internet.
Like many of us, Aaron was moved and inspired when he saw Springsteen on Broadway in its original theatrical run, and he incorporated “Thunder Road” into his concert sets shortly thereafter.
“Thunder Road” is widely considered one of Bruce’s most cinematic compositions, and Tveit clearly responds to the story as much as the song.
Although he claims to have been inspired by Chris Cornell’s cover arrangement, Aaron’s performance stands tall on its own. His smooth tenor, passionate delivery, and tasteful flourishes bring Bruce’s song to life as if we were watching it on the screen or stage.
So here’s wishing Aaron good luck at the Tony Awards next Sunday along with a welcome return to Broadway Friday night!
