The Other Side of Santa Cruz American Idol James Durbin

If America voted for the huggiest American Idol, James Durbin would be one of the finalists. During the Thursday results shows, he is often among the most “touchy-feely” people on the stage.

But according to Robin Aronson, who directed Durbin in Kids on Broadway productions of Beauty and the Beast in 2006 and Singin’ in the Rain in 2008, James wasn’t always a hugger.

 She says that during Beauty and the Beast, the social aspects of being the lead actor among a cast of 30, and especially, connecting one on one, were difficult for him.

“He needed a lot of personal space,” says Aronson.  When he got triggered and reacted to the pressure, “he would go out to the playground.”

This behavior is typical in people with Asperger’s Syndrome.

But she says Durbin wasn’t difficult to work with. “He had special needs, but there was something special about him that made you want to fulfill them.”

His talent and skill would kick into high gear when he stepped on the stage, practicing his songs and his dance moves. Aronson says, “He was fabulous as Beast,”

Two years later, at 19, Durbin landed the Gene Kelly role in Singin’ in the Rain. As a more mature and socially adept person, his concerns melted away like magic. “He was warm, funny, connecting, and totally cool in the eyes of the cast. He rose above everything and was no longer triggered."

 If you only know Durbin from Idol, it may be hard to picture him singing and dancing like Gene Kelly. But there’s video of him on YouTube performing the song “Good Morning” with fellow cast mates Jaleh Gerami and Nashon Marden, that shows just how adept at tap dancing he is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TA--CxAyDAU

 Aronson says his talent was quite obvious and he took direction well. She believes Durbin’s stage career as a teenager was instrumental to his future as a performer. “He got so much positive feedback doing these shows, it built his confidence in his own talent and his ability.”

Though movie theme night would have been the perfect vehicle for Durbin to show off his musical theater chops, as both of the stage shows he was in were originally movies, Aronson was happy with Durbin’s choice of “Heavy Metal.” When asked what selection she would pick from the musical theater catalog, she chose a song from Jesus Christ Superstar:   "Gethesemane (I Want to Say)."  She suggested he could “do all the high notes and nail all the emotional content” from this song.

 Though Aronson found Durbin easy to direct, she wasn’t surprised that he chose not to follow Jimmy Iovine’s advice. “He’s been asserting himself for three weeks.”

When informed that TMZ has reported rumors that her former cast member is consistently in third place, with Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina ahead of him, Aronson suggested that Durbin “continue to follow his instincts and keep being who he is, because he’s lovable.”