Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor, singer and Glee favorite, Darren Criss, will make his Ridgefield Playhouse debut to celebrate the holiday season! He’ll bring “A Very Darren Crissmas” to Ridgefield for his only Connecticut performance on Friday, December 16 at 8pm, as part of the Teed & Brown Broadway & Cabaret Series. Fans will enjoy a night of music ranging from big band Christmas classics to novelty tunes to modern-day folk-pop ballads. Since starring in his breakout role as Blaine Anderson on TV’s Glee, Criss has since gone on to star on the screen and stage. He starred in American Buffalo on Broadway earlier this year and co-hosted the 2022 Tony Awards: Act One with Julianne Hough. He previously starred as Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch after his Broadway debut in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying as J. Pierrepont Finch. Since then, he garnered major acclaim on the small screen for his starring role in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, winning the Emmy and Golden Globe Award. Don’t miss the chance to celebrate the season with songs from his recent holiday album “A Very Darren Crissmas!” Make it a great night out with dinner and a show! Make it a great night out with dinner and a show – visit TerraSole (3 Big Shop Lane, Ridgefield) and enjoy a complimentary glass of house wine with your entrée when you present your tickets.
Darren Criss first garnered attention in 2009 after a video of A Very Potter Musical went viral on YouTube. Criss played the lead role of Harry Potter, and wrote most of the music and lyrics for this StarKid’s production, a musical theater company based in Chicago, which he is founding member and co-owner. He then rose to fame as Blaine Anderson in the popular TV series Glee. He worked again with creator/producer Ryan Murphy on The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, starring as spree killer Andrew Cunanan. The role earned him Emmy and Golden Globe awards for his leading role.
Criss made his Broadway debut in 2012 replacing Daniel Radcliffe in the role of J. Pierrepont Finch in the revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. In 2015, he took on the role of Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch replacing Neil Patrick Harris, and also headlined its national tour. Earlier this year found him back on The Great White Way when he starred in David Mamet’s American Buffalo alongside Tony Award winner Laurence Fishburne and Academy Award winner Sam Rockwell. Criss a co-founder of Elsie FestBroadway’s outdoor music festival featuring stars and songs of the stage and screen. Some of their past performers have included Lea Michele (Glee, Spring Awakening), Cynthia Erivo (The Color Purple), Leslie Odom Jr. (Hamilton, Smash), Aaron Tveit (Grease: Live, Next To Normal), Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) and more, with past festivals have been held at Central Park SummerStage, Pier 97, and the Ford Amphitheater on Coney Island.
His began his solo music career while attending the University of Michigan. In 2010 he released an independently produced EP titled Human, which peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers Albums chart. His holiday album A Very Darren Crissmas released in 2021 and includes collaborations with Adam Lambert, “America’s Got Talent” winner Darci Lynne and Petunia, Evan Rachel Wood, and more!
For more information or to purchase touchless print at home ticket ($110 – $130) go online at www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org or, you can visit or call the box office (203) 438-5795. The Ridgefield Playhouse is a non-profit performing arts center located at 80 East Ridge, parallel to Main Street, Ridgefield, CT and is committed to keeping the arts alive and available to all.
