Darren Criss (photo provided by Boneau/Bryan-Brown via The Broadway Blog.)
Hedwig is getting gleeful this spring as Darren Criss joins the cast in the lead role. He’ll be replacing John Cameron Mitchell April 29 for a limited 12-week run.
Composer and lyricist Stephen Trask said, “The first time I saw Darren I knew he was a game changer. He’s that good. Then, when we hung out it was like we were old friends. I’m excited to spend the next few months making the show and getting to know each other better. I’m happy that Hedwig can be Darren’s next stop on his way to world domination.”
Book writer John Cameron Mitchell said, “I’ve got a grin plastered on my face that Darren is joining the brotherhood of Hedwigs. I LOVED him in How to Succeed. His stage presence is electrifying, his rock and roll credentials and comic timing impeccable and I’m thrilled to be working with him to create a brand-new Hedwig!”
Criss, musician, composer and actor, currently stars as Blaine Anderson on Fox’s Emmy and Golden Globe Award‐winning series Glee. He made his Broadway debut in January of 2012 as J. Pierrepont Finch in How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. With Criss at the helm, the revival made just over $4 million, which proved to be the most lucrative three weeks of its 11-month run.
Prior to his rise to stardom, the San Francisco-native pursued a BFA in Acting at the University of Michigan. In his senior year, he and his friends created what would become the viral YouTube hit, A Very Potter Musical. With that same group, Criss and his writing partners founded the now Chicago-based theater company, StarKid Productions, whose works have spurred multiple Billboard charting cast albums, and sold-out national tours. Their original show, Starship debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Cast Album, for which Criss composed and penned the lyrics.
Criss’s additional film, TV and stage credits include Girl Most Likely opposite Kristen Wiig and Annette Bening, The Wind Rises with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Web Therapy, ABC’s Backstage with Disney on Broadway, Michael Feinstein’s New Year’s Eve Special on PBS as well as hosting duties for the NewNowNext Awards and Teen Choice Awards.
Hedwig and The Angry Inch, with book by John Cameron Mitchell and music and lyrics by Stephen Trask, directed by Michael Mayer, has received rave reviews and is the winner of four Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival. It was also awarded Best Musical Revival by the Drama Desk Awards, Drama League Awards, and Outer Critics Circle Awards. The Grammy nominated Original Broadway Cast album for Hedwig and the Angry Inch is available from Atlantic Records.
John Cameron Mitchell in “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” (photo: Joan Marcus via The Broadway Blog.)
