Darren Criss and Helen J Shen To Star In MAYBE HAPPY ENDING On Broadway This Fall

From Skid Row to 44th Street! This morning it was announced that Darren Criss and Helen J Shen will star in the Broadway premiere of the new romantic musical comedy Maybe Happy Ending, with music by Will Aronson, lyrics by Hue Park and a book by both Aronson and Park. Michael Arden is set to direct the new musical which will begin previews Wednesday September 18, 2024 ahead of an opening night on Thursday, October 17, 2024 at the Belasco Theatre.

Dez Duron will make his Broadway debut along with Shen with the production. Additional casting will be announced at a later date.

Inside a one-room apartment in the heart of Seoul, Oliver (Criss) lives a happily quiet life listening to jazz records and caring for his favorite plant. But what else is there to do when you’re a Helper-Bot 3, a robot that has long been retired and considered obsolete? When his fellow Helperbot neighbor Claire (Shen) asks to borrow his charger, what starts as an awkward encounter leads to a unique friendship, a surprising adventure, and maybe even...love? Winner of the Richard Rodgers Award, Maybe Happy Ending is the offbeat and captivating story of two outcasts near the end of their warranty who discover that even robots can be swept off their feet. Maybe Happy Ending is a fresh, original musical about the small things that make any life worth living.

Maybe Happy Ending was written in both Korean and English-language versions. The Korean-language version opened in December of 2016 at DaeMyung Culture Factory in Seoul and subsequently won six Korean Musical Awards including Best Musical. The English-language version was awarded the 2017 Richard Rodgers Production Award and had its U.S. premiere at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta in the 2019-2020 season.

“I am so very happy to be joining the enchanting world of Maybe Happy Ending,” said Darren Criss. “It’s already such a special piece, but all the more exciting for me to get to build it for Broadway with people I admire - namely my ol’ pal Michael Arden, a visionary I’ve been wanting to work with for longer than I care to admit, as well as the very talented Will Aronson and Hue Park. Their inventive book and music, combined with Michael’s direction, is exactly the kind of alchemy that gets me most excited about what musical theater can be. I can’t wait for audiences to take part in this wonderfully original theatrical experience, and behold a story from a future that explores one of the most ancient questions of humanity- why love?”

Dane Laffrey will design the Set and Additional Video, while Costume Design is by Clint Ramos, Lighting Design is by Tony Award-nominee Ben Stanton, Sound Design is by Peter Hylenski, Video Design by George Reeve, Deborah Abramson is the Music Supervisor and John Yun will be the Music Director. Casting is by Telsey & Co, Craig Burns, CSA and Justin Scribner is the Production Stage Manager.

For more information please visit: www.maybehappyending.com

DarrenArmy: If you’re somehow not sick of Darren’s TED talks after the last month 😂 he hosted a Sirius XM show playing some of his and others’ Christmas tunes🎄🎶 Oh and he also confirms the Little Shop rumors in the video!! “End of January to end of March.” 🌱🎶 https://siriusxm.com/player/episode

Darren Criss at the SAG-AFTRA Strike, Los Angeles, California, USA - 14 Aug 2023 (Photos by Rob Latour/Shutterstock)

Darren Criss | 2022

Chess In Concert

Join us for a concert presentation of the legendary musical Chess, directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer with a revised book by Emmy Award winner Danny Strong.

This one-night-only concert presentation will star Darren Criss as “Freddie Trumper”, Lena Hall as “Florence Vassey”, Ramin Karimloo as “Anatoly Sergievsky” and Solea Pfeiffer as “Svetlana Sergievsky”*.

Chess boasts music by ABBA songwriters Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, with lyrics by Tim Rice and Björn Ulvaeus.

*Cast subject to change

darrencriss: M & D made some sweet music. ⁣

🎶 Bluesy Belle Criss⁣ 🎶⁣

4/11/22⁣

💙 Out now. 💙

I'm sitting here in tears, and I'm stunned. I hope Chuck's family is embraced in love. And Darren's message is worth sharing and taking in. If you know anyone hurting, reach out.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (USA)

800-273-8255

Darren Criss | 2021

Link

Darren Criss Found a New Way to Give Season’s Greetings in Japan

I don’t know if it’s an adage, but I always say that if you want to book an acting gig, plan a vacation and get really excited to go on it, and then you’ll book a job right during that time.

So, for me, the only really fail-safe way I can plan a trip is during the holidays. Because of this, I’ve actually done Christmas in Kyoto twice. The first time was when I was 25 or 26, and I went on a trip with my family—my brother, my mom, my dad, and me. My dad used to live in Japan, and my whole life I dreamed about being able to go with him and have him show us around, so that was awesome.

One of my favorite memories is walking around the streets of Kyoto, down Pontocho Alley, with my brother. It’s one of the most magical little places to go barhopping in the world. Everywhere we went, people would see us and say, “Happy Merry Christmas!” I think they may have thought that “Merry Christmas” was the holiday, so it would be the proper custom to say to foreigners, “Happy Merry Christmas.” It was very sweet. But anyway, Kyoto is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. If you didn’t already think that sober, try having a few shots of sake and then looking at it. I wouldn’t say we got wrecked, but we made quite merry, and I do have a song on my album called “Drunk on Christmas,” so…

Several years later, I took my wife, Mia, to Japan. We visited Tokyo and Kyoto, and we added a ski trip, which is a big thing in my life. Anytime I revisit a place, I want to do something that I’m familiar with but also experience something new. The skiing there was really fabulous, and it was insanely beautiful. At the end of the day, you have some hot sake or a hot bowl of ramen, and then you have an onsen—a bath in the hot springs—and you’re just like, “This is a level of wonderful that I highly recommend to people from all over the world.”

Now, I’m a crazy itinerary guy. I love planning travel. I’m pretty proud that my wife and I can turn 10 days into about three months. To me, a vacation is a thrill ride where every day there’s a new adventure. In Japan, there were so many different things that we got ourselves into, from driving around the night streets of Shibuya in go-karts dressed as characters from Mario Kart to making our own kimonos to learning how to do ukiyo-e, the traditional wood-block printing. We did some Airbnb Experiences that were really something, including a tea ceremony with a couple who had both trained as tea masters. They had this beautiful little home outside of Tokyo, and we had a wonderful lunch with them and their children and shared stories. These are the kinds of things that I think are just—mwah!—chef’s kiss! If you’re as painfully affable as my wife and I are, when you meet people through experiences like this you sometimes end up getting dinner and drinks with them and having a night on the town. It’s a great way to involve yourself in the local scene.

On Christmas day, we were at a ryokan in Kyoto, and it was just magic. We didn’t bring big gifts with us—I think being there with each other was gift enough. The holidays are about who you’re with. Here we were in a country whose commercial and spiritual systems aren’t defined by years and years of Christmas, but it was something we could still hold in our hearts and bring to another place. We just had to say “Happy Merry Christmas” instead of “Merry Christmas.”

Darren Criss spent quarantine learning to read and speak Japanese, and he can’t wait to return to Japan. Until then, catch him on tour this month in support of his new holiday album, A Very Darren Crissmas.

Darren Criss | FAULT Magazine Covershoot and Interview | Photographer / Creative Director: Raen Badua

Darren Criss | Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (11-25-2021)

Darren Scores a US TV Network Trifecta!

Darren’s definitely ending 2021 with a musical bang! On November 25 (Thanksgiving Day in the US) he’ll perform as part of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade on NBC TV. On November 28, he’ll appear on Disney Parks Magical Christmas Celebration on ABC TV. Then, on December 5, he’ll appear on A Home for the Holidays on CBS TV. Smart strategy to record a Crissmas album! Time to set the DVR.

Darren Criss attends An Evening With Darren Criss Featuring Special Guest Producer Ron Fair at The GRAMMY Museum on November 12, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

darrencriss: Honored to kick off designer Jil Sander’s final collection with Uniqlo. Simple Timeless. Makes dressin’ warm feel real cool. Fall / Winter 21 +J collection launches in-store online Nov 11th, marking the end of the second chapter of their partnership. Danke schoën Jil and UNIQLO! @uniqlousa @uniqlo #uniqlo #uniqloplusj #ad

darrencriss: We’ve been making music for years.⁣

⁣… But this time we made a BEAT.⁣

⁣The ultimate collab droppin Spring 2022.