This week, I thought I would feature Darren Criss since he’s in Toronto for the film festival, having walked the red carpet on Friday for the film Imogene. This movie, which also stars Matt Dillon and Kristen Wiig, is about a playwright who stages a suicide in hopes of winning back her ex. Sounds pretty dire, right? Apparently it’s pegged as a comedy and I am even more intrigued by it now.
Darren with Kristen Wiig in Imogene | Photo Credit: IMDB.com
Photo Credit: Glee/Fox.com
When Darren made his first appearance on Glee as Blaine from the Warblers, he was an instant hit. With the Warblers’ rendition of Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream, it skyrocketed Darren and “Blaine” to become a household name among Gleeks. I had the pleasure of seeing him and the rest of the Glee cast perform last year when they were in town to do a weekend of concerts and you can bet that the screams and cheers for the Warblers were louder than any other segment of the show.
What I didn’t realize at the time was that Darren-as-Blaine actually wasn’t the first time I had seen him. I was informed that he was, in fact, the one behind A Very Potter Musical and my mind was blown. I remember watching the musical online and never made the connection that it was the same guy. As a founding member of StarKid Productions, they produced the musical based on the famous Harry Potter books which soon went viral online.
Photo Credit: http://howtosucceedbroadway.com
Then, in a weird twist-of-fate way, he follows in Daniel Radcliffe’s footsteps again by being cast to replace him on Broadway as J. Pierrepont Finch in How to Succeed in Business. I had the absolute pleasure of seeing Dan on Broadway last summer (see my recap of the hilarious live theatre blunder!) and wish I could have gone back to NYC 6 months later to see the show again with Darren but, really, I couldn’t justify that expense! (…….. even though I did find myself in NYC over the holidays.. so I technically did miss Darren’s opening night on Broadway by a day. 
)
So let’s see here… this talented cutie is not just a triple threat who can sing, dance, and act but he’s also associated with Glee, loves Harry Potter and does musical theatre? What’s not to swoon about??
A few discussion questions:
- Have you seen Darren as Blaine on Glee? What’s your favourite Warbler performance?
- He often sports ties and bowties in his roles. Which do you prefer?
- Who is your favourite Triple (or more) Threat?
Love Darren Criss! A great pick
Siobhan @ Conversations of a Reading Addict recently posted..Stacking the Shelves [5]
Great choice! I love him as Blaine on GLEE.
And Teenage Dream is a great cover his voice is perfect for it and I listen to it in the car all the time. Off to check out the A Very Potter Musical. 
Chrystal @ Snowdrop Dreams of Books recently posted..Scotiabank Giller Prize 2012: Longlist Announcments
Love him:)
Elin recently posted..En smakebit på søndag ( A Taste of Sunday) – Verten (The host)
I <3 Darren Criss! I loved the Warblers doing When I Get You Alone and of course Teenage Dream. And I have to say – I love him just in a t-shirt – much better in my eyes. He's actually a damn good triple threat – I just was watching him do "You Gotta Be Starting Something" from the Michael episode and damn, that boy can move! *swoon*
Natalie recently posted..Indigo Books & Music Inc. Holiday Preview 2012
I love Darren Criss! I don’t even know what would be my favorite performance of his he is just fantastic. Great post!!
Amy @ Book Loving Mom recently posted..Review: Cursed by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Swooning is right!
He’s pretty much the only reason I still watch glee. And I loved A Harry Potter Musical!
I wish I could have seen him (or Dan for that matter) on Broadway. Hopefully he’ll do another show in the future.
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