“Criss” Kringle’s coming to town a little early this year. And he’s got creative plans to spread some musical Yuletide cheer throughout the Motor City.
You might even say that it’s his civic duty.
“I’m in the service industry. As an entertainer, I’m here to play some music and take you through a bit of a holiday music Ted Talk,” says actor/singer/songwriter Darren Criss about his “A Very Darren Crissmas” tour coming to the Fisher Theatre on Sunday, Dec. 10. “Hopefully, people will leave with a little holiday pep in their step.”
Topping Criss’ concert playlist are songs from his A Very Darren Crissmas album which dropped in 2021. But because of the pandemic, Criss never got a chance to have a full-blown Christmas concert tour — until now.
“The album and tour showcase creative imaginings of classic tunes and rarely covered hidden gems along with two original Christmas songs,” says Criss, a 2009 Theatre Performance graduate of the University of Michigan.
Joining Criss on stage is fellow UM Wolverine and BFF Tomek Miernowski as his music director. Criss’ set list features “a wildly eclectic collection of songs from big band Christmas classics to novelty tunes and modern-day folk-pop ballads,” he says.
Long before the Crissmas album — which features duets with Adam Lambert, Lainey Wilson and Evan Rachel Wood — Criss was writing original songs for the hit TV series Glee which featured Criss in his breakout role as Blaine Anderson. In 2018, he won a Primetime Emmy, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and Critics’ Choice Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his role as Andrew Cunanan in The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. In addition, he recently starred in Netflix’s hit series Hollywood, for which he also served as executive producer. And Broadway fans will remember Criss’ star turns in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Hedwig and the Angry Inch and American Buffalo with Laurence Fishburne and Sam Rockwell in 2022.
Though Criss won’t be able to squeeze in a visit to the Big House in Ann Arbor this time around, he’s already checking out the home game schedule for 2024.
“I make it my business to come back at least once a year, especially during football season,” says Criss, who attended nearly every game when he was a student.
The last time Criss was in Michigan, he also visited the Motown Museum with his band.
“It was fun,” he says. “There’s a bit of Motown that’s infused in this album that was inspired by the Detroit sound. So, when we play [the Christmas concert at the Fisher Theatre], there will be a bit of a hometown vibe.”
Though Criss’ dad moved all over the country growing up, he spent his formative years in Detroit.
“So that’s why when I applied to the University of Michigan, and ultimately got in, it was such a big thing for me to be able to take my dad to the Big House for a football game. He hadn’t been to Michigan since he was 10. And I took him, easily, more than 50 years later to see a game there. That was a lot of fun,” Criss reminisced.
“I’ve got a lot of kinship with the state of Michigan and the city of Detroit.”
TO BUY TICKETS:
Darren Criss will perform at the Fisher Theatre on Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023. Tickets can be purchased online at BroadwayInDetroit.com and in person at the Fisher Theatre box office.
CHECK OUT SOME OF CRISS' CHRISTMAS PERFORMANCES:
youtube.com/watch?v=AXi1G9WhcRY&list=RDbJSSH6HtHMo&index=2
youtube.com/watch?v=bJSSH6HtHMo&list=RDbJSSH6HtHMo&start_radio=1
youtube.com/watch?v=fLQWDwqMfOI&list=RDbJSSH6HtHMo&index=3
“I’ve got a lot of kinship with the state of Michigan and the city of Detroit.”
— Darren Criss