Darren Appreciation Thread: General News about Darren for 2016

Just wanted to let you guys know I will be on a vacation break from tomorrow (Thursday) until Monday.   I may put the forum on vacation mode (which means no one can post, but can view), or I can leave it so you guys can post if you guys want.    We all are a nice group of people who are respectful, so I trust this little group who are currently members.  If any problem should occur, just PM me.  I won't check in as often as usual, but I'll check in a few times a day.    

I hope everyone has a great rest of the week and the weekend!

Don't worry, we will be quiet 

Have a nice vacation 

*Jeremy* wrote:Don't worry, we will be quiet 

Speak for yourself! Once Poppy is gone, I plan on vandalising every single thread with one of these:




...but let's pretend I didn't just announce my devious plan. Have a nice vacation, Poppy!

haha!   Thanks you guys.  Hope everyone has a good week and weekend!   Talk to you all later. 

Hope everyone had a good weekend. 


So Darren had a good week. 

From dailydarrennews:

Darren went to see The Color Purple (I think he's seen it before?) .



With Fans: 




Franzvalmores: The amount of hysterical fits to get this photo is beyond crazy.   We may or may not have offended a handicapped old lady. Emotional during the show and emotional on meeting Darren (Close kami eh)  #Salamat #Blessedt

axlemariarafaelle: the most epic thing that happened yesterday. #DarrenCriss #AxleandtheCity #NYCYouSmile






Cute story of a this fan meeting Darren at The Color Purple:


KioshiWarrior: Met this gem today too! @DarrenCriss Hope to see you when I visit the city again!
 
So not only did I get to see The Color Purple today (phenomenal by the way), I got to meet Darren Criss! He came up to me during intermission and asked me if I was a singer because he was sitting behind me and we were going nuts over the little musical things we noticed lol he saw me snapping and “yass"ing lol gave me a hug and said, we should take a pic haha. He said I have a great voice and he can’t wait to see Maya (whatever my stage name will be) on the stage! Super sweet!






Some nice pics with Cynthia Erivo and Danielle Brooks, cast of The Color Purple:







 



 

NEW YORK, NY - JULY 06: Danielle Brooks, Darren Criss and Cynthia Erivo chat backstage at the hit musical ‘The Color Purple’ on Broadway at The Jacobs Theatre on July 6, 2016 in New York City










NEW YORK, NY - JULY 06: Danielle Brooks, Darren Criss and Cynthia Erivo chat backstage at the hit musical ‘The Color Purple’ on Broadway at The Jacobs Theatre on July 6, 2016 in New York City








na-page:
NEW YORK, NY - JULY 06: Danielle Brooks, Darren Criss and Cynthia Erivo chat backstage at the hit musical ‘The Color Purple’ on Broadway at The Jacobs Theatre on July 6, 2016 in New York City




More pics with the cast (Antoine L. Smith,  Kevyn Morrow, and Phoenix Best)




Source:  Playbill.com

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Oops.  I'm putting discussion about "White Rabbit Red Rabbit" in the Theater Thread.  Please go here:  Darren's Miscellaneous Theater Work for 2016

That sounds very interesting, not to mention challenging. I have to say I'm impressed with the roles DC have taken on post Glee, Hedwig and this seem like pretty challenging roles for an actor. He sure has guts! He'll pretty much walk into this play blind.

I think Blaine Anderson was also a challenging role.

I agree with both of you.  But there is something that is especially challenging in terms of live theater.  You make mistakes, well, you make them in front of hundreds of eyes and ears, including in front of media critics.  You can't do another "take" on a private set (when filming for TV and film, the public will never know about your flub), as you can in TV and film.    It's out there now, for people to talk about.   I remember seeing Anthony Hopkins in a play in L.A., and in one scene, he forgot his lines.  Years later, I was reading one of his interviews, where he expressed how horrified and panicked he felt, that there's nothing like forgetting one's lines in front of a live audience! 

Thanks for all the interesting comments, dusty and Jeremy.  I have to go to something, but I will return later today to read all of your comments! 

Darren definitely had a fun week.  He saw The Color Purple and Sponge Bob the Musical (haha, couldn't have seen two more different shows), went to a friend's wedding, went to the album release of Leslie Odom Jr., and visited a piano bar (Marie's Crisis?).


From dailydarrennews:


Pics with Leslie Odom Jr. and Cynthia Erivo at Leslie's album release party.





larra-belle:
Leslie Odom Jr., Darren Criss and Cynthia Erivo at Leslie Odom Jr.’s album release party at The McKittrick Hotel on July 11, 2016 in New York City.
via gleekto












darrenkey:
[UHQ] Leslie Odom Jr., Darren Criss and Cynthia Erivo at Leslie Odom Jr.’s album release party at The McKittrick Hotel on July 11, 2016 in New York City.







A nice little twitter exchange, with Darren leading the way with his funny fanboy tweet.











Darren tweeting about Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders:






And it's nice to see this little twitter exchange between Harry and  Darren. 






Pic at a piano bar:

belleybuttons:
sketchballchange: Never a bad time when Darren or Mia is around. Mia’s working the blonde    #nyc #nycnightlife #westvillage #village #showtunes #pianobar #summertimes #wecute






Pic with a fan, of Darren at Sponge Bob the musical.

@sarastew23 Not all the talent was on stage today. I found @DarrenCriss in the audience of the SpongeBob Musical today






At a restaurant in Chicago called Saved by The Max:


Darren's instagram (he looks so happy!):

hellonglitzyheels:
darrencriss One milkshake, two straws. Thanks so much, @savedbythemax!










More pics at Saved by the Max

slaggie7: When you get the pleasure of serving @darrencriss and he comes back for late night and brings friends! #SavedByTheMax #DarrenCriss #Glee #SavedByTheBell #Chicago #TheMax #Diner #90s #Nbc @savedbythemax





The next two pics are also cute:

kimstagram_: Run away with meeeeee. #teenagedream #themax @darrencriss cc: @jojoshare @voyourself @aliceinchainz





ecirizarry22 Me and the awesome Darren Criss #glee #savedbythemax #savedbythemaxpopup #savedbythebell #darrencriss

Darren posted some amusing tweets today. 


This one certainly set off a chain reaction.   Just had to laugh.   













But wait, there's more . . .















Darren is such a good sport.  He really is pretty sweet to others.





dailydarrennews:
photo source











As I said, he's really very sweet and accommodating to others.  Most people/celebrities would not consistently be so kind.


“The only thing cooler than getting to watch the new Ghostbusters movie at an early screening at work was watching it with Darren Criss sitting in front of me! The movie was hilarious, Darren was super nice. ‪#‎whoyougonnacall‬ ” | source

 
Doesn't answer his friends' texts, but replies to some random guy who took a picture of him in the subway... tsssk, Darren! But I always love when he (very nicely) calls out people who think they were being sneaky.

That whole twitter exchange is hilarious! Darren's message with his lack of communicating and Jenna's responding DARREN!!!   Can't stop laughing! "Pretty sure I have an unanswered text in there somewhere" lol!  He is so busted! Good for us though that he is so busy he doesn't have the time to respond.    

I'm a big Blina fan and have a huge soft spot for Jenna so seeing her and  DC  interact is very nice. I remember someone took a pic of them on the tube last year? And they were on their way to see a show together. Very cute. He seems to be hanging out with Kevin a lot too. It's just cool to see the Gleeks hang out.

Hi Lin.  Hope you did well on your exams! 

Lin wrote:Doesn't answer his friends' texts, but replies to some random guy who took a picture of him in the subway... tsssk, Darren!

dusty wrote:That whole twitter exchange is hilarious! Darren's message with his lack of communicating and Jenna's responding DARREN!!!   Can't stop laughing! "Pretty sure I have an unanswered text in there somewhere" lol!  He is so busted!

haha!   

I admit that I browsed some of the fans' responses to Darren's tweet.    Some were horrified.  Some of the fans were very (sweetly) concerned for Darren.  One fan even helpfully suggested Darren look in those unanswered calls/emails to see if he received any news of Link Larkin (Hairspray Live).

Do you guys have the impression that Darren purposely likes to amuse his friends with self-deprecating humor?    I have a feeling there is a reason why we see pics of Darren as a clown, because he may have been a class clown when younger and still enjoys making people laugh.

Lin wrote:But I always love when he (very nicely) calls out people who think they were being sneaky.

Yes, I agree with this.  I admire his tactfulness, when he calls people out for trying to sneak in a pic of him in public.  If you want a pic, just ask.  Knowing Darren, he almost always says yes (and when he says "no," it's for a good reason). 

dusty wrote:Good for us though that he is so busy he doesn't have the time to respond.    

I hope that he's busy working on fun stuff (for us to enjoy later), as well as having fun!   I have to say, I noticed the bags under his eyes in these two pics.  He especially looks tired in the second pic.


Enlarge this image

“The only thing cooler than getting to watch the new Ghostbusters movie at an early screening at work was watching it with Darren Criss sitting in front of me! The movie was hilarious, Darren was super nice. ‪#‎whoyougonnacall‬ ” |

source








From dailydarrennews:

kristendallo: Intern Challenge = calling @DarrenCriss to be ur date to the EW GhostBusters screening so u can win      #timeincinterns





And Darren continues to try to make us laugh and smile.    ha! "ChapSnat"






Also from dailydarrennews:


darrencriss: Now that it’s back in the theater, I would like to officially endorse my love for @singstreetmovie. Was obsessed with this film at Sundance. Can’t understand how it didn’t make a bigger splash. To me, it’s up there with all the classic band movie greats. Can’t wait for people to hear the original songs at the Oscars- all tunes I so desperately wish I wrote. Never seen a movie that has better portrayed that journey of musical adolescence- of what it’s like to search for and find your voice through music. This one’s especially for all band-obsessed siblings, growing up listening to records in their basement @CharlesCriss. Go see it now and buy the soundtrack and dance around your room like I am right now. Drive It Like You Stole It!




I love how much he shows his support for art that touches him.   I remember seeing a preview for this film, and thinking it looks fun and that I'll like to see it.   It sounds like the film really connected with Darren on a personal level, in terms of his experience of "that journey of musical adolescence--of what it's like to search for and find your voice through music," as well as the connection that he and Chuck shared over their love of music and the nostalgic memory of both Criss brothers listening to music in their basement (which is also where Darren spoke about surreptitiously watching Hedwig and the Angry Inch). 

dusty wrote:I'm a big Blina fan and have a huge soft spot for Jenna so seeing her and  DC  interact is very nice. I remember someone took a pic of them on the tube last year? And they were on their way to see a show together. Very cute. He seems to be hanging out with Kevin a lot too. It's just cool to see the Gleeks hang out.

Me too, dusty!    Both Darren and Jenna are so sweet and kind, along with Harry.   I love it when I see pics of Harry and Jenna together with Darren.  I also love Jane Lynch and Darren's friendship. 



Enjoy! 






Darren and Jennna seeing “Chicago: The Musical” on Broadway | October 31, 2015
DCN




October 31, 2015
DCN











DCN
[UHQ] Darren Criss and Jenna Ushkowitz (costars on the TV show ‘GLEE’) pose backstage at the hit musical 'Hedwig and The Angry Inch’ on Broadway at The Belasco Theater on June 10, 2015 in New York City.







DCN
Jenna Ushkowitz and Darren Criss at the DGF’s Lucky Stars Gala October 26, 2015




DCN
[UHQ] Darren Criss and Jenna Ushkowitz attend DGF’s Gala: Great Writers Thank Their Lucky Stars at Gotham Hall on October 26, 2015 in New York City.






Even before Glee was over, Jenna and Darren saw shows together. 

DCN
jushkowitznews December 29th, 2014:
amanda.monty Remember that time when I went to see Side Show and met Darren Criss and Jenna Ushkowitz?













P.S.   Would love for Darren to invite the Season 5 New Directions seniors to Elsie Fest 2016!   Let's have a mini-reunion of Jenna, Chord and Kevin!

DCN
sickofmyownvoice:
30 Mins! The graduate. @jennaushkowitz @chordover @darrencriss. Loved tonight’s version of “Loser Like Me” we got to do.



Cute gifs:
 

 

DCN

From dailydarrrennews:

Darren was in Ft. Greene Park in Brooklyn, performing and doing some introductions of other entertainers for "Broadway in the Boros," featuring music from "Beautiful," the Broadway musical about Carole King.


He stated in an interview that he will be making announcements about Elsie Fest in a week or two.    Go here for more discussion:  Elsie Fest 2016


So glad that we will be getting announcements about Elsie Fest 2016 very soon! 


A couple of videos of him performing "One Fine Day." 

 

abrokman1 @darrencriss gives an amazing FREE performance for @madein_ny #bwayintheboros
 

Darren Criss performing at Broadway in the Boros on July 15th, 2016 | source

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From dailydarrennews:



Darren Criss at Broadway in the Boros on July 15th, 2016 (x)







I'm glad to say, that he is looking more rested. 


steph browne‏ Thanks @DarrenCriss for joining us at #BwayintheBoros this afternoon and sharing the @Carole_King love!







With other performers:

Douglas Lyons‏ @DarrenCriss and The Drifters of @BeautifulOnBway! Great performance in Fort Greene Park today.




With Some fans:


misohungrrry Ran into @darrencriss @fortgreenepark and he wanted to help me make an special announcement #bunintheoven







 

@PumpkinPie522 @DarrenCriss thank you so much for being sweet as usual. Sad I missed the performance but always a pleasure







abrokman1 Hanging w/ @darrencrissbackstage of #bwayintheboros in Fort Greene Park!

More pics from dailydarrennews:







dailydarrennews
LQ | NEW YORK, NY - JULY 15: Darren Criss performs at ‘Broadway In The Boros’ in Fort Greene Park Brooklyn on July 15, 2016 in New York City.










LQ | NEW YORK, NY - JULY 15: Darren Criss attends ‘Broadway In The Boros’ in Fort Greene Park Brooklyn on July 15, 2016 in New York City.
HQ on stage | HQ 106.7 Lite FM
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dailydarrennews
HQ | NEW YORK, NY - JULY 15: Darren Criss performs during Broadway In The Boros’ at Fort Greene Park Brooklyn on July 15, 2016 in New York City.



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From dailydarrennews




So frightening.   





Shifting gears.
This was a nice thing for him to say about Darren.  Kevin Duda also has a beautiful voice.    Look him up on Youtube.

Actor in the original Broadway production of “Beautiful”






Aw, this is cool.  I hope Leslie does Elsie Fest again.



Darren Criss and Leslie Odom Jr after the performance of The Human on Broadway on July 15th, 2016 | source


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From dailydarrennews:

Continuing on Darren's night out in NYC:

With Alexander Sharp

alexanderiansharp1 New York New York @darrencriss @jamessoldan22




gabbygdbMe: and my baby my baby and me