By Denny Patterson

Since making a splash in the Hollywood scene over a decade ago by playing Blaine Anderson on Fox’s critically acclaimed series Glee, Emmy and Golden Globe winner Darren Criss has epitomized a vibrant artistic expression unrestricted by conventional forms or genres.

On Tuesday, November 28, 2023, the star will make his way to South Florida’s Parker Playhouse for A Very Darren Crissmas, where he will perform songs from his recent holiday album of the same name. Made with Ron Flair, multi-Grammy nominee and producer of several Grammy-winning hits, A Very Darren Crissmas showcases Criss’ artistry delivering both thrilling unpredictable moments and a timeless sense of Christmas magic.

From big band Christmas classics and novelty tunes to modern-day folk-pop ballads, this set has something for everyone, and OutClique had the opportunity to sit down with Criss and talk more about it. 

Denny Patterson: Thanks for taking some time to chat with me, Darren! How excited are you to bring A Very Darren Crissmas to South Florida?

Darren Criss: I’m happy to bring it anywhere, man! With no discredit to South Florida, I’m just happy that I get to do it at all. The whole reason for making a holiday album, other than the fact that it was very fun to me, is to play it live. A lot of recording artists see playing music live as sort of a drag, and I’m the complete opposite. I make music to play it live, and given the ecosystem of the holiday music thing, which is performative, communal, and traditional for a lot of people, I look at my work as an entertainer like I’m in the service industry. I enjoy bringing that spirit to people in any way I can. When you make a holiday album, there is hope that you’ll get to tour and share this music live, hopefully for the rest of the foreseeable future. Let’s hope the holiday season doesn’t get canceled (laughs). So, I’m very pleased to do it anywhere, but I’m excited to come to South Florida because I haven’t been able to perform this down there yet. I did this in residency in New York last year at the Carlyle, and a mini thing on the east coast, but this tour includes parts of the Midwest and the South, so I’m thrilled. 

Denny Patterson: What do you ultimately hope audiences take away from this production?

Darren Criss: I just hope it gets them in the Christmas spirit. Unfortunately, it is wrought with a lot of cliches, but they’re all positive cliches, so anything to get them in a good mood. This show is essentially the album that I made, and the album was to take people on this little journey through my musicological brain. It’s not just playing songs, it’s a bit of a holiday music TED Talk that relates to my own experience. It’s a cabaret of my life via Christmas music, so if people are interested in me, they might learn something new about me, but even more, hopefully they’ll learn something about music, the origins of these songs, and why they are significant to me. The hope of the album was to introduce people to music that they didn’t know, but hopefully feel familiar with. Or on the opposite side of that, have people experience music that they are familiar with in a different way, and that’s something I try to do across the board in my career. I try to make unfamiliar things feel accessible, and accessible things feel new and different. 

Denny Patterson: Have you always wanted to do a Christmas album?

Darren Criss: Yes. If you have the ability to do something, like if you have a really good throwing arm and you watch somebody play catch or football, you’re like, okay, I’m going to do this one day, and here’s how I would do it. I’m like that with music. As a journalist, I’m sure when you read an article, you’re like, this is how I would have done it. We’re introduced to a whole lexicon of music every year, and consistently, one can’t help but go, well, here’s what I would do if I made a holiday album. So, I’ve been kind of inventorying my version of what this would be for my whole life, prior to 2021. I was always going to do this, so I made a list of songs I would do, and I knew exactly how I would do them. The hardest part of the album was whittling that list of 100 ideas down to 10-12. 

Denny Patterson: Which song from the album is your absolute favorite to perform, and why?

Darren Criss: It varies depending on the audience. I don’t know, you never know what resonates with people more. I enjoy getting to introduce new things to people in general. I’m the kind of guy that if I find something I love, I really want to share it with people, and it gives me great joy to share something that hopefully has a positive reaction. But you never know what that’s going to be, so I suppose it’s the new stuff that I know they don’t know. Playing it live, hopefully there’s an opportunity for that song to maybe become part of their holiday experience or holiday music rotation. So, anything that’s a little left to center. There are a few songs on the album that I know people will not be familiar with, but while I have their attention, I love auditioning them to possibly become a more prominent fixture in their Christmas listening experience.

Denny Patterson: Do you have any plans to do a second Christmas album?

Darren Criss: Like I said, I had to whittle it down from 100, so there’s definitely `1a few albums in there. It’s just a matter of time, energy, and I tend to keep a lot of plates spinning. So, I think we’ll ride this one out for a little bit before we get to that, but sure, there’s bound to be a sequel. If you make something you like enough, in the back of your mind, you’re always ruminating what a sequel could be. It’s definitely in there somewhere! 

Denny Patterson: What are the holidays typically like for you? Are you usually working, or do you try to take some time off and spend it with your family?

Darren Criss: It’s funny you say that because the irony of all this is now that I have this album, Christmas has become the busiest time of my entire year. Between a strike, the pandemic, and a lot of other stuff, I haven’t really been working to the degree that I probably would have pre-2020. For better or for worse, my work schedule hasn’t been as congested, so ironically, making this Christmas album has made what is ordinarily the time of year to unplug the most hectic. The new sort of Christmas tradition has been like, alright, I guess we’re going to be playing this album. And if I’m lucky enough to have people who want me to do it, then I’m happy to. 

Denny Patterson: What is one of your absolute favorite holiday memories? 

Darren Criss: I kind of talk a little bit about it on the album. My father is an excellent chef, and he had this wonderful tradition in our house, and the joke that I use is that he was somehow like a character from Dickensian England. He’s the only guy I knew growing up in San Francisco in the 90s that made a Christmas goose. I don’t think that’s happened beyond old fashioned English novels, but he threw this party that was a huge family and friends tradition called “The Goose Night,” and it was something everybody looked forward to. I always looked forward to his cooking and baking, and he was just like an unbelievable chef. I have a lot of nostalgia for those sights and smells of my father in the kitchen around the holiday. 

Denny Patterson: Unfortunately, there are many LGBTQ+ people who struggle during this time of year. What advice or words of comfort can you offer them?

Darren Criss: Yes, a lot of LGBTQ+ and marginalized people are suffering during one of the happiest times of the year, but I think the flip side to that is those people do have each other. In times of joy and despair, we have our communities to hold us up. There’s an incredible ecosystem that exists, particularly within the queer community, which is something that has always been a stronghold of support for a lot of trials and tribulations. The queer community has been ravaged by so many things, but they have been so supportive of each other. There’s so many different resources, centers, and places that really do look out for members of that community, as well as communities outside that are also going through hard times during an otherwise pretty joyous time. I would say, whether you’re talking about Christmas, December, New Year’s, or anything that is symbolized by this time of year, it is pretty extraordinary, and this is the romantic in me talking, despite everything that goes on during the year, it is pretty wild that for a few days of the year across the globe, we subscribe to the idea that we should be nice to each other. Whether or not people do it is another thing, but the fact that mainstream media, movies, culture at large around the world suddenly decides to be warm, cozy, and cuddly. It’s amazing that we all decide collectively to do that, despite all the terrible things we do to each other. So, I would advise people to lean into that encouragement. 

Denny Patterson: Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects or anything else you’d like to mention or plug

Darren Criss: Nope! Right now it’s all about Christmas!