Darren Criss takes us backstage on Broadway, where there might be a happy ending

Darren Criss plays a robot in his new broadway show, Maybe a happy endingbut don’t be fooled: In real life, he’s a real person, full of nerves, excitement, and plenty of stories to tell about his experiences on stage over the years.

“Too many to count!” Chris, 37, exclusively revealed when asked what his craziest live performance experience was in the latest Backstage Pass feature us weeklyon newsstands now. “Live theater is live theater. There’s so much going on that I can’t possibly pay close attention to everything.

this Happy Alumni’s latest programs, Maybe a happy endingFollowing him in such little shop of horrors, hedwig and the angry inch and How to achieve business success without actually trying. While anything can happen in a live production, Chris revealed that his craziest live performance experience occurred small shop.

“It rained really hard and there was flooding in the middle of the building and they had to evacuate within about 15 minutes of the show starting,” the Emmy winner recalled. “We didn’t get to finish the show and I felt so bad for the people who came. Sad. So it was a crazy experience.

Keep scrolling to see more behind-the-scenes stories from Chris, including how he calmed down his pre-performance jitters before taking the stage at the Belasco Theater. Maybe a happy endingnow playing on Broadway:

locker room ritual

To be honest, I’m not very good at this. If anything, I just try not to eat around [my] Performance. This is a basic thing. There is no real ceremony. My dressing room is always simple. I don’t decorate it. I’m just there to do a job and celebrate a story.

I’m trying to get better at warming up. The best actors do that, and I was a bad student. I really have to get better at this. So, I aspire to be a guy who has locker room rituals.

The craziest live performance experience

Too many to count! Live theater is live theater. There’s so much going on that I can’t possibly pay close attention to everything.

I did have an experience when I was doing little shop of horrors There was a flood in the middle. A heavy rain caused flooding in the middle of the building and they had to evacuate within about 15 minutes of setting out. We didn’t finish the show and I was so frustrated for the people who came. So that was a crazy experience.

Nervous about rehearsal

I think someone once told me that being nervous means you care. So that’s always good. I was nervous, but not for the reasons you might think. It’s about the desire to actually get things done.

Performers tend to set these arbitrary goalposts that you have to hit in order to be satisfied with the performance, but that’s all an illusion. Those are not true. You know, for every show, as long as you can achieve 75% of what you want to achieve, usually the audience’s experience will be 100%.

How to calm nerves before a show

Put on a show you did the damn thing. There is no such thing as bravery. It’s just doing what you’re nervous about. This is the act of being. You don’t need to be brave, you just do it. I think doing art frees you from the tension of worrying about what art will be.

Ideal after party

Live band. Whether they want it or not, I’ll probably go up and play with them. Good whiskey, fun people, late nights and a little jazz.

Lexi Carson reports