Latest news with #Criss
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Maybe Happy Ending' star Darren Criss on his Tony nomination for playing a robot: ‘Getting to do this is the true win'
'I'm just, at a very base level, always so grateful to be getting to do this — that is the true win,' confesses newly minted Tony nominee Darren Criss. The actor is recognized for his performance as a 'Model-3 Helperbot' named Oliver in the touching new musical Maybe Happy Ending. While the accolades of awards season are appreciated — the tuner scooped up a whopping total of 10 Tony nominations — Criss is most affected by the opportunity to work on a show that has formed a deep connection with audiences. 'What art can and should do at its highest function, is connect people to their own human experience with other humans,' he tells Gold Derby (watch the full interview above). 'It's all just part of the amazing divine pleasure that it is to get to work on something that has an additive, if not positive, substantive effect on people who are experiencing it.' More from GoldDerby Directors open up about identity, risk and emotional storytelling at Disney's FYC fest 'M*A*S*H' star Loretta Swit dies at 87, and more of today's top stories Taylor Swift's rights drama explained: What happened and why it matters Maybe Happy Ending marks the first time Criss has been able to originate a role in a new Broadway show. That was always a career goal for Criss, but he admits that 'you can't dream up something like this ... its presence in my life is absolutely miraculous.' The actor admits that he had no idea how long the unique musical about robots would last, but it gave him the right opportunity at the right time. Part of his work in originating the role was finding a specific physical characterization for Oliver. His mannerisms have to telegraph the fact that he's playing an android, yet Oliver needs to have a distinct personality and emotional life. Criss explains that he paid close attention to the concept of the 'uncanny valley' when crafting his role. 'The characters, the closer they are to humans, the more we're endeared to them. But then there's this threshold where once it gets a little too close, it starts becoming repulsive,' he describes, 'so I always kind of wanted to be aware of that line, but also be able to present as much as I could that this was not a human being.' Luckily, Criss has an interest and background in physical theater, having studied Commedia dell'arte in Italy, learning techniques such as clowning, mime, and mask work. The actor pulled from those theater traditions to create Oliver's physical language. 'There's no subtlety with expression. It's all out there for you to see. Everything is telegraphed very explicitly. And that actually is a really fun playground for an actor because you can kind of exist in these big, over expressive places,' notes Criss. The resulting effect is a non-human character who delivers strikingly human emotional beats, which takes the audience by surprise. It's nearly impossible for audiences to watch Maybe Happy Ending without imprinting their own human experiences on these inhuman characters. Criss isn't surprised by their emotional responses, since a similar effect occurs with the cast. 'I think anybody that brings their experience into a piece, you're not necessarily evoking those specific moments or those or specific people, but rather the understanding of that emotional sensation,' he says of connecting with Oliver's journey. The musical, just like our brains and memories, is less concerned with minute details of a memorable event, but more so the lasting emotional impact. 'I apply that to the way that I summon feelings in any piece that I do where my brain may not remember or tap into the exact details of every little moment. But, I do remember, the hard drive remembers the feelings and how they feel and how they make you think and act,' explains the actor, putting things into robot terms. 'So those inevitably go into the character.' Criss won the Critics Choice, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, and Emmy Award for his performance in American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace. He received an additional Emmy nomination for writing the music and lyrics to the song "Dreams Come True" from Glee. SIGN UP for Gold Derby's free newsletter with latest predictions Best of GoldDerby Who Needs a Tony to Reach EGOT? Sadie Sink on her character's 'emotional rage' in 'John Proctor Is the Villain' and her reaction to 'Stranger Things: The First Shadow' 'It should be illegal how much fun I'm having': Lea Salonga on playing Mrs. Lovett and more in 'Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends' Click here to read the full article.
Newsweek
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Tony Nominee Darren Criss on the 'Miracle' That Is 'Maybe Happy Ending'
Darren Criss Darren Criss Laurel Hinton "I always like to say that the victory is in the conversation." Darren Criss is an Emmy-winning actor, but deep down he's a musical theater nerd. Which is why he's so proud to be part of this year's Tony-nominated musical Maybe Happy Ending. "Everybody involved in [Broadway], we all work within a 10-some-odd block radius, and it is really like a campus celebration." For Criss, who plays Oliver, a robot in futuristic Seoul in love with another robot, Claire (played by Helen J. Shen), it's "nothing short of a miracle." "You kind of hope for this your whole life." After picking up 10 Tony nominations, including Criss' for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical, it's clear countless others did too. "I hope it runs for many moons in other countries and in other dimensions." Part of what makes the show unique is its path to Broadway. "Every step along the way, it has been an exponential groundswell of positive response, because everything is just earnest ideas believed in by earnest people." And it's been a benchmark for diversity and Asian stories on Broadway. "I always like to say that the victory is in the conversation." SUBSCRIBE TO THE PARTING SHOT WITH H. ALAN SCOTT ON APPLE PODCASTS OR SPOTIFY AND WATCH ON YOUTUBE Editor's Note: This conversation has been edited and condensed for publication. How does it feel to be a Tony nominee? I don't know what to say that can be concise and all-encapsulating without me shortchanging a lot of ideas swirling in my head. Especially if I'm talking to folks like yourself in situations like this, when people ask about these things, something that is a big concept suddenly becomes like a press conference answer. Let's make it easy and good old-fashioned—It's great. Feels great. Cliches exist for a reason. It's an honor, because it is, and it feels great because it is great. And hopefully that doesn't shortchange any of the ideas I mentioned in my head. Criss in "Maybe Happy Ending." Criss in "Maybe Happy Ending." Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman Not at all. A lot of millennials, and some Gen Zs too, I suppose, have been with you since the start of your career when it blew up because of Glee. And the fact that you're in a category with a person who was also on Glee, Jonathan Groff... There's a lot of things. I'll be honest—I haven't gotten to unpack this at all. This is the first time anybody has asked me this question, or that I've had to speak about it since I found out. Literally right now. So, you have a very interesting position of watching me process this in real time. You're bringing up something that I haven't even really gotten to get to my head, which is—It is so exciting to be in a category where I know every single person. That's awesome, and not in a sort of superficial way. These are all men whose work I have gladly paid money for to watch them perform time and time again, and I love their stuff. And this isn't some kind of cute, charming way to pose the nomination pool as this brotherhood of men. We all work on Broadway, and we all work just as hard as the other guy, because we all have eight shows a week. It's a nice thing. I've been in situations where I've been nominated with people, and there's people that I've been nominated with that I've never met. I love them. I love their work. And I was so excited. I figured that's a Hollywood thing, where you're only friends at award shows. Hollywood—and I don't mean this in a trivializing or mean way—but it's a very partitioned thing, for better or for worse. It's very impersonal. It's just separated. Again, that's not to pooh-pooh it, but it's just how it is. Whereas working the theater and Broadway, as any stage performer can tell you, is infamously familial, personal. We're all roommates. We all live with each other. Helen J. Shen and Criss in the Broadway show. Helen J. Shen and Criss in the Broadway show. Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman Things happen, the backstage is small... Yeah. We're all living in closets, and we all show up, and no matter what happens that day, we got to do the damn thing the next day, if we're lucky, right? All these men and women, everybody involved in this sort of thing, we all work within a 10-some-odd-block radius, and it is really like a campus celebration. And that's why I love the Tonys. I think it's a wonder and a miracle that it's still nationally televised. I think that in this day and age, it's an amazing thing. When things are honored at this level, it's so beyond the self. It's about connecting with kids like me growing up wishing that [the] thing I saw on the Tonys would come to my hometown and be on the cast album that I clung to. any luck, this show that I'm in, I hope it runs from many moons in other countries and in other dimensions. If I'm lucky, I get to see a mishandled version of this show, because it will have survived long enough to be part of the cultural fabric that I can go to a maybe not-so-hot version of a production of this show. When I get to do that, I'll sit there going, "We made it." There's nothing I enjoy more than watching YouTube videos of local theater fails—someone falling, or some set piece falling—like that's all I want to see. I have that s*** for breakfast. It's so enjoyable. I mean, you are watching a little bit for the schadenfreude of it, but there's something so endearing about the Mickey and Judy paradigm of like, "Hey kids, let's put on a show. Let's just do it. Let's make something." And I am so endlessly endeared to that concept. But that's the dream for this show. So again, the breadcrumbs go far. It goes all the way back to things like these accolades. To be with all these people and to celebrate this community and the people that it represents, and just how hard everybody works. I love this community so f****** much, and I love getting to watch the Tonys because I know everybody in there, and I know how hard they work. No one's in here for the glitz and glamor. Everybody's here for the real love of the game. It's an honor to be rubbing shoulders with those people. Criss and Shen in the show. Criss and Shen in the show. Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman Maybe Happy Ending feels so unique, not just for you but for a Broadway show in general. Do you see that? And how did it come about for you? Oh my God, it's a big question. I kind of white-lied a little bit being able to process this. I generally stay away from Instagram, but I wrote a small piece this morning to acknowledge what happened yesterday. And the word that I keep coming back to is—this show has just been nothing short of a miracle on so many levels. It's an exponential miracle across so many facets. Making s*** at this level is obscenely expensive. I think what's interesting about this show is that the guys who made it—Will Aronson, Hue Park—they had no intention of this being a Broadway musical. I think that's a really important thing to mention. And every step along the way, nobody was like, "Let's make some money!"—said nobody ever making a Broadway show. That's kind of a way to just paint a target on your back. It's just not a really healthy way to make any piece of art. We know this is not the way to make stuff. Every step along the way, it has been an exponential groundswell of positive response, because everything is just earnest ideas believed in by earnest people. And just incrementally over a long period of time, that sort of lightning-in-a-bottle cream rising to the top over time. This did start in the States, but was originally produced in Korea. You have two writers in New York that have an idea to make something, but because one of them is Korean, he was like, "Well, we can get this made in Korea." Which is a very novel concept, because most things are incubated in the States or maybe overseas in the U.K. So, they kind of moonshot in and got the gravitational pull of what was going on in Korea, because they could get it made instantly over there, and it did very well. And it was with support there—it did so well over there, it kind of got moved. It was in China and in Japan—those ain't the same three places. Those don't have the same culture or language. Yes, it's Asia, but by no means are those the same audiences. So, if that doesn't speak to its universality, I don't know what does. Finally, after however many years, because of the pandemic and [actors'] strike and everything, it finally came back here, like, turnkey. Because it essentially had an out-of-town tryout for years.... It's been just such a gift. You kind of hope for this your whole life. In the way that I gravitated towards Hedwig [and the Angry Inch] when I was a teenager, I loved it because it was just so f****** original. It checked all the boxes for me. It was subversive. It was rock and roll. It was queer, and all the things that means, just like, culturally, or sex. It just had all these things that were just so, like, "F*** you," but like, moving. There's real pathos in Hedwig, which is, I think, why it has stood the test of time, and why it's connected with some people. Like, yeah, it's cool. Yeah, it's funny. Yeah, the music kicks ass. But like, those have a ceiling, you know? It really is about the beating heart and the pathos and of storytelling that has made it move on and translate. And that's exactly what's happening with Maybe Happy Ending. The songs are beautiful, the story and the concept is cool, but it's really the beating heart of the storytelling and how strong the dramaturgy is that has made this so interesting to me. And it's something that you kind of pray for as an actor, but you can't just summon that lightning to fall into the bottle. And we got nominated for 10 Tonys yesterday. This was not part of my itinerary. I did this because I was available and because I thought it was beautiful, that's why. And I got to work with my friends. It's why you do things. It's a polite reminder of the zero-loss game that it is to follow your heart. I am not patting myself on the back. Everybody in this piece loved it and was passionate about it before other people told us we should feel that way. And that's what's been so validating and encouraging about the response that we've had, because it's just something that we have cared about, and to have other people respond in the same exact way that we did when we read it or watched it is like, OK, good. There are other human beings that we can connect with on this feeling. With a show like this, this is not a Tony-nominated show, historically. A show like this—and I want to compare it to Oh, Mary! in that respect—they're just so far outside the box that you just think it's almost too not in that lane to get a Tony nomination, even though it is great, you know what I mean? I think folks like us that tend to subscribe to the left of centerness are used to those things not being part of the cultural zeitgeist, which is kind of why we like them. It's this weird catch-22. It's like when you're in high school and you like this band that no one's heard of, and as soon as somebody else hears about it you're like, "I don't know if I like them anymore." Which is really silly, and I'm not saying that's how we are now. But I told Cole [Escola, from Oh, Mary!] this. I got to do an Actors on Actors interview with them, and it was so awesome because I said this; I was like, I saw that off-Broadway, and I felt like it was built in a lab for people like me who just think, I just eat that s*** all day. It's so funny. It's just, again, subversive and clever and original. And I think the key here is being singular and authentic to yourself. This is no new concept. Artists have said this forever and ever. Oscar Wilde said, "Be yourself, darling. Everybody else is taken." It's true. I'd rather see something that is so undeniably of that one person and thing and have it not be very well put together, but authentic, than I would something disingenuous, but, like, glued together really well. Because again, there's only so far that can go. Audiences are smart. They can smell a rat pretty quickly. So yeah, I appreciate the comparison to Oh Mary! because, even though we're different stories, there is something that can cut through if you double down on your own singularity. And I think that's what happened with Maybe Happy Ending as well. Criss as robot Oliver. Criss as robot Oliver. Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman With this show, one of the things that I found so surprising in watching it is with this character, it does feel like you almost have to change how you sing in order to do the character. Because there's a cadence to the way the songs even go that I find so fascinating. I just thought about this recently, because I will sing the songs outside of the show. And this happened with Hedwig. I've actually never sung on Broadway with my own voice, ever. Content dictates form. I'm not gonna sing with my usual flair—another Sondheim line, God, I'm such a musical theater nerd. Hedwig had a voice and an accent and a panache, but it was still my voice at the end of the day. I'm not gonna sit here and pretend that I'm like some chameleonic Daniel Day f****** Lewis. It's me. It's me up there. However, there are margins of difference that have to be applied for the character and the type of show. So Hedwig sounded like Hedwig, because there's an East German accent that's been in the States for a long time. So I'm singing with that accent, and then in this, because it's a robot that's sort of overproving consonants and vowels in the way that a lot of our artificial intelligence [does] now—now, it's becoming a little more colloquial—but like 10 years ago, when you would like put something into a dictation software, it would be very articulate. And to sort of denote that this is not actually a human. Now, it's so humanlike, it's crazy. It'll only get more humanlike. But for me, it was very important to use the body. This is drama school s***, but, like, the body, voice and mask [need] to telegraph as much as possible that this is not a human being. So, I am singing with a certain over-precision, which is a really great gift, because it's the kind of thing that helps you actually lock into notes and lock into character. Maybe Happy Ending is certainly part of the unique amount of diversity currently on Broadway. How do you feel about being part of that? I always like to say that the victory is in the conversation. No matter what the conversation is about, there's no conclusion to any of these conversations. I think there's, like, predominant belief systems that will be popular for a long period of time, but culture is a constant conversation. It's always moving around. And there's going to be some sort of ironclad truths that will hold evident forever, but for the most part, we're always learning. We're our own language model. We're always learning new language and how to identify itself. That prism is constantly shifting in all kinds of directions, and we're always trying to learn and become more aware of what the next paradigm is. And that's a beautiful conversation. And as tricky and as scary as it can get, I treat it like it is an open dialog, and that if, as long as we're treating everybody's input as there's no right or wrong, but we're always just trying to have a conversation so that we can get closer to some sort of, like, agreement, that's what culture is. Culture is not a singular target. It's a moving one, and that's what makes it interesting and beautiful. So that's my sort of macro comment on that. But this is part of that conversation. And what makes it stand out to me is how I think the show means a lot to Asian folks, but it is not exclusive to Asian folks. In the Asian community, especially in Broadway, there's, like, the menu of the Asian shows. For better or for worse. And as a white-presenting Asian, this is not something that is, like, on my menu. But for many of my peers that are very clearly Asian American presenting, or Asian in general, there's the "menu," right? It's like, Miss Saigon, The King and I, Flower Drum Song. These are shows that have employed many men and women in the Asian diaspora for many years. So, no matter how you look at it, there's this "menu," quote, unquote. And in somewhat in a joking way, that's the joke. Like, "Oh, which ones have you done?" And this has been something that I've noticed for a lot of my friends and colleagues. This show is about as exclusively Asian as Romeo and Juliet is exclusively Italian. It is so universal in its construct, and has so much beaming, bursting potential with where it can be contextualized and who it can be contextualized by. It's representation at its best. We'll meet folks afterwards, of any part of the Asian diaspora, that say the show means a lot to them. And yes, that's why visibility and reputation is so important, because it signals what's possible. And that's a very powerful thing to be showcasing. However, nobody is walking away from the show going, like, "Oh, do you see that Asian show?" That's so not part of what your takeaway is of the show. And that, to me, is just such an unintended victory lap for great storytelling. That it can mean something to who it's important to mean something to, but it's not only for them. I hope to do the show for many, many moons. But, you know, after this original cast is done with their time in the show, I love that we can dare to have a non-Asian cast, as opposed to the other way around.
Toronto Sun
07-05-2025
- Toronto Sun
Gang rivalry led to deadly shooting at motorcycle gathering south of Atlanta, police say
Published May 07, 2025 • 1 minute read A file photo of police crime scene tape. Photo by Postmedia Network FOREST PARK, Ga. — A dispute between rival gangs led to a shooting at a large gathering of motorcycle riders just south of Atlanta that left two people dead, police said Wednesday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Forest Park police identified two suspects in the April 27 shooting and said one has been taken into custody. The suspects were part of the Outcast Motorcycle Gang, and the two victims were in the rival Wheels of Soul Motorcycle Club, according to police. Investigators believe the shooting stemmed from a dispute over territory, Forest Park police Chief Brandon Criss said at a news conference. The suspects were also shot, but survived. Forest Park is about 12 miles (19 km) south of Atlanta. Numerous motorcyclists were speeding away when officers arrived, and police had to navigate a 'large and chaotic crowd' of 100 to 150 people to reach the victims, police have said. The business where the shooting occurred has been cited, and the property owner has been issued a cease and desist order, Criss said. More arrests were likely, he said. Canada Columnists Sunshine Girls MLB Toronto Maple Leafs
Irish Examiner
30-04-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
€495,000 sought for 51-acre biodiverse Kerry farmstead
Located in North Kerry, a 51-acre holding is new to the market with Listowel-based auctioneers Horgan Properties. The holding is in Knocaunbrack, approximately 12km south of Listowel, 16km from Abbeyfeale, and 21km north of Castleisland. The property contains a quality dwelling and the lands themselves have somewhat limited usage but which bring in income from a number of schemes for which the lands qualify. This impressive array of schemes is testament to the conservation efforts of the previous owner and include the Biss (basic income support for farming sustainability), Criss (complimentary redistributive income support for sustainability), ANC (areas of natural constraints) and Echo schemes (support for contribution to EU environmental and climate goals). 'The previous owner built it a number of years ago and extended over time,' says selling agent Mary Horgan. There's a good road going up to it. It's very secluded and it's a very special kind of place In times when biodiversity is seen as becoming more and more vital to the health of our country and beyond, such holdings are becoming increasingly attractive for any number of clients. The guide price is a very reasonable €495,000. Read More Limerick farm fetches €17,000/acre at auction
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Yahoo
Forest Park Police say two people are dead in a late Sunday afternoon shootout
A late Sunday afternoon shootout in Forest Park appears to have left two people dead and three others in the hospital. Police said the shooting happened on Jones Road, near the intersection of Old Dixie Highway and 1st street around 5 p.m. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Forest Park Police Chief Brandon Criss told Channel 2's Eryn Rogers that his investigators believe the shooting happened during a motorcycle gathering at a mechanic's shop in the city. Criss said that there were no suspects in custody but there also was no danger to residents in the small Clayton County city. TRENDING STORIES: The mystery caller to Shedeur Sanders during the draft was the son of a Falcons coach 1 person critically injured after being hit, dragged by reckless driver in Marietta The FBI mistakenly raided their Atlanta home. Now the Supreme Court will hear their lawsuit Criss said that the ATF along with several other agencies are assisting them in their investigation. Channel 2 has a crew at the scene and will have the latest on the investigation tonight on Channel 2 Action News at 11. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
