TV: Looking Back At Darren Criss's Opening In HOW TO SUCCEED

There is wonderful music in the very sound of his name! Today we're celebrating the birthday of Emmy winner Darren Criss by looking back at his Broadway debut as J. Pierrepont Finch in the most recent revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Check out the video to see Darren alongside Beau Bridges, Rose Hemingway, and more as they celebrate Darren's opening night!

Darren Criss won an Emmy for his work on the drama series American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace. Criss is best known for his portrayal of Blaine Anderson on the FOX musical comedy-drama series Glee. As the lead vocalist of Glee's Dalton Academy Warblers, Criss' first number, a cover version of "Teenage Dream", became the fastest-selling GLEE single, reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100, and was certified gold in the US. The Warblers have sold over 1.3 million tracks, and the soundtrack album, Glee: The Music Presents the Warblers (2011), peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200. He was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2015 for writing the song "This Time" for the GLEE finale. He is the co-founder of StarKid Productions, where he wrote and starred in A Very Potter Musical and A Very Potter Sequel. Additional credits under StarKid Productions include Me and My Dick and Starship.

How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying began previews on February 26, 2011 and opened March 27, 2011 at Broadway's Al Hirschfeld Theatre. The production was directed and choreographed by Tony and Emmy Award-winner Rob Ashford, and it was nominated for eight 2011 Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical. The revival's original cast starred Daniel Radcliffe as J. Pierrepont Finch and 2011 Tony Award winner John Larroquette as J. B. Biggley.

Starring alongside Darren Criss were Beau Bridges as J. B. Biggley, Rose Hemingway as Rosemary Pilkington, Tammy Blanchard as Hedy La Rue, Christopher J. Hanke as Bud Frump, Rob Bartlett as Twimble/Wally Womper, Mary Faber as Smitty, Ellen Harvey as Miss Jones, Michael Park as Bert Bratt, and Anderson Cooper making his Broadway debut as the voice of the narrator, in a cast of 30.