Darren Criss Talks About Broadway Debut in ‘How to Succeed’

The wait is over, Glee fans- Blaine hits Broadway tonight- or, more accurately, Darren Criss, the actor who plays Kurt’s first big-deal boyfriend, will be making his debut on the Great White Way.

Criss is starring- as you probably know if you love Glee– as J. Pierrepont Finch in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and the former theater major is part of a pretty impressive celebrity arc in the show. Preceded by Harry Potter‘s Daniel Radcliffe, Criss is going to be followed up by singer Nick Jonas. (And interestingly, prior to his Glee fame, Criss was known in the Potter fandom for A Very Potter Musical, a viral hit on the web in which he played a singing Harry.)

As Radcliffe finishes up his ten-month-long stint in the musical, Criss talks about his debut on Broadway, along with producer Craig Zadan, to Entertainment Weekly. Of choosing Criss, Zadan says:

“We asked Darren if he was interested in doing a limited run in the show, and he got on a plane and snuck into the theater one matinee to check out the part. He called when he got out and said, ‘I have to play this role!'”

Criss chimes in:

“It seemed too good to be true, so I made it a priority.”

The actor also confirms he’s only missing a single episode of Glee (saying the show was “surprisingly supportive” of his Broadway gig), but adds that he is a bit nervous about taking over for Radcliffe:

“Everyone’s like, ‘Oh, I gotta go to your opening night!’?But I’m terrified. I’m like, ‘No! See it at, like, two and a half weeks.’ Theater is a -living creature. It takes a while to break in, like a new pair of shoes.”

Below is a clip of ahead of the show- did you manage to snag tickets to see Darren Criss in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying?