November 19, 2025 • 8 mins
Tony Award Winner Darren Criss talks about his returning to 'Maybe Happy Ending'. Plus, he proves theater kids really know how to party backstage. Between parties in the historic Elephant Room, WALL-E movie nights, and celebrating that surprise Grammy nom there are a lot of stories and parties to talk about.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Look at this.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
He's back at maybe Happy Ending, and he's back at
our show, Darren Chris hold on.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Karen, Hi, guys, we're starting. We're on. Now there's a
cow bell. That must mean that we're on. The cow
bell is our way of saying games on.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
Just before the cowboy went off, I was remarking about
how I've now had the lovely pleasure of coming back
to the show many many times. It's great to see
the fam, but when I'm in a show, it's funny,
like I'll you know, I've been in for We're as
of today, my friends, as of this week, uh.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Maybe Happy Ending. He has been on Broadway for a
full year.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
So that's setting a lot of shows don't make it
quite too a year, that is true.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
But yeah, it's something caught fire, and uh we're just
going to keep trying to fan that flame as best
we can.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
The show called fire. You did as well, your first
Tony Award. That's pretty cool. That is cool. We fooled
them good. I put on top of the piano where
I keep a lot of my my stuff.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Now, maybe a Grammy, right.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
That's right, we got nomine for Grammy this past week. Yeah,
so you be a get Well, I've been trying to
tell myself that my whole life.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Yeah, no, no, no, that was a good dad joke, mister
dad joke.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Yeah, But to be I think that gives too much
credit to dad's I feel like they're they're just they're
good dumb jokes.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
Let's just like call them that like this plenty.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Okay, so they being the Grammy, the Emmy and the Tony.
But there's gotta be an Oh at some point, ye
are you gonna go for the I mean, I don't
think it's really up to me. I mean, like there's
so many things that are outside of my control. I'm
very touched and tickled. Yes you can make I'm tickled
and touched by people's uh interest in that superlative. But
(01:45):
you know, look, at the end of the day, you
just you just want to work on stuff that you
like and hopefully it resonates with people and in a
way that that matters when you leave this earth.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Ye, I don't know, like if that was to happen.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Well, obviously you've been going for the Oh you have
three kids, there you go? Ye, Now who's in the
dad jokes? Those are dirty old dad jokes? Those are
daddy jokes. Those are eldest daddy jokes. Yeah, so I
just I just kind of flashed back. It was kind
of weird while you were talking. So maybe happy ending
you you were, you were in it, you started it,
you were out for what nine weeks, and now you're back.
(02:19):
I didn't know you were back.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Of course, I just took a little break. But they
ran a commercial and it's just Storry Darren Chris. But
they're running an old commercial.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
No, no, no, no, I'll be I'll be in this thing
for as long as I can, like I I and
I planned to, you know, I if for musical theater
nerds out there. I think it was a topol who
was one of the famous tavy as if you know,
Fidler Roof, and he played that role well into his
like eighties. God love him like he he would keep
coming back and people keep coming back to see him
because it was like sweet, I get a chance to
see the guy like I'm happy to be in my eighties,
(02:47):
like the rickety old you know the place.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Yeah, I'll literally be the outdated model.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
It might be a little sad, little squeaky, little squeaky,
but that point I'll probably actually have cybernetic parts, like
who knows, but like I fully intended this is this
is a part of my life for the rest of
my life.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
And gladly so. And so what's what's a year and
a year, you know, in a time of forever, doing
something special for the one year anniversary.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
You know, being I can't I can't think of a
funner place to work. It's always a celebration. And I
have to say, and I know this sounds like like
a canned line, but anytime things like these acknowledgments from
third parties are bestowed upon us, they are just like
a bonus round to the already amazing feeling and the
award enough concept of just being in a show that works,
(03:30):
that you love, that people love like that at the
lowest level of entry is the highest level of functioning
in commercial art.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
That's very well put. It sounds a bit canned, but.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Very I'm pretty proud. I don't think I've ever been
that articulate about it. Please, the more you are, the
more candidate. But it canned is good. Yeah, you can
rely on canned like our show maybe Happy Ending at
the Belasco.
Speaker 4 (03:53):
Theater, right, So it was one of my favorite shows
that I have seen. And I'm not just saying that
because you're here. I've told both of them. I really
really liked it because it reframed something for me. And
I think now especially, I remember when you came in
and you were talking about it. The Rise of AI
had started, but it wasn't where it is now. And
now we're looking at these humanoid robot things.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
I guess is that what we call them? Sure? Yeah,
because I.
Speaker 4 (04:14):
Think a lot of people might not know what this
is about, but they retire, yeah, and what happens to
them after. And it's got me thinking about all of
that too now, and I think, yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
You're thinking remember that, Yes, that is the dream.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
I mean, how oft I mean we kind of you know,
we knock you down, knock your walls down with a
bit of whimsy, with this kind of out there concept
of like, okay, we're in the future. There the robots,
question mark, I guess, there's music, okay, whatever, and it
softens you into this place of being open to really
human concepts. And uh, yeah, that's why it's so fun
every time to kind of I like feeling and audience's
(04:47):
walls and guards go down and let us in because
there's a lot of uh yeah, beautiful things to discuss afterwards.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
Which we even discussed the next day.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
All right.
Speaker 4 (04:57):
Another focus of this was who are you if your
main fundunction is no longer what you're doing during the day.
So for us, if we're no longer doing these jobs,
who are.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
We actually your core?
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (05:06):
Yeah, absolutely, just turning us on. Darren Chris is here.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Uh the Tony Award winning musical may be happy ending
as a Blosco theater.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Yeah, the times a week, let's end it for you.
Don't forget about the plants. This plant has become like.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
It has its own sort of iconoger point where the
planets win that plant hua boon, which, for for those
of you that speak creating is that's house plant. This
is a major character in our show. And yes, it
is just a plant, but it's so much more than
a plant.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
Uh. On Instagram account it is an icon.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
It also has a lot of symbolism and a lot
of things that speak to some of the things that
Gania and I were just talking about. So yeah, there's
there's a lot and it's one act, and it's one act.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Maybe people like me with very short attention span. Yeah,
it's it's, it's it's the entire plays one act. It's
fourteen minutes long.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
It was fourteen minutes for Elvis fell asleep because it
was I that time.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
You've got to go.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
See Darren the Tony Award winning Darren Chris in Maybe
Happy Ending at the Blasco Theater.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Do a search and buy your tickets today. But take people.
You love it. People you can process it with. Yeah, Darren,
thank you for coming in. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
Guys, it's always great to seem.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Now, Miss dran in the Morning show.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation honors America's heroes, heroes like
Josh Bischoff. Josh began his firefighting career as a volunteer
and ultimately became Calfire's assistant Chief of Tactical Air Operations
until tragedy struck and he was killed in a helicopter
collision while fighting a California wildfire. He leaves behind his wife, Cheryl,
and their two children, Derek and Juliana. The Tunnel to
Towers Foundation paid the Bischoff families mortgage. You know you
(06:42):
can sport heroes like Josh and their families by simply
donating eleven dollars a month to Tunnel to Towers at
t twot dot org.
Speaker 5 (06:51):
Having insurance isn't the same as having state farm. It's
like needing a lawyer but getting some guy who just
watched his courtroom dramas.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
How does the end and plead guilty? What also objection
you object to? What erroneous council approached the bench? Hey?
Can I get a whack at the gavel?
Speaker 5 (07:09):
You wouldn't settle for just any lawyer, so don't settle
for just any insurance. Get the real deal with state farm,
like the neighbor state farm is there?
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Why one hundred point seven jingle Ball just got bigger?
Speaker 6 (07:28):
Jake that man now featuring the legendary Sean Paul, I'm
just giving Latin Superstar leads the iconic Nelly machine.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
Gun Kelly, you like Me?
Speaker 6 (07:52):
Babar Larsen, The E's the plug excite to say I'm
the Kaie Lannie. K pop stars Monsta X in a
special singalong moment for K Pop demon Hunters in December twentieth,
Just say a center think as we're selling fast.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
Secure your seed for as low as
Speaker 6 (08:16):
Forty nine dollars at Y one hundred dot com we
can forgo
Look at this.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
He's back at maybe Happy Ending, and he's back at
our show, Darren Chris hold on.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Karen, Hi, guys, we're starting. We're on. Now there's a
cow bell. That must mean that we're on. The cow
bell is our way of saying games on.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
Just before the cowboy went off, I was remarking about
how I've now had the lovely pleasure of coming back
to the show many many times. It's great to see
the fam, but when I'm in a show, it's funny,
like I'll you know, I've been in for We're as
of today, my friends, as of this week, uh.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Maybe Happy Ending. He has been on Broadway for a
full year.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
So that's setting a lot of shows don't make it
quite too a year, that is true.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
But yeah, it's something caught fire, and uh we're just
going to keep trying to fan that flame as best
we can.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
The show called fire. You did as well, your first
Tony Award. That's pretty cool. That is cool. We fooled
them good. I put on top of the piano where
I keep a lot of my my stuff.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Now, maybe a Grammy, right.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
That's right, we got nomine for Grammy this past week. Yeah,
so you be a get Well, I've been trying to
tell myself that my whole life.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Yeah, no, no, no, that was a good dad joke, mister
dad joke.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Yeah, But to be I think that gives too much
credit to dad's I feel like they're they're just they're
good dumb jokes.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
Let's just like call them that like this plenty.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Okay, so they being the Grammy, the Emmy and the Tony.
But there's gotta be an Oh at some point, ye
are you gonna go for the I mean, I don't
think it's really up to me. I mean, like there's
so many things that are outside of my control. I'm
very touched and tickled. Yes you can make I'm tickled
and touched by people's uh interest in that superlative. But
(01:45):
you know, look, at the end of the day, you
just you just want to work on stuff that you
like and hopefully it resonates with people and in a
way that that matters when you leave this earth.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Ye, I don't know, like if that was to happen.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Well, obviously you've been going for the Oh you have
three kids, there you go? Ye, Now who's in the
dad jokes? Those are dirty old dad jokes? Those are
daddy jokes. Those are eldest daddy jokes. Yeah, so I
just I just kind of flashed back. It was kind
of weird while you were talking. So maybe happy ending
you you were, you were in it, you started it,
you were out for what nine weeks, and now you're back.
(02:19):
I didn't know you were back.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Of course, I just took a little break. But they
ran a commercial and it's just Storry Darren Chris. But
they're running an old commercial.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
No, no, no, no, I'll be I'll be in this thing
for as long as I can, like I I and
I planned to, you know, I if for musical theater
nerds out there. I think it was a topol who
was one of the famous tavy as if you know,
Fidler Roof, and he played that role well into his
like eighties. God love him like he he would keep
coming back and people keep coming back to see him
because it was like sweet, I get a chance to
see the guy like I'm happy to be in my eighties,
(02:47):
like the rickety old you know the place.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Yeah, I'll literally be the outdated model.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
It might be a little sad, little squeaky, little squeaky,
but that point I'll probably actually have cybernetic parts, like
who knows, but like I fully intended this is this
is a part of my life for the rest of
my life.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
And gladly so. And so what's what's a year and
a year, you know, in a time of forever, doing
something special for the one year anniversary.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
You know, being I can't I can't think of a
funner place to work. It's always a celebration. And I
have to say, and I know this sounds like like
a canned line, but anytime things like these acknowledgments from
third parties are bestowed upon us, they are just like
a bonus round to the already amazing feeling and the
award enough concept of just being in a show that works,
(03:30):
that you love, that people love like that at the
lowest level of entry is the highest level of functioning
in commercial art.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
That's very well put. It sounds a bit canned, but.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Very I'm pretty proud. I don't think I've ever been
that articulate about it. Please, the more you are, the
more candidate. But it canned is good. Yeah, you can
rely on canned like our show maybe Happy Ending at
the Belasco.
Speaker 4 (03:53):
Theater, right, So it was one of my favorite shows
that I have seen. And I'm not just saying that
because you're here. I've told both of them. I really
really liked it because it reframed something for me. And
I think now especially, I remember when you came in
and you were talking about it. The Rise of AI
had started, but it wasn't where it is now. And
now we're looking at these humanoid robot things.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
I guess is that what we call them? Sure? Yeah,
because I.
Speaker 4 (04:14):
Think a lot of people might not know what this
is about, but they retire, yeah, and what happens to
them after. And it's got me thinking about all of
that too now, and I think, yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
You're thinking remember that, Yes, that is the dream.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
I mean, how oft I mean we kind of you know,
we knock you down, knock your walls down with a
bit of whimsy, with this kind of out there concept
of like, okay, we're in the future. There the robots,
question mark, I guess, there's music, okay, whatever, and it
softens you into this place of being open to really
human concepts. And uh, yeah, that's why it's so fun
every time to kind of I like feeling and audience's
(04:47):
walls and guards go down and let us in because
there's a lot of uh yeah, beautiful things to discuss afterwards.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
Which we even discussed the next day.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
All right.
Speaker 4 (04:57):
Another focus of this was who are you if your
main fundunction is no longer what you're doing during the day.
So for us, if we're no longer doing these jobs,
who are.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
We actually your core?
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (05:06):
Yeah, absolutely, just turning us on. Darren Chris is here.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Uh the Tony Award winning musical may be happy ending
as a Blosco theater.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Yeah, the times a week, let's end it for you.
Don't forget about the plants. This plant has become like.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
It has its own sort of iconoger point where the
planets win that plant hua boon, which, for for those
of you that speak creating is that's house plant. This
is a major character in our show. And yes, it
is just a plant, but it's so much more than
a plant.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
Uh. On Instagram account it is an icon.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
It also has a lot of symbolism and a lot
of things that speak to some of the things that
Gania and I were just talking about. So yeah, there's
there's a lot and it's one act, and it's one act.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Maybe people like me with very short attention span. Yeah,
it's it's, it's it's the entire plays one act. It's
fourteen minutes long.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
It was fourteen minutes for Elvis fell asleep because it
was I that time.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
You've got to go.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
See Darren the Tony Award winning Darren Chris in Maybe
Happy Ending at the Blasco Theater.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Do a search and buy your tickets today. But take people.
You love it. People you can process it with. Yeah, Darren,
thank you for coming in. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
Guys, it's always great to seem.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Now, Miss dran in the Morning show.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation honors America's heroes, heroes like
Josh Bischoff. Josh began his firefighting career as a volunteer
and ultimately became Calfire's assistant Chief of Tactical Air Operations
until tragedy struck and he was killed in a helicopter
collision while fighting a California wildfire. He leaves behind his wife, Cheryl,
and their two children, Derek and Juliana. The Tunnel to
Towers Foundation paid the Bischoff families mortgage. You know you
(06:42):
can sport heroes like Josh and their families by simply
donating eleven dollars a month to Tunnel to Towers at
t twot dot org.
Speaker 5 (06:51):
Having insurance isn't the same as having state farm. It's
like needing a lawyer but getting some guy who just
watched his courtroom dramas.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
How does the end and plead guilty? What also objection
you object to? What erroneous council approached the bench? Hey?
Can I get a whack at the gavel?
Speaker 5 (07:09):
You wouldn't settle for just any lawyer, so don't settle
for just any insurance. Get the real deal with state farm,
like the neighbor state farm is there?
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Why one hundred point seven jingle Ball just got bigger?
Speaker 6 (07:28):
Jake that man now featuring the legendary Sean Paul, I'm
just giving Latin Superstar leads the iconic Nelly machine.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
Gun Kelly, you like Me?
Speaker 6 (07:52):
Babar Larsen, The E's the plug excite to say I'm
the Kaie Lannie. K pop stars Monsta X in a
special singalong moment for K Pop demon Hunters in December twentieth,
Just say a center think as we're selling fast.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
Secure your seed for as low as
Speaker 6 (08:16):
Forty nine dollars at Y one hundred dot com we
can forgo
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