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Even after hundreds of Broadway performances, Darren Criss still loves playing Oliver in Maybe Happy Ending. Criss returned to his Tony-winning role in November after a two-month hiatus and told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show that he continues to enjoy sharing it with audiences.
“We’re just about to pass 600 performances of this thing… and I feel the same way about it every time that I do [it],” he explained, clarifying that this was “not a canned line to sound cool. I genuinely love the piece… I only have four more weeks left. I’m a little bummed about it.”
Criss was also recently honored with a Sardi’s portrait, which resulted in a full-circle moment for the actor. A longtime fan of The Muppets, Criss remembers seeing the New York staple in The Muppets Take Manhattan, where Kermit the Frog, disguised as a prominent Broadway producer, gets his own portrait. For Criss’ unveiling, Kermit arrived in person to present Criss with his caricature.
“It was a big ask, and I thought it would be met with a ‘no,'” he admitted, noting his excitement that Kermit, along with actor Sam Rockwell, were both in attendance. “It really meant a lot to me to have those two incredible legends be there for me.” Watch the full interview now, where he talks about his experience at the 2025 Tony Awards and the Glee-to-Tony winner pipeline.
The cast on Broadway currently stars Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winner Darren Criss, Claire Kwon, Dez Duron, Marcus Choi as well as Steven Huynh, Daniel May, Christopher James Tamayo and Hannah Kevitt, who round out the production as the Standbys.
Darren Criss will play his final performance on Sunday, May 17, 2026. The role of “Claire” will be played by Standby Claire Kwon through Sunday, May 17. Zachary Noah Piser and Hannah Kevitt will play the roles of “Oliver” and “Claire” on Broadway, respectively, beginning on Tuesday, May 19, 2026.
In addition to continuing on Broadway, Maybe Happy Ending will embark on a multi-year North American tour beginning in the Fall of 2026. Launching in Baltimore at the Hippodrome Theatre at The France-Merrick Performing Arts Center, the tour has stops planned in 30+ cities including Los Angeles, D.C., Chicago, Tampa, St. Louis, Detroit, San Francisco, Providence and many other cities.
