‘Glee’ stars coming to Gammage
Though they’re no longer singing on a sound stage depicting the fictional William McKinley High School, the beat has gone on for “Glee” singer-actors Lea Michele and Darren Criss.
Even during an obligatory promotional phone interview, the headliners of the “LM/DC” tour retain a casual charm through jokes and tales about their time during the Fox TV sensation and what it’s
like to perform years onscreen.
“She’s prepped and professional and I tend to shoot from the hip,” Criss said. “We took pages out of each other’s books and it’s created a wonderful dynamic where we complement each other well.”
While some stars move on from the
onstage
together after
show that put them on the map, Michele and Criss are leaning into the goodwill “Glee” bestowed upon their careers. Their stage show is peppered with old favorites and new songs from their latest releases, each chosen to capture their life events that occurred from “Glee” to today.
“A little life has happened in as little time that we’ve been apart. We’ve grown up in whatever ways that would yield,” Criss said.
“Lea and I are both Broadway babies and stage kids. We both, for better or worse, excel in front of a crowd. It’s a place where we’re both comfortable. There’s a release in not having to do this tour alone and being able to toss the ball across the stage.”
Difficult cutting songs from ‘Glee’
A sampling of notable “Glee” covers and songs from their solo careers, “LM/ DC” will take audiences to the halls of William McKinley High School and the Broadway stage.
“Each performance we do together brings us back to that day on set, what our characters were doing in that moment,” Michele said. “(The Season 1 performance of) ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade’ was a big moment for me but each one holds a special place in my heart. Each song is really an incredible blast from the past and we make sure to talk to our fans about why each song was chosen. There’s a lot of stories.”
Michele, who made her Broadway debut as the young Cosette in “Les Miserables” and originated the role of Wendla Bergmann in “Spring Awakening,” has released two solo albums including 2017’s “Places.”
Criss won an Emmy this year for his
The pair aims to bottle the homey comfort and ease that “Glee” captured — just in a different venue. Instead of images on a TV screen, they’re living figures on a stage in front of hundreds of fans who grew up watching them.
And they’re thrilled to experience together.
“This is honestly my dream,” Michele said. “I love having a partner in crime on the tour; it’s good to have someone to lean on. (Criss) brings out a side in me I don’t get to enjoy so often because he’s laid back and I don’t overthink everything.”
Could she do this with any other “Glee” alum? Michele said it would be unfair to think of anyone else onstage with her but did ponder the possibility of “Glee” guest star and pop princess it Britney Spears popping up.
“There were loads of people who were on the show,” Criss said. “They’re all amazing — the guest stars and the entire cast. I wouldn’t mind if Shirley MacLaine popped up. But I’d make them sing their songs. I wouldn’t want to ruin what they made awesome.”
It’s difficult to imagine Michele and Criss resisting the temptation to appear in another Murphy series. Michele starred on the short-lived Fox horrorcomedy “Scream Queens” alongside Emma Roberts and Jamie Lee Curtis and Criss popped up on “American Horror Story” a few years back.
“Whatever it is, it’s 100 percent up to Ryan and we are waiting eagerly by the phone. You never know what’s cooking around the corner,” Criss said.
The Tempe performance is the penultimate stop on the North American tour before the pair head to the United Kingdom and Ireland in late November. Even with a couple weeks of preparation and lag time before jetting off, there doesn’t seem to be much time to rest.
“Darren doesn’t know what down time means. He has 116 other things he’s up to. He doesn’t do down time,” Michele joked.
“And I really wouldn’t have it any other way,” Criss replied.