By Austin Fimmano

Most people have probably heard that Harry Potter’s Daniel Radcliffe has been starring in the fifty-year revival of Broadway’s How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. This year, however, Radcliffe gave up his Broadway stunt and handed it to none other than Darren Criss, Starkid member and Glee star. Criss starred in this show for a limited time. His run, which lasted only three weeks, began on January 3 and ended January 22.

I went to go see Darren Criss star as J. Pierrepont Finch, a young window washer who tries to climb up the corporate ladder (with considerable success), on the first Saturday after Criss’s Broadway debut. Fifteen minutes before the show started, fans were crowding outside the stage door to wait for Criss’s appearance at the end of the show. Some of these fans that hadn’t even purchased tickets and were not planning on seeing the show. The fans inside the theater were just as crazy, tossing aside the traditional dress-nice-for-Broadway etiquette for homemade “We Love Darren!” shirts and pink sunglasses.

But all this was forgotten once the play began. The first scene alone was enough to draw anyone into the story, an elaborate dance scene representing Finch (as played by Criss) scouting out a place to start his rise to fame. The entire cast was incredible. They danced with impressive grace and elegance, despite being dressed in the corporate styles of the 1960s, and still managed to maintain the sense of comedy that underlies the plot. Each actor and actress played his or her character marvelously. Most notable would be Rose Hemingway, who plays Rosemary Pilkington, a secretary hopelessly in love with Finch. Another amazing character was Bud Frump, the boss’s nephew who goes outside for a “smoke” (to call his mother) whenever he gets upset, who was played by Christopher J. Hanke. Darren Criss, of course, added his own charm to the character of Finch, making him lovable and charismatic despite Finch’s questionable tactics in business and apparent lack of skill. Beau Bridges, who replaced John Larroquette as J. B. Biggley, the boss, also added his own style to his character as friendly and comical, but a dangerous man when he doesn’t get his way.

Seeing the play was an amazing experience for me, one that I would repeat over and over if I could. The amazing musical numbers, dancing, and sets which can only come from Broadway were made all the better by the impeccable cast and its spectacular stars. Darren Criss ended his Broadway run last weekend, but replacing him will be none other than Nick Jonas. Whoever the star of this show, however, I would recommend How to Succeed to anyone for its charm, comedy, and the feeling we all love of the satisfaction of a traditional happy ending.