Darren Criss Says He Thrives on 'Chaos' as He Balances Being a New Dad with a Busy Broadway Schedule (original) (raw)

"If you want anything done, ask the busiest person in the room," the Emmy Award-winning actor tells PEOPLE ahead of cohosting the first hour of the Tony Awards on Sunday

Published on June 9, 2022 08:40PM EDT

Photo: Kristina Bumphrey/Shutterstock

Darren Criss has a big weekend ahead of him!

The Emmy Award-winning actor, who currently stars in Broadway's American Buffalo, will cohost the first hour of the 75th annual Tony Awards on Sunday alongside POTUS star Julianne Hough — and he even wrote the show's opening number.

"We're still figuring it out. It's only Thursday; the show is on Sunday," he tells PEOPLE via Zoom alongside Hough, who adds he "wrote this incredible song and we get to perform together."

When asked how he's balancing his Broadway show schedule with putting finishing touches on his Tonys song and being new dad to daughter Bluesy Belle — whom he welcomed with wife Mia in April — he says, "If you want anything done, ask the busiest person in the room."

"It's a blessing to get all these things happening kind of all at once — personal, home stuff happening among the same fun, prosperity and excitement that is existing in my professional life — there's something that's very invigorating about that," Criss says. "So I'm rockin' and rollin'."

Darren Criss/Instagram

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In fact, it seems the Glee alum is better off busy than bored. "Chaos begets chaos," he says. "And I, for better or worse, tend to thrive on a bit of chaos."

Criss, 35, and Hough, 33, are cohosting the first hour of the Tonys, The Tony Awards: Act One, before Oscar winner Ariana DeBose takes the stage to emcee the main ceremony.

"We're honoring all the creative folks behind the scenes," Criss says. "But it's not without a bit of razzle-dazzle on the performing side as well. It is the Tonys, so let's not forget there's going to be some kind of performative element."

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While the typical eight-show week schedule on Broadway can be demanding — "Press by morning, rehearsals by day, and shows by night," Hough says — Criss jokes that it's not "advanced mathematics."

"We're doing joyous work with joyous people who work hard and are as excited as we are," he says. "We show up every day and we play pretend. What a joyous thing to do."

The 75th annual Tony Awards will air live coast-to-coast from the legendary Radio City Music Hall in New York City on June 12 beginning at 8 p.m. ET. It will be broadcast live on both CBS and Paramount+.