“How to succeed in showbiz” actor/singer Darren Criss makes his Broadway debut

Darren Criss is on a roll.

He has gone from YouTube sensation (with his online theater company Team Starkid) to Glee regular and, recently, he has taken over for Daniel Radcliffe (of Harry Potter fame) in the Broadway musical "How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying," a performance that I was lucky enough to see.

Following a powerhouse name likeRadcliffe was not an easy task, especially considering Criss's approximate two weeks of rehearsal and three-week run in the show as the lead character J. Pierrepont Finch.

It was a risky move for the producers to make, but it paid off in the end. During Criss's run as Finch, the show was reported to have taken in more than $1.3 million a week (just shy of the $1.9 million made during Radcliffe's final week), for a grand total of more than $4 million by Criss' final bow on Jan. 22, despite January's reputation as a slow month for Broadway productions.

This massive response to the rising heartthrob might have had something to do with Criss'loyal fan base that poured into New York City in hopes of seeing his brief Broadway debut. Fans flocked from around the world, including countries such as Lebanon, Israel, Australia, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and New Zealand.

They waited up to nine hours in hopes of meeting him at the stage door, and some even spent the night in front of the theater's box office in hopes of purchasing cheaper, last minute rush tickets to see the show.

As a person who actually had the pleasure of seeing him perform in "How to Succeed," I can say that it was worth every penny to see this performer live out one of his greatest dreams. He was energetic and played the part with so much confidence that it was hard to think he had only been in the role for three weeks as he nailed the choreography and sang his heart out. He definitely put a piece of himself into the character that nobody else will be able to duplicate.

If this debut was a sign of things to come, 2012 will surely be even more successful for the star with the last half of Glee's season 3 on the way, as well as a film with Kristen Wiig and even more on the horizon. Be sure to keep your eyes on this one.

You can see Darren Criss on Glee Tuesday nights on Fox, on YouTube with his production company, Team Starkid, or find his personal EP "Human" and his recent Bob Dylan duet with his brother Chuck Criss "New Morning" on iTunes.