Glee Alums Darren Criss & Lea Michele to Headline 3rd Annual Elsie Fest with Alan Cumming & More

Glee originals and Broadway vets Darren Criss and Lea Michele will team up with Tony winner Alan Cumming to headline the third annual Elsie Fest on October 8 at Central Park SummerStage in New York City. The outdoor music festival will also feature special guest performances by The Great Comet's Ingrid Michaelson and Sweeney Todd star Norm Lewis. Additional performers and guests will be announced at a later date. 

"Being a musical-theater fan has never been just about loving musical theater," said Criss, co-founder of Elsie Fest. "It's about loving the things in pop culture that inspire it; from the actors, recording artists and personalities, to the songs—which not only include Broadway and Great American songbook classics, but hits from film, TV, radio and the internet. Elsie Fest brings all of that together in one place. It’s a pop culture cabaret."

The one-day event celebrating stars and songs from the stage and screen will be hosted by Z100’s Elvis Duran. Past performers have included Tituss Burgess, Aaron Tveit, Leslie Odom Jr., Lea Salonga, Cynthia Erivo, Megan Hilty, Jason Robert Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin and Dear Evan Hansen Tony winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

Criss co-founded Elsie Fest with talent manager Ricky Rollins and Broadway producer Jordan Roth in 2015. A portion of the proceeds of 2017's Elsie Fest will be donated to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.