Darren Criss Bringing ‘Coachella for Showtunes' to New York

On Sept. 27, some of Broadway’s biggest and brightest will join together at JBL Live at Pier 97 for “Elsie Fest,” a one-day outdoor music festival celebrating show tunes from stage and screen.

The brainchild of “Glee” alum Darren Criss, Broadway producer Jordan Roth and talent manager Ricky Rollins, the event will be presented with sponsorship from LiveNation and iHeartRadio.

Joining Criss in performance will be Tony winner Lea Salonga (“Allegiance”), Leslie Odom, Jr. (“Hamilton”), Laura Osnes (“Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella”), Aaron Tveit (“Catch Me If You Can”), YouTube sensation StarKid and radio host Seth Rudetsky.

““I was at Coachella and thought, Let's do this for showtunes,’” Criss said. “Musical theater has been going through a wonderful shift in the past few years. Why not shake up people’s ideas of where to watch the performers they love?”

Tickets go on sale Aug. 21 via Ticketmaster.com, and cost $49 for general admission and $250 for VIP seating. There are also meet and greet packages available.

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

“Elsie Fest,” which takes its name from Sally Bowles’ roommate in “Cabaret,” will be hosted by Rudetsky and 106.7 LiteFM personalities Christina Nagy and Helen Little. With food trucks and a beer garden on hand, the festivities will run from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m..

For more information, visit elsiefest.com.

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