Darren Criss, Rachel Zegler, Joy Woods, and More Celebrate Theatre Kids at Elsie Fest 2024

After a two year hiatus, Elsie Fest returned to New York September 8, and joy was in high supply.

Staged on the picturesque Pier 17 rooftop, the theatre-themed music festival was filled with reunions, surprising moments, and special previews of the 2024–2025 Broadway season. The beloved brainchild of Emmy winner (and star of the upcoming Broadway musical Maybe Happy Ending) Darren Criss, his influence could be felt across every inch of the festival, from performers setlists to the colorful shirts emblazoned with his face worn by many of the attendees.

Beginning at 5 pm on the temperate Sunday, the festival loomed over New York Fashion Week as the Tommy Hilfiger show was held on a Colin Jost and Pete Davidson's ferry only a few stories below. Kicking things off with Broadway Rave (a DJ dance party that spins a mixture of new theatre hits and modern classics) and Marie's Crisis-style singalongs, fans flooded onto the rooftop in order to scope out their ideal spot before the live performances began.

This year's lineup of performers was a doozy; the setlist for the evening, which spun through sunset and up until the 10 pm noise curfew, was as followed:

Safety Not Guaranteed: Based on the film of the same name by Derek Connolly, the new Ryan Miller and Nick Blaemire time travel musical previewed the song "Go Time," with stars Nkeki Obi-Melekwe and Taylor Trensch on hand to deliver the high octane number.

Dara Renée: The Disney star was the first act of the night to bring out a special guest when her High School Musical: The Musical: The Series costar Joe Serafini came out to join her for the song "Born to be Brave" from the television show. The duet closed out Renée's set, which also opened with the trailer for the new Disney film Descendants: The Rise of Red, in which she stars as Uliana, younger sister of Ursula. Fans even got to hear her sing her song from the film, "Perfect Revenge"—one of the track's first public performances.

Telly Leung, Darren Criss, Max Adler, Curt Mega Heather Gershonowitz

Darren Criss: As the festival's steward, Criss had the largest set of the night, paying tribute to his past, present, and future with a setlist that was filled to the brim with nostalgic surprises. Opening with a raucous rendition of "Teenage Dream," Criss stayed close to his Glee roots with "Cough Syrup," an onstage Warbler reunion ( featuring Telly Leung, Curt Mega, and Max Adler) where the group performed "Sincere" from The Music Man, "Arthur's Theme," and Billy Joel's "Movin Out" with his Glee costar Chord Overstreet (who summoned thrilled screams from the crowd when he came out to end Criss' set). Criss even found the time to tip his hat to his Team Starkid roots, bringing out Little Shop of Horrors star Andrew Barth Feldman and Maybe Happy Ending co-star Helen J Shen to perform "Granger Danger" from A Very Potter Musical, the college project that launched Criss into the public eye.

Speaking of Shen, Criss let fans into his present with a special preview of the upcoming Broadway musical Maybe Happy Ending, which will star Criss and Shen as two outcast robots nearing the end of their lifespan. Performing the show's title track, the duo also welcomed newcomer Dez Duron to share his Sinatra-esque ballad, "A Sentimental Person," which seems destined to become a slow-dance staple. The present portion of Criss' set also included a touching duet of "Dear Theodosia" from Hamilton between him and Hadestown star Jordan Fisher—the performance was particularly poignant since Criss became a father for the second time this past June, and Fisher has a young son at home.

Oh, and one more thing. While celebrating the music that made him during his adolescence, Criss brought out JC Chasez of *NSYNC to sing "It's Gonna Be Me" and "Bye Bye Bye" before peeling back the curtain on the future: Chasez announced his impending Frankenstein musical Playing With Fire. More on that project here.

Alaska Thunderf*ck and company of *DRAG: The Musical* Heather Gershonowitz

Death Becomes Her: The sheer scope of Criss's artistic family became clear upon the entrance of Julia Mattison and Noel Carey, the lyricist and composer of the upcoming Broadway musical Death Becomes Her. Mattison, who has known Criss since they were five years old, debut new lyrics for the show's song "Let’s Run Away Together."

Stereophonic: As the sun set and the city skyline sparkled to life, Stereophonic composer Will Butler brought true rockstar pedigree to the stage, performing "Drive" and "Masquerade"—alongside the show's music director Justin Craig and a handful of full-throated background singers. Watching Butler cavort around with his guitar was a true masterclass in letting the music move you, and his energy infected the crowd, who were bursting with vigor by the end of his brief set. You know you've found the groove when a headphone-protected toddler can't help but boogie on the dance floor!

DRAG: The Musical: Never to be outdone, Alaska Thunderfuck 5000 and the cast of Drag: the Musical kept the energy flowing with their selections from the upcoming Off-Broadway show: "Queen Kitty" and "It's a Drag." Joined by Nick Adams, Alaska didn't pull any punches, performing the most high-demanding choreography of the evening.

Joy Woods: The Notebook's breakout star treated fans to some of her favorite pop songs, "Happy" by Natasha Bedingfield and "Hummingbird Heartbeat" by Katy Perry, before launching into her viral hit "My Days" from the romantic musical. Glowing under the soft spotlight, Woods had the audience in the palm of her hand, with many crying out at the completion of her three-song set for just one more track. As The Notebook's Broadway run winds down to a close, musical theatre fans should keep a clear eye on Woods' future.

Hazbin Hotel: The popular animated musical series made their festival debut, with star Blake Roman (Harmony) performing the song "Poison," with Criss ducking back out to play guitar and provide background vocals.

Jordan Fisher: In a moment that had a large number of audience members reaching for their handkerchiefs, Fisher returned to the stage to perform "I'm Not Afraid Of Anything" from Jason Robert Brown's Songs For A New World. The song, which is a favorite of Fisher's wife Ellie Woods, was anthemic, with couples dotted across the crowd clinging to one another.

Rachel Zegler: If you know anything about Rachel Zegler (of the 2021 West Side Story film remake), you know how much she adores Jeanine Tesori. The screen star, who deferred filming on the 2021 film to perform in her high school musical production of Shrek, worked directly with Tesori as a vocal guide on the film. In tribute to her teacher, Zegler performed "Gimme Gimme" from Tesori's Thoroughly Modern Millie, dressed in an immediately iconic chartreuse glitter two-piece set. The screen star will make her Broadway debut later this season in an inventive new revival of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and her admiration for Tesori bubbled over into exuberance as she exclaimed "ROMEO AND JULIET ME!" during the song's climax.

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John Gallagher Jr.: The Tony winner played selections from his new album, Goodbye Or Something, before bringing out his Swept Away cast mates Stark Sands, Adrian Blake Enscoe, and Wayne Duvall to preview two songs from the upcoming musical.

Lizzy McAlpine: The night came to a close with a gloriously nerdy set from theatre-kid-turned-singer-songwriter Lizzy McAlpine, who set her heart-wrenching original compositions to the side for the evening to highlight her favorite theatre songs, including a frank rendition of "Everything Else" from Next to Normal, a refreshingly vulnerable "Flowers" from Hadestown (performed with composer Anaïs Mitchell on guitar and backing vocals), a layered version of "Another Life" from Bridges of Madison County, the endearing "First Date/Last Night" from Dogfight (performed with original star Derek Klena, who managed to fluster McAlpine by wrapping her in his jacket mid-song as the evening chill rolled in), the haunting "Pretty Funny" from Dogfight, a rocking "Wish You Were Here" from Next to Normal (performed with Zegler), and lastly, a hauntingly minimalist rendition of "People" from Funny Girl.

As the evening came to a close with a massive group sing-along of "Defying Gravity" from Wicked, a sense of community and camaraderie glimmered under the darkened sky. As these stars from theatre, film, and music came together, one thing was made clear: Once a theatre kid, always a theatre kid.

See more photos from Elsie Fest 2024 below.