The starry lineup included Tony winner Lea Salonga, "Glee" and recent Hedwig star Darren Criss, Next to Normal's Aaron Tveit, Hamilton's Leslie Odom, Jr.; Tony-nominated singing actress Laura Osnes; Chicago-based musical theatre company and YouTube sensation StarKid; and musician, actor, radio host and Playbill.com columnist Seth Rudetsky.
Elsie Fest is the brainchild of Criss, talent manager Ricky Rollins and Broadway producer and Jujamcyn Theaters president Jordan Roth.
"I was at Coachella [the annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in southern California] and thought 'let's do this for show tunes,'" said Criss in an earlier statement. "Musical theater has been going through a wonderful shift in the past few years, from the type of work that’s being produced to the way it’s being consumed by the public. It's more than showtunes on Broadway–it’s songs from film, TV and YouTube. Since the rules were already changing, I figured, why not shake up people’s ideas of where to watch the performers they love. Enter Elsie."
The outdoor festival featured performances throughout the day, including surprise guests. Concertgoers were offered exclusive meet and greets with their favorite stars, merchandise, food trucks and a Beer Garden.
