John Cameron Mitchell to play Hedwig finally on Broadway, after Neil Patrick Harris, Andrew Rannells and Michael C. Hall, John at the Belasco Theatre From 21 Jan 2015.

 

 

 

A Little bit of HEDWIG History

In 1998, Mitchell wrote (along with composer Stephen Trask) and starred in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, an Obie Award-winning Off Broadway musical about an East German transgender rock musician chasing after an ex-lover who plagiarized her songs.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch premiered Off-Broadway at the Jane Street Theatre on February 14, 1998 and closed on April 9, 2000 after 857 performances. Direction was by Peter Askin and musical staging by Jerry Mitchell, with Hedwig initially played by John Cameron Mitchell. The theater was located in the ballroom of the Hotel Riverview, which once housed the surviving crew of the Titanic (a fact which figured in the original production).

Three years later, he directed and starred in the feature film version of the play for which he won Best Director at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. His performance was nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy. Both the play and the film were critical hits and have spawned cult followings around the world.

The 2014 Broadway revival of Hedwig starring Neil Patrick Harris and Lena Hall, directed by Michael Mayer, won Tony Awards for Neil (Best Actor in a Musical) and Lena (Best Actress in a Musical), as well as Best Revival of a Musical. Replaced by Andrew Rannells and Michael C. Hall

 

John Cameron Mitchell

born April 21, 1963 is an American actor, writer and director, best known for his films Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Shortbus and Rabbit Hole. His first stage role was the Virgin Mary in a Nativity musical staged at a Scottish Benedictine boys boarding school when he was 11 years old. He studied theater at Northwestern University from 1981 to 1985.

Stage Work

Mitchell’s first professional stage role was Huckleberry Finn in a 1985 Organic Theater adaptation at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre. His first New York acting role was Huck Finn in the Broadway musical Big River (1985). He originated the role of Dickon on Broadway in The Secret Garden, and appeared in the original cast of the Off Broadway musical Hello Again. He received Drama Desk nominations for both roles, and can be heard on the original cast recordings for each.

He appeared in the original cast of John Guare’s Six Degrees of Separation (both off-Broadway and on Broadway), and starred in Larry Kramer’s Off Broadway sequel to The Normal Heart, The Destiny of Me, for which he received an Obie Award and a Drama Desk nomination

Music

 

• “Tear Me Down”
• “The Origin of Love”
• “Random Number Generation” (cast album only)
• “Sugar Daddy”
• “The Angry Inch”
• “Wig in a Box”
• “Wicked Little Town”
• “The Long Grift”
• “Hedwig’s Lament”
• “Exquisite Corpse”
• “Wicked Little Town (Reprise)”
• “Midnight Radio”

 

Cast

Neil Patrick Harris – Andrew Rannells – Michael C Hall – John Cameron Mitchell – Hedwig
Lena Hall – Yitzhak
Justin Craig Skszp The Angry Inch
Matt Duncan Jacek The Angry Inch
Tim Mislock Krzyzhtoff The Angry Inch
Peter Yanowitz Schlatko The Angry Inch

 

This version of the musical updates the story to modern day and has Hedwig performing on the abandoned set of Hurt Locker: The Musical, which closed the prior evening midway through its first performance. Hedwig explains that because it closed so quickly, she was able to convince one of the producers to allow her to use what would have been an otherwise empty and unused stage. Faux Playbills for the musical are littered throughout the theater and discuss various elements of the musical, which Hedwig occasionally mentions offhand throughout the musical. Director Michael Mayer stated that they came up with the idea for Hurt Locker: The Musical as a way to explain Hedwig’s presence in a Broadway theatre. It was also used as a way to update the script to modern day as well as explain how Hedwig would be able to use such stage settings. Various newspapers have commented favorably on the faux Playbills, both an element of the musical and as a piece separate from the musical itself.

 

Check Out Hedwig and the Angry Inch Memorabilia now at TheatreGold

Creative Crew

Book by John Cameron Mitchell
Music by Stephen Trask
Lyrics by Stephen Trask
Musical Director: Justin Craig
Scenic Design by Julian Crouch
Costume Design by Arianne Phillips
Lighting Design by Kevin Adams
Sound Design by Tim O’Heir
Wig Design by Mike Potter
Make-Up Design by Mike Potter
Projection Design by Benjamin Pearcy and 59 Productions
Associate Scenic Design: Frank McCullough
Associate Costume Design: Valerie Marcus Ramshur
Associate Lighting Design: Paul Toben
Executive Producer: 101 Productions, Ltd
Company Manager: Barbara Crompton
Technical Supervisor: Aurora Productions
Production Stage Manager: Lisa Iacucci
Stage Manager: Rachel Wolff
Musical Supervisor: Ethan Popp
Musical Coordinator: Ethan Popp
Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals: Justin Craig
Bass, Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals: Matt Duncan
Guitar, Vocals: Tim Mislock
Drums, Vocals: Peter Yanowitz