Breaking News: Darren Criss Will Lead HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH National Tour; Launches from San Francisco This Fall!

Darren Criss will launch the highly anticipated National Tour of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the 2014 Tony Award-winning Best Musical Revival, reprising his critically-acclaimed performance at the SHN Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco (October 4-30, 2016) and the Hollywood Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles (November 1-27, 2016). Criss previously played Hedwig on Broadway for 12 weeks last year.

The members of Hedwig's band "The Angry Inch" -- aka "Tits of Clay" - will be music director Justin Craig (guitar and keyboards), Matt Duncan (bass), Tim Mislock (guitar), and Peter Yanowitz (drums), all of whom originated their roles on Broadway.

Additional casting for Hedwig & The Angry Inch will be announced at a later date.

Following San Francisco and Los Angeles with Criss, the National Tour will then continue across North America.

As a native of the Bay Area, Criss is thrilled to open the tour in front of hometown audiences. He explained, "When I found out that the tour would be kicking off in my hometown of San Francisco - the city where I was introduced to Hedwig & The Angry Inch - I could think of no better excuse to get back into the heels of a character I loved and missed so very much. And since Los Angeles has become a second home for me, I relished the idea of seeing what kind of fun Hedwig would bring to the heart of Hollywood. Getting to share this fantastic Broadway production with the two great Californian cities of my own life story will hopefully be as much of a joy for me as it will be for audiences who will experience Hedwig's life story on the West Coast!"

About the casting of Criss, composer and lyricist Stephen Trask enthused, "People as talented as Darren don't come along all that often, so that alone is cause for excitement about his 'Hedwig.' What's really cool to me is that because Darren played her on Broadway, we can launch the tour with continuity and authenticity, but at the same time we can make the show his and take advantage of how truly amazing he is."

Book writer John Cameron Mitchell said, "I'm delighted that my brilliant Hedwig sister wife Darren Criss will be in the vanguard of the Hedwig invasion. West coast be warned, Darren takes no prisoners!"

Actor, musician and Emmy-nominated composer, Darren Criss, most recently appeared on the Emmy award-winning FX series "American Horror Story." Prior to his rave-reviewed role as Hedwig, he starred on Broadway as J. Pierrepont Finch in How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. It was recently announced that he will star as Prince Eric in a limited engagement of The Little Mermaid at the Hollywood Bowl this June. Criss is best known for his breakout role as Blaine Anderson on FOX's Emmy and Golden Globe Award?winning series "Glee." The San Francisco-native is a co-founder of StarKid Productions, a Chicago-based theatre company whose works have spurred viral hits, multiple Billboard charting cast albums, and sold-out national tours. He is the founder of the New York City's first showtunes music festival, Elsie Fest. His additional film, TV and stage credits include Girl Most Likely opposite Kristen Wiig and Annette Bening, The Wind Rises, "Web Therapy," ABC's "Backstage with Disney on Broadway," "Michael Feinstein's New Year's Eve Special" on PBS as well as hosting duties for the NewNowNext Awards and Teen Choice Awards.

Criss will appear as Hedwig in the following performances: San Francisco week 1, Tuesday through Saturday at 8:00 pm, andSaturday and Sunday at 2:00 pm; weeks 2-4, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday at 8:00 pm, Wednesday and Sunday at 2:00 pm, andSaturday at 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm. Los Angeles weeks 1-3, Tuesday through Friday at 8:00 pm, Saturday at 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm, and Sunday at 1:00 pm; week 4, Tuesday at 8:00 pm, Wednesday at 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm, Friday at 2:00 pm, Saturday at 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm, and Sunday at 1:00 pm.

Brilliantly innovative, heartbreaking, and wickedly funny, Hedwig and the Angry Inch is the landmark musical by John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask that is "groundbreaking and undoubtedly ahead of its time" (Entertainment Weekly). This genre-bending, fourth-wall-smashing musical sensation, with a pulsing score and electrifying performances, tells the story of one of the most unique characters to ever hit the stage. "Internationally ignored song stylist" Hedwig Robinson (Darren Criss) is out to set the record straight about her life, her loves, and the botched operation that left her with that "angry inch."

Directed by Tony Award-winner Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening) and winner of four 2014 Tony Awards, Hedwig and the Angry Inch played to record-breaking sell-out crowds on Broadway and promises to take North America by storm with what Time Magazine proclaims is "the most exciting rock score written for the theatre since, oh, ever!

David Binder, who first produced Hedwig and the Angry Inch in 1997, produced the musical on Broadway with Jayne Baron Sherman, Barbara Whitman, Latitude Link, Patrick Catullo, Raise The Roof, Paula Marie Black, Colin Callender, Ruth Hendel, Sharon Karmazin, Martian Entertainment, Stacey Mindich, Eric Schnall, and The Shubert Organization. 101 Productions, Ltd were the executive producers. The record-breaking production ran for over 500 performances at the Belasco Theatre.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch was originally produced Off-Off-Broadway at Westbeth and then, under the direction of Peter Askin, ran over two years at the Jane Street Theatre beginning in February 1998. The musical won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical and both John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask won Obies in 2001. It won a 1998 New York Magazine Award and Entertainment Weekly's "Soundtrack of the Year" Award. Time Magazine named Hedwig the Top Musical of 1998.

The film of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, directed by John Cameron Mitchell, won the Audience Award and Best Director Awards at Sundance. Mitchell won the Best New Director from the National Board of Review, the Gotham Awards, and the LA Critics Society. Stage productions have played for many years in Japan and in 2008, Korea hosted a popular televised reality show about the search for a new star to play Hedwig.

The creative team for Hedwig and The Angry Inch features Emmy Award nominee Spencer Liff (musical staging), Tony Award nominee and Drama Desk Award winner Julian Crouch (scenic design), Tony Award and two-time Oscar nominee Arianne Phillips(costume design), four-time Tony Award winner Kevin Adams (lighting design), Mike Potter (hair and makeup design), Tony Award nominee and platinum-selling record producer Tim O'Heir (sound design), Benjamin Pearcy for 59 Productions (projection design),John Bair/Phosphene (animation), James Calleri (casting), Tony and Grammy Award nominee Ethan Popp (music supervisor & music coordinator), Justin Craig (music director), Stephen Gabis (dialect coach) and Johanna McKeon (associate director).

The Grammy nominated Original Broadway Cast Album for Hedwig and the Angry Inch is available from Atlantic Records.