John Cameron Mitchell Discusses Returning To HEDWIG & THE ANGRY INCH

The original Hedwig returns at last!

Original star and co-creator of the gender-bending title role of multi-award-winning rock musical HEDWIG & THE ANGRY INCH, John Cameron Mitchell discusses his long-awaited return to high heels as part of a new interview.

Mitchell sagely relates of the differences in playing the role now versus back in the 1990s, "I'm realizing I have more rage than I thought I did at this age. Most of it is the rage of the old Jewish lady screaming about how the city is changing, and how this culture has kind of numbed people out and kept them from connecting. I'm definitely lashing out more at everybody, but then hopefully "Midnight Radio" becomes more of a healing song because there is more of this abuse. Hedwig was raped and mutilated, in effect, by everyone she knew and then she starts lashing out at everyone, and hopefully when the pieces are on the ground, as Tommy says, something beautiful and new comes out of it. We all feel, hopefully, less alone at the end. When Hedwig says you got to hold on to each other, you strange rock-n-rollers, it's a very emotional thing for me. It feels very healing for me at this time in my life when my parents are ailing and we seem more lost and are more grateful for what we have. I have the best job in the world. I can barely move during the day but I'm very, very lucky."

Additionally, Mitchell says of how he came to decide to take on the role again, "It was always in the back of my mind, could I step in at some point? I didn't want it to mess up my film schedule, which came first, and then there was this window in January which is the show-killer month, and I thought, well, this might be perfect, and then of course I was just panicking right until the last minute because I didn't know if I still had it in me. I knew I had it in me emotionally but physically and vocally, it's still a struggle. I'm not a superman like Neil, so it's much more ragged. So it was something in the back pocket always, sure. If it teed up, and if I could help the show run and also emotionally revisit something that was a milestone in my life...Going back to it, it's almost like doing Ayahuasca or someone doing a crazy LSD trip to sort of find out something about themselves. [I'm] emotionally trolling the depths to see what's next in my life."

Check out the original article on the matter here.

The official description of HEDWIG & THE ANGRY INCH is as follows: "John Cameron Mitchell, who with composer Stephen Trask wrote Hedwig and the Angry Inch, returns to the title role on Broadway, after creating Hedwig in both the 1998 off-Broadway production and the 2001 film. The landmark musical is directed by Tony Award® winner Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening). Heartbreaking and wickedly funny, this raucously entertaining show has inspired a generation."

More information on HEDWIG & THE ANGRY INCH is available at the official site here.

Of note, HEDWIG & THE ANGRY INCH took home 4 2014 Tony Awards, including Best Revival Of A Musical, Best Actor In A Musical (Neil Patrick Harris), Best Featured Actress In A Musical (Lena Hall) and Best Sound Design (Tim O'Heir).

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus