HEDWIG's Neil Patrick Harris Talks 2015 GRAMMY Nomination and More

In an interview with Billboard, Tony-winning Hedwig and the Angry Inch star Neil Patrick Harris talked about this year's Best Musical Theater Album Grammy nomination for the Broadway show's cast recording, plus his overall experience acting in the award-winning production.

Read the full interview here, and scroll down for highlights!

Harris's reaction to the Grammy nomination: "Dude, I'm so happy. A large part of my Hedwig experience was living in appreciation of the music and the songs, and I was so bummed when the Tony voting committee deemed it a revival instead of a new musical because I really think that what Stephen Trask has done musically is so strong, and it was never able to be acknowledged."

On his first time seeing HEDWIG: "It was dirty, in every way: sexually, but then also like actually dirty. I went away feeling my mind was open to a type of person I had never experienced before -- never anticipating I'd get to do it, just thinking it was such great theater."

On recording the album: "The album came about quite quickly when everyone felt it needed to be heard. And so it was produced in-house by people who had their own recording equipment, and it was done over multiple days. We were well into the run of the show, and so I wasn't in great voice. In the past when I have recorded albums, I wanted to ... be in proper voice, and this was a little bit more of a blowout. In a weird way, it [helped], because there were certain notes I just couldn't hit, and we'd try again, and do takes that were rough, and I never appreciated that rough was better in certain ways. So it felt very authentically New York recording it."

On John Cameron Mitchell's upcoming return to the show: "I don't know that I've met anyone that has more of a tender soul. So getting notes from him was exquisite; getting to watch him do it is gonna be nothing short of hilarious because it's a grueling ride that we've created. It's much more physical than what he did initially, and now he's going to have to do it. So we'll see what scaffolding he'll actually climb!"

Current Hedwig star Michael C. Hall will play his final performance on Sunday, January 18. John Cameron Mitchell returns to the role he co-created with composer/lyricist Stephen Trask starting Wednesday, January 21 for a strictly limited eight week engagement. Mitchell will join co-star and Tony Award winner Lena Hall who continues with the production as Yitzhak. The members of "The Angry Inch," Hedwig's band, are music director Justin Craig (guitar and keyboards), Matt Duncan (bass), Tim Mislock (guitar), and Peter Yanowitz (drums).

Hedwig and The Angry Inch, with music and lyrics by Stephen Trask and book by John Cameron Mitchell, directed by Michael Mayer, has received rave reviews and is the winner of four Tony Awards, including Best Musical Revival. It was also awarded Best Musical Revival by the Drama Desk Awards, Drama League Awards, and Outer Critics Circle Awards.

"Internationally ignored song stylist" Hedwig Robinson brings her fourth-wall-smashing rock and roll saga to New York to set the record straight about her life, her loves, and the botched operation that left her with that "angry inch."

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus