We're wigging out at this news! John Cameron Mitchell has extended his run in Hedwig and the Angry Inch by six weeks and will now headline the Broadway production through April 26. The original star and co-creator of the musical started performances at the Belasco Theatre on January 21. Casting for the next Hedwig will be announced shortly; Tony winner Lena Hall continues in the role of Yitzhak.
Mitchell wrote the book for Hedwig alongside composer Stephen Trask, and the stars performed early versions of the musical at Don Hill’s and the Westbeth Theatre Center. Mitchell later starred in the off-Broadway incarnation of the hit musical at the Jane Street Theatre in 1998. He directed, wrote and starred in the 2001 film adaptation of Hedwig, garnering a Golden Globe nomination for his performance. Mitchell has appeared on Broadway in The Secret Garden, Big River and Six Degrees of Separation, and was most recently seen on the small screen in Girls, playing David Pressler-Goings, Hannah’s book publisher.
Directed by Michael Mayer, the Tony-winning Broadway production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch opened on April 22, 2014, starring Neil Patrick Harris and Lena Hall. Andrew Rannells subsequently stepped into Harris' heels before Michael C. Hall, Mitchell's predecessor in this version, took over. The musical tells the story of a fictional rock ‘n’ roll band, fronted by Hedwig, a transgender woman from communist East Berlin. Between rock songs, Hedwig regales the audience with both humorous and painful stories about her life, including her botched sex change operation.