Broadway’s “Hedwig” Gets a New Makeover

16th July 2015 | Category: Theater

Starting July 22, 2015 Broadway veteran Taye Diggs will become the first African-American to play the lead role in “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.” Previously played by other famous names such as Neil Patrick Harris, Michael C. Hall, and Darren Criss; Hedwig has been considered the role of a lifetime.

“Hedwig” is a rock musical about an East German musician named Hansel Schmidt, who assumes a female persona after a botched sex-change surgery. After marrying an American drag queen and escaping East Germany, Hansel, now known as Hedwig Robinson relocates to Kansas.

Written by John Cameron Mitchell, the musical was inspired by Mitchell’s own life as the son of a U.S. Army Major General. Hedwig’s character was based off of a German divorced U.S. Army wife who worked as a babysitter for Mitchell’s family during the day, and then at night assumed the role of a prostitute in a trailer park in Kansas.

The music and lyrics were written by Stephen Trask. The style follows an androgynous 1970s glam rock, similar to David Bowie’s music; with punk rock vibes that make you nostalgic of Iggy Pop and Lou Reed.

This past week “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” grossed $533,938. However before its success, in the mid-90s “Hedwig” started out as a series of 30-minute segments of cover songs at Squeezebox!, a club where drag queens performed. It was nearly half a decade before the show was finally complete and ready for the stage.

The current run of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” began in April 2014 with Neil Patrick Harris as the lead. The show won four Tony Awards, including Best Musical Revival. The musical’s weekly grosses began to drop this spring, but the show’s lead producer David Binder is confident that fitting the roles with an all-star cast will continue to draw in audiences.

Taye Diggs made his Broadway debut in “Rent.” He has since acted on the television show “Private Practice” and has been in films like the movie adaption of “Chicago.” With his extensive resume, Mr. Diggs should have no trouble at all filling those shiny gold go-go boots.

It is time to grab your tickets for the show, and make sure that you don’t miss out on an experience of a lifetime!

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