Hedwig and the Angry Inch creator brings new show to Brisbane
Tony Award-winning actor, director and writer John Cameron Mitchell (right) will tour Australia for the first time with his new show The Origin of Love: The Songs and Stories of Hedwig, dropping in to Queensland Performing Arts Centre’s (QPAC) Concert Hall on Tuesday 17 July.
For one night of post-punk neo-glam rock at QPAC, the co-creator of Hedwig will perform every song from its soundtrack and tell tales from the ground-breaking musical’s 20-year history.
Conceived and created by Mitchell and songwriter Stephen Trask, Hedwig and the Angry Inch started out as a drag character at the notorious New York City club Squeezebox. From there, Hedwig gradually evolved into a full-fledged workshop production in 1997 and a year later it became an off-Broadway hit, playing in cities worldwide to rave reviews and amassing a cult following.
The rock musical follows a fictional band fronted by Hedwig, an East German trans singer who survives a botched gender reassignment operation, and is drenched in the spirit of punk pioneers like Iggy Pop and Lou Reed and the androgynous style of David Bowie.
In 2001, Mitchell co-wrote, directed and starred in the big-screen adaptation winning Best Director at Sundance Film Festival and a nomination for a Golden Globe as Best Actor. Thirteen years later, he briefly reprised the role of Hedwig on Broadway, earning himself a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical and a Special Tony Award for his performance.
Mitchell’s other work includes directing the improv-based film Shortbus (2006) and 2010’s Rabbit Hole starring Nicole Kidman who scored an Academy Award nomination for her role. He has more recently played recurring roles in HBO’s Girls, Martin Scorsese’s HBO series Vinyl, The Good Fight and the current season of Mozart in the Jungle.
This year will see the release of his film adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s punk-era How to Talk to Girls at Parties starring Elle Fanning and Nicole Kidman.
Tickets are on sale via qpac.com.au or 136 246.
The Origin of Love will also tour to Festival Theatre as part of Adelaide Cabaret Festival (Friday 22 June), Sydney Opera House (Friday 6 July) and Arts Centre Melbourne (Tuesday 10 July).
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