Darren Criss has returned to his hometown for Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which launched its national tour at San Francisco's SHN Golden Gate Theatre earlier this week. We grabbed some phone time with the former Glee star to talk about his current role, in which he stars as Hedwig, a transgender rock star who assumes a female persona in order to marry an American man and escape East Berlin.
The ahead-of-its-time musical opened Off Broadway in 1998 and had its first Broadway run (during which Criss also starred as Hedwig for a time) in 2014, winning the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical. The national tour kicked off this week in San Francisco and will move to L.A. in November, and Criss says both cities will be treated to unique performances.
"The show is meant to shift and change based on the current sociopolitical climate," explains Criss, adding that it is also influenced by the particular cities in which it’s staged. "It will be nice to take it to a new world, especially starting somewhere like San Francisco, where, you know, I have a lot of ties because I grew up here, and obviously there's a lot of cultural celebration that ties around what Hedwig kind of celebrates."
The tour comes at a time when Caitlyn Jenner and Laverne Cox are household names and transgender rights are a hot topic in the U.S. The story of a transgender person—or genderqueer person, as Hedwig writer John Cameron Mitchell prefers—carries particular power today.
"I think [Hedwig’s] always been relevant and always been important,” says Criss. "But I think that maybe now our larger society might be more programmed to have it hit home a little better than it has before."
Beyond the politics, Criss says the David Bowie-inspired music, and the spectacle of it all, will attract audiences of all kinds. For him, it doesn’t matter why people are sitting in their seats as long as they see the show. And he’s certain they won’t regret coming. "If I have to give you the bro answer, it’s really fun, and it’s a fucking great show."
Hedwig and the Angry Inch plays through October 30 at the SHN Golden Gate Theatre. Tickets range from $45-$212 and can be purchased here.