When John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask wrote Hedwig and the Angry Inch in the mid-1990s, neither could have anticipated the success it would become. The musical was adapted into a film and eventually won two Tony Awards for its Broadway revival.
Now Mitchell is travelling to Australia for the first time ever with a brand new show The Origin of Love in Sydney, featuring much-loved rock ballads from the cult-classic. He won’t play Hedwig but will channel some of her unstoppable energy as he opens up about his life at the time of writing – including his relationship with the late Jack Steeb, who was the bass player in Trask’s band.
Of course, there’ll be drag: a wig designed by Mike Potter, the man behind Hedwig’s trademark look, and a costume that will evolve over the course of the performance, by artist Erik Bergrin.
“It’s going to be a free-form party centring on the making of Hedwig, but loose enough that anything can happen,” Mitchell told Time Out. “If the play was in the form of a rock show, this will actually be a rock show.”
In this one-off Sydney Opera House show with special guest artist Amber Martin, Mitchell will also preview songs from his upcoming musical podcast Anthem.