A few days ago it was one year since Darren Criss’ opening night as Hedwig, the main character from the Broadway musical “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”, a role that gave him lots of praise from the critics and general audience. Some people have even called him “the best Hedwig in history”.
This Monday we got the exciting news that Darren will be Hedwig once again, this time for the national tour at the SHN Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco (October 4 – 30) and the Hollywood Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles (November 1 – 27).
The actor –best known for playing Blaine Anderson in the popular TV series “Glee” – made his Broadway debut in 2012 as J. Pierrepont Finch in the revival of “How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying”. Later in 2015, he played Broadway’s favorite transgender, Hedwig, in the famous rock musical by Stephen Trask and John Cameron Mitchell. Criss said:
“When I found out that the tour would be kicking off in my hometown of San Francisco—the city where I was introduced to Hedwig and the Angry Inch—I could think of no better excuse to get back into the heels of a character I loved and missed so very much, and since Los Angeles has become a second home for me, I relished the idea of seeing what kind of fun Hedwig would bring to the heart of Hollywood. Getting to share this fantastic Broadway production with the two great Californian cities of my own life story will hopefully be as much of a joy for me as it will be for audiences who will experience Hedwig’s life story on the West Coast!”
“What’s really cool to me is that because Darren played her on Broadway, we can launch the tour with continuity and authenticity, but at the same time we can make the show his and take advantage of how truly amazing he is” said Trask according to Hollywood Reporter.
Justin Craig, Matt Duncan, Tim Mislock, and Peter Yanowitz, the original members of Hedwig’s band “The Angry Inch” will also be back for the tour. It’s still unknown who will play Yitzhak -Hedwig’s husband- but the additional cast will be announced soon.
“Hedwig and the Angry Inch” opened off-Broadway in 1998 but it wasn’t until 2014 when it was performed on Broadway for the first time. Since then, many actors such as Neil Patrick Harris, Andrew Rannells, Michael C. Hall and Taye Diggs have played the main role.
Darren Criss will also play Prince Eric in “The Little Mermaid” live at the Hollywood Bowl in June, and will star in Barry Morrow’s film “Smitten!”, which is expected to premiere during the last months of this year.
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