The cult-classic film “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and John Cameron Mitchell, the film’s director, writer and star, is pulling out all the stops with a huge tour that will stop in New York City.
Released in 2001, “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” is based on Mitchell’s and Stephen Trask’s 1998 stage musical “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.” The story follows Hedwig Robinson, played by Mitchell, a gay East German rock singer who develops a relationship with Tommy, a younger musician who ends up stealing Hedwig’s music and becoming a rock star. Hedwig and her backing band, the Angry Inch, shadow Tommy’s tour, and the film explores Hedwig’s past and her forced sex reassignment surgery.
To celebrate the film’s 25th anniversary, Mitchell launched a multi-city tour to honor the film’s lasting legacy.
“25 is a nice round number. My producer, Jeremy Wein, suggested to me the tour, and I was like, ‘What a great idea,’” said Mitchell. “I’m meeting all these people who have been with Hedwig, been with my work for years and quietly supporting it and it’s helped them in some way.”
The New York City tour stop will take place at the Beacon Theatre, located at 2124 Broadway, on Nov. 16. Each tour stop features a 4K screening of the film followed by an in-person conversation with Mitchell that will include behind-the-scenes stories, an audience Q&A, and more, with appearances from Miriam Shor (who played Yitzhak), Maurice Dean Mint (Luther), Stephen Trask, and Mike Potter (Original Wig and Makeup designer). There are also options for post-show meet-and-greets.
Guests will also be able to arrive early and take part in the night’s costume contest, complete with prizes from sponsors The Criterion Collection and The Punk Rock Museum. Those participating are encouraged to dress in their favorite Hedwig look or channel Mitchell himself!
“The New York show is gonna be quite the thing, It’s gonna be the jewel in the crown because it’s the Beacon,” said Mitchell. “We’re going to have huge numbers of the cast there and people who worked on the film.”
For Mitchell, seeing the kind of impact the film has had on people over the years has been incredible to see. When he wrote the film, Mitchell was really just hoping to make something unique that his friends were going to enjoy.
Mitchell told amNewYork that because of when “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” was made and released, it was able to grow more organically.
“It couldn’t really be forced down people’s throats. It was too unusual, and there was no point. They do that with big giant action movies because they figure the more you hear about it, you have to see it, and ‘Hedwig’ was incomparable,” said Mitchell. “It was a failure when it was released in theaters. The DVD situation was one person giving it to another, and showing it to another, and that is how it was built. It was brick by brick, it wasn’t like some AI slop. It was sturdy so that everyone who got it, got it from someone and it meant something to them.”
Mitchell hopes that those who are fans of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” whether they are new fans or old, can find something for themselves, regardless of how they identify themselves.
“The main thing that’s changed [over time] is obviously there’s been more people stepping forward into a trans space, acknowledging the fact that energies are not dictatable by society. And when I say energies, I mean things that we may describe as feminine or masculine, and gender is a part of that,” said Mitchell. “However people identify or find themselves is where they find themselves and where they seek themselves, and I had the biggest part of that journey for a lot of people. That’s why the myth of the origin of love is at the center of it, it’s a very equal opportunity myth. It can work for trans people, gay, straight, whatever.”
The “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” 25th Anniversary tour show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $63.65 and are available at hedwig25.com.
Details
What: “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” 25th Anniversary Tour
Where: Beacon Theatre, 2124 Broadway
When: Nov. 16, 7:30 p.m.
Price: Tickets start at $63.65.
