FASHION ENTERTAINMENT LIFESTYLE TRAVEL & NIGHTLIFE OUT EXCLUSIVES NEWS & OPINION VIDEO TRUMAN SAYS MUSIC POPNOGRAPHY MOVIES FIVE OF THE BEST FASHION Best­Dressed Man of Of Scripture and Zachary Quinto James F*****G New Fall Fragrances Star Search: Stefano the Week: David Script Sexier Than Ever in McAvoy Pilati Gandy 'The Wild' Magazine ENTERTAINMENT THEATER & DANCE Search Tweet 19 Like 4 0 4 The Genesis of Hedwig 4.22.2014 BY JERRY PORTWOOD Producer David Binder could never have imagined the edgy downtown rock musical would make its way to Broadway Original production photo of 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch' with John Cameron Mitchell and original cast | Photo courtesy of David Binder Hedwig and the Angry Inch was never intended to be a Broadway musical with a TV star such as Neil Patrick Harris in the lead role. Before the stage show was made into a cult­favorite indie film financed by Christine Vachon’s Killer Films, before it was an Off­Broadway phenomenon with celebs donning the blond wig, the trans glam rock goddess from East Berlin was cooked up in in the early 1990s by John Cameron Mitchell at New York City’s drag­punk party SqueezeBox. Stephen Trask headed the house band there and encouraged Mitchell to start developing the story. Mitchell had just originated the role of Dickon on Broadway in The Secret Garden, but this was fun: Not a drag queen act, Hedwig was glam rock, a queer character that channeled David Bowie, Iggy Pop, and Lou Reed mixed with Plato’s Symposium. The central story embedded in the moving, fiercely multiculti, fairy tale­like song­story "The Origin of Love" explains Hedwig’s urge to find her other half and feel whole. David Binder, the producer of the current and original productions (along with the current Of Mice and Men Broadway revival starring James Franco and Chris O'Dowd), helped mount that initial show at the Westbeth Theatre Center in 1997 in a derelict ballroom that they rechristened the Jane Street Theatre. “The show still didn’t have a direction at first,” he explains. “It was just John and Stephen trying out some songs.” He raised $29,000 from 10 investors, one of which was the flavored cognac Alizé, which fronted $5,000, according to Binder. The show ended up being a critical success and has since been remounted hundreds of times around the world. MOST POPULAR GAY FASHION BLOG ­ WHAT TRUMAN SAYS GOES GAY POP CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, ICONS POPNOGRAPHY THE 30 SEXIEST GAY SCENES IN FILM OF SCRIPTURE AND SCRIPT THE FRIGHTENING, EXHILARATING, AROUSING WORLD OF CONFUSIONS BEST­DRESSED MAN OF THE WEEK: DAVID GANDY Neil Patrick Harris & Justin Craig in the current Broadway production Binder credits shows like Spring Awakening and American Idiot for preparing audiences for a rock musical, but he explains that they’d wanted to try for a professional Broadway production for years. They waited until Harris, with whom they had wanted to work for quite some time, was finished with the TV show and was available. “We loved the show so much; we grew up making this thing, so we wanted to deliver it back to the world in a way that we could be proud of.” Hedwig and the Angry Inch opens on Broadway April 22. Read about Neil Patrick Harris's conversion to the role. TAGS: THEATER & DANCE, HEDWIG, JAMES FRANCO, NEIL PATRICK HARRIS Sponsored Links by Taboola Bill Hader Excels as a Gay in New Film —Stefon Would Approve BY MICHAEL MUSTO Seasonless Fashion for the 12 SF Obsessions New York The Richest WWE Divas In TWITTER Classic Wardrobe Hasn’t Discovered Yet History The Line New York Magazine Worthly The Family Finally Weighs 15 BIZARRE Celebrity Famous Wardrobe In on Bruce Jenner's News Couples Malfunctions Caught On Stirring Daily Perez Hilton Camera StyleBistro MORE IN THEATER & DANCE Out.com Staffers Tweets from a list by Out Magazine Tweets from Out.com Staffers Jason Lamphier 22m @JasonDLamphier PJ Harvey the scholar makes me so happy. The Frightening, Tastemakers 2014: Broadway WILL Michael C. Hall to Exhilarating, Trajal Harrell Dim the Lights for Star in Hedwig nme.com/news/pj-harvey… Arousing World of Joan Rivers Confusions Matthew Breen 53m READER COMMENTS (0) @matbreen Ooh, you got a new phone? You should totally Add a comment... tweet about it. pic.twitter.com/Q2tkjKnoIu Also post on Facebook Posting as Brian Savelson (Change) Comment Facebook social plugin Expand Jason Lamphier 1h @JasonDLamphier Go read this story on Perfume Genius by EMAIL NEWSLETTER CONTACT STAFF CAREER OPPORTUNITIES SUBSCRIBE @SUjuBmSoCnRsImBEaRpe SsE: RVICES VISIT OUR WEBSITES flavorwire.com/477987/perfume… GAY.NET GAY.COM OUT.COM ADVOCATE.COM HERETV.COM OUTTRAVELER.COM SHE(AWlsIoR, EI Dm.CakOeM a lit tleH cIaVmPLeUo SinM iAt.G) .COM PRIVACY POLICY USER AGREEMENT COMMUNITY GUIDELINES LEGAL NOTICE ADVERTISE WITH US © 2014, HERE MEDIA INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.