In 1998, John Cameron Mitchell wrote and starred in an Off-Broadway musical about a transgender punk-rock girl from East Berlin who sets off on a journey to find the ex-lover and band-mate who stole her songs. It seemed like a good, if edgy, idea at the time.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (with songs by Stephen Trask) went on to become an international stage hit and in 2001, Mitchell wrote, directed and starred in the film version which won him Best Director at Sundance and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor.
In 2014, the show was revived on Broadway, winning four Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical and Best Actor in a Musical for its star, Neil Patrick Harris. Mitchell himself recently stepped back into Hedwig's heels for a stint in the Broadway production.
"John's return to Hedwig and the Angry Inch is one for the history books," according to Heather Hitchens, President of the American Theatre Wing, and Charlotte St. Martin, Executive Director of The Broadway League.
"He not only co-wrote the musical with Stephen Trask and created the role - before directing and starring in the film - but returned to Broadway to star as Hedwig this season after a series of rave performances by Neil Patrick Harris, Andrew Rannells and Michael C. Hall. This is a remarkable undertaking, and we are honored to recognize his outstanding success with this honor."
So at the 2015 Tony Awards, broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Sunday, June 7, John Cameron Mitchell, his daring show and his unforgettable trans punk-rock heroine, will be honored with Broadway's most prestigious award. Since he was not eligible for a Tony when the show was nominated last year, Mitchell will receive a special award this year for his contributions to theater.
Hedwig isn't the only production with LGBT themes to be recognized at the awards ceremony. Fun Home, a musical based on the life of out author Alison Bechdel, received 12 nominations.
Kristin Chenoweth, who will host the ceremony alongside Alan Cumming, also received a nomination for her role in the musical On the Twentieth Century.
