John Cameron Mitchell Discusses Upcoming Australian Tour, the Importance of HEDWIG, and More

Ahead of his upcoming Australian debut, John Cameron Mitchell sat down with TimeOut to discuss the show, as well as why he thinks Hedwig and the Angry Inch continues to be relevant.

Mitchell said that he's doing this performance for his mother, to help pay for her Alzheimer's care.

The Hedwig and the Angry Inch writer expressed his surprise at the ongoing support the musical continues to receive.

"It's almost like a child that keeps surprising us with her achievements," he said. "It came out from our loins, but it grows on its own."Mitchell believes that Hedwig is possibly more relevant now than ever with the changing political climate, as well as the representation of transgender people.

"Hedwig doesn't really identify as trans because she was forced into it," Mitchell said. "But she's on the spectrum. She might've been a 'they' today; who knows? It's a situation where somebody was mutilated, in a way, by the powers that be and the patriarchy, and found a new identity through art."

His Australian performance will be a tribute to Hedwig (the musical)'s journey, but will stand alone as its own concert.

"It's going to be a free-form party centring on the making of Hedwig," Mitchell said. "But loose enough that anything can happen. If the play was in the form of a rock show, this will actually be a rock show."

Read more on TimeOut.

The Origin of Love: The Songs and Stories of Hedwig is at Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne on July 10.

For more information about Mitchell's upcoming Australian tour, check out our previous story.