John Cameron Mitchell will celebrate the 25th anniversary of *Hedwig* in Australia and perform Bowie songs
During his visit to Australia, American playwright, director, and performer John Cameron Mitchell will present a 4K screening of the film *Hedwig and the Angry Inch*, lead a workshop on punk, and perform a set of David Bowie songs. This was reported by ABC News Australia.
Mitchell wrote the screenplay, directed the film, and played the lead role. The film was released in 2001 and was an adaptation of the 1998 Off-Broadway musical of the same name, co-created with Steven Trask. Its central character is a genderqueer rock singer from divided Berlin who tours the American Midwest after a botched surgery.
At first, the film was not a commercial success, but it later achieved cult status. Mitchell believes that Hedwig’s story resonates with people who have felt like outsiders or who didn’t fit in with those around them. According to him, the film’s enduring appeal is linked, in particular, to its origins in the 1990s New York queer rock scene, and the role of Hedwig can be played by anyone.
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In September, Mitchell will present the show *I’m Afraid of Americans: A Bowie Song Cycle* in Sydney and Melbourne. The program includes, among others, Bowie’s songs “Sweet Thing,” “Station to Station,” “Big Brother,” “Heroes,” “Sorrow,” and “Conversation Piece.” Bowie was an early supporter of *Hedwig* and, according to Mitchell, helped finance the musical’s production in Los Angeles out of his own pocket.
Mitchell will also speak at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas, leading a master class on punk. He plans to discuss artists who resisted totalitarianism through their art, including the French surrealist Claude Caon, who fought on the Nazi-occupied island of Jersey. Mitchell is working on a play about Caon and developing two biographical films—one about poet Allen Ginsberg and the other about ACT UP activist Peter Staley.
