Stephen Trask, the original
composer/lyricist of the cult hit Hedwig and the Angry Inch,
has said that Neil Patrick Harris always seemed to him to be “the
guy” to play Hedwig.
Hedwig, which had a long
off-Broadway run at New York City's Jane Street Theater and was later
turned into a movie in 2001 starring John Cameron Mitchell in the
title role, tells the story of a transgender rock musician's search
for “my other half.”
The musical returns to Broadway next
month with Harris in the lead.
“I've wanted Neil to do this role
since 2003, maybe earlier,” Trask told Frontiers
LA. “I had met him at the Jane Street Theater in 1998 when
he came to see the show, and I was very taken with him – really
into him as a performer. I liked the way he talked and the way he
carried himself. In the discussions after we knew John wasn't going
to play the role again, Neil's name came up very early. He always
seemed to be 'the guy.'”
On replacements for Harris once his run
is over, Trask suggested Justin Timberlake.
“I would genuinely like to see Justin
Timberlake do it,” he said. “The person who does it has to be a
real entertainer, and he seems to be an all-around entertainer. Did
River Phoenix sing? If he did, he would've been good. Honestly, I
can't think past Neil. He is spectacular.”