Darren Criss talks about the “magic
of drag” ahead of his debut as Hedwig in the Broadway production of
Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
Criss, who is best known for playing
gay student Blaine Anderson on the Fox musical-comedy Glee,
will take over the lead role when John Cameron Mitchell's engagement
ends on April 26.
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 Mitchell in the title role,
tells the story of a transgender rock musician's search for “my
other half.”
Criss' 12-week engagement starts April
29.
“The first time I put on the makeup,
you immediately become this sassy bitch because you just look at
yourself and go, 'Oh! Who is that?!'” Criss
told Playbill. “It really changes the way you see yourself
and, as a result, how you interact with other people. I was like,
'Mama look good! Mama look real pretty!' But, it has very little to
do with me and everything to do with the magic of drag and contouring
and all the tricks of the drag trade for hundreds of years on the
stage.”
“The physicality of Hedwig is
very much augmented and helped out by when you put on the makeup and
the wigs and the outfits. I don't care who you are – you put on a
pair of heels, you're going to hold yourself differently. It
immediately empowers one's physique.”
Criss' Broadway resume includes a
three-week stint playing J. Pierrepont Finch in the musical How to
Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.