Neil Patrick Harris on Assassins Group Hugs, His 'Dirty and Raw' Drag Dream Role & More

Neil Patrick Harris is heading back to Broadway for a one-night-only benefit concert of Sondheim’s cult musical Assassins, reprising the dual roles of Lee Harvey Oswald and the Balladeer. Harris, who starred in the short-lived 2004 revival alongside Tony winners Michael Cerveris and Denis O’Hare, confessed to Entertainment Weekly that he hopes his return to Assassins will be the start of many more stage roles…including one in drag!

“My worry is I’m going to do [Assassins] this one night and then be dying to get back on stage and do a full production,” said Harris. “I’d love to do something very against type. I’d love to revive something dirty and raw…to do something radical like Hedwig [and the Angry Inch], something that would really be outside the box.” During the Assassins concert, maybe Harris can hit up Hedwig alum Cerveris for advice about taking on the German transgender rocker!

For now, Harris is content to be starring in the Assassins concert—the cast of the Tony-winning revival has remained in touch, and Harris predicts the reunion will include tons of “group hugs all around." Harris also hopes that New York City will welcome Assassins with open arms this time. “The original production was delayed because it was supposed to happen right after September 11, which seemed like an inappropriate time to, you know, ponder the rationale behind assassinations of presidents,” Harris mused, adding that when the show finally premiered during an election cycle, “it was a little hard to put Assassins on billboards and buses.”

After Assassins, Harris will return to his day job as suit-clad womanizer Barney Stinson on TV’s How I Met Your Mother, now in its eighth season—but the actor and his partner David Burtka already have their post-Mother plans in place. “Our plan after How I Met Your Mother wraps up the series is to head east,” he said. “David’s a New York theater guy, he’s done Edward Albee and Gypsy on Broadway, so he’s clamoring to get back. I think it’s a great place to have our kids raised and go to school.” Here's hoping Harris and Burtka will be sharing the Broadway stage soon!

The Roundabout Theatre Company benefit of Assassins will be held December 3 at Broadway’s Studio 54. Click below to see Harris and the cast perform at the 2004 Tony Awards!