Mormon Boy Goes Bad: Andrew Rannells to Replace Neil Patrick Harris in Hedwig

Tony nominee Andrew Rannells has some high heels to fill as he takes over from Tony winner Neil Patrick Harris in John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask's Tony-winning revival of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Rannells will play a limited engagement August 20 through October 12 at Broadway's Belasco Theatre. Harris' last show is set for August 17.

Rannells received a Tony nod for his performance as Elder Price in The Book of Mormon. He’s also appeared on the Great White Way in Jersey Boys and Hairspray. His screen credits include Girls, The New Normal and Bachelorette. Rannells played Hedwig in another production back in 2001 and in 2011 sang "The Origin of Love," below, at Joe’s Pub.

Directed by Michael Mayer, Hedwig and the Angry Inch tells the story of a fictional rock ‘n’ roll band, fronted by Hedwig (Harris), a transgender woman from communist East Berlin. Between rock songs, Hedwig regales the audience with both humorous and painful stories about her life, including her botched sex change operation. The score includes “Tear Me Down,” “Wig in a Box,” “Wicked Little Town,” "The Origin of Love," “Angry Inch” and more. The cast also includes Tony winner Lena Hall as Yitzhak; no word yet on whether she'll be continuing on in the role.