Neil Patrick Harris on the ‘Iggy Poppy’ Hedwig Poster and Learning to Love Punk

Neil Patrick Harris is getting set to swap Barney Stinson’s suits for Hedwig’s guyliner in the Broadway premiere of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which begins previews on March 29, 2014, at the Belasco Theatre. In a recent chat with WSJ Live, Harris explained the thinking behind the production’s provocative poster art.

“I kind of wanted to do that David Bowie, Iggy Poppy post-show [look],” he said of transforming himself into the transgender rocker, created off-Broadway by writer/star John Cameron Mitchell. “Is it tears, is it sweat, is it glitter, exhaustion? Is it sexy or is it disturbing? Right in the middle of all of that.”

Speaking just after the death of Hedwig fan Lou Reed, Harris admitted that he’s still doing homework on punk rock music scene. “It wasn’t what I was raised listening to, so it’s a nice, exciting thing to be able to broaden my musical horizons” he said. “I’m reading a book now called Kill Me Please, the history of that whole world. I’m getting there.”

Before tackling Hedwig, Harris is directing the off-Broadway magic show Nothing to Hide, which opens on November 6 at the Pershing Square Signature Center, and will serve as host at a special performance of the interactive hit Sleep No More on December 9. In the meantime, fans can see him in the final season of the CBS comedy How I Met Your Mother.