Will Taye Diggs Succeed Darren Criss in Hedwig & the Angry Inch on Broadway?

Will Broadway alum Taye Diggs throw on a whole lot of blue eyeshadow as Hedwig and the Angry Inch’s next headliner? According to entertainment reporter Jason Lynch, Diggs will succeed Glee’s Darren Criss at Broadway’s Belasco Theatre when Criss departs the show on July 19. A spokesperson said that the production has no comment at this time.

Diggs would be the first African American to play the East German transgender rock star. He has appeared on Broadway previously in Rent, Chicago (he also appeared in the screen adaptations of both), as well as Wicked and off-Broadway’s The Wild Party. His additional TV and film credits include Private Practice, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, The Best Man and Brown Sugar.

Written by 2015 Tony honoree John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask, Hedwig and the Angry Inch tells the story of a fictional rock ‘n’ roll band, fronted by Hedwig, 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. Trask’s score features “Tear Me Down,” “Wig in a Box,” “Wicked Little Town,” "The Origin of Love," “Angry Inch” and more. Michael Mayer directs the Tony-winning production, which also stars Rebecca Naomi Jones as Yitzhak.