Hall (left) and Neil Patrick Harris<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThat\u2019s quite the transition from playing an uptight yuppie in Kinky Boots <\/i>to a \u201ctrans curious\u201d rocker in Hedwig<\/i>.\u00a0 What appeals to you about Yitzhak as a character, and what drew you to this role?<\/b><\/p>\n
Yitzhak is a mysterious character; he has a lot of walls around him, and I wanted that challenge.\u00a0 It\u2019s so much harder to play a character with little dialogue to cue the audience in on who they are\u2014so it\u2019s definitely a physical transformation that has to happen for me, and within that physicality is an extremely emotional role.\u00a0 Since I first saw the show at The Jane Street Theater around late \u201999-early \u201900, I fell in love with its message, and was particularly drawn to Yitzhak as a character.<\/p>\n
I read how you blew everyone away with your audition, where you came in drag and were completely in character the whole time.\u00a0 How did you come up with the idea to make a fake Kickstarter video as Yitzhak for your audition?<\/b><\/p>\n
I came in for John Cameron Mitchell before the final callback, and I brought in my own electric guitar because I knew Yitzhak was a roadie.\u00a0 They said; \u201cWhen you come in for the next audition, we want you to do improv and we want you to be in character from the minute you walk through that door to the minute you leave.\u00a0 Tell us a joke, a story or read an obituary in character.\u201d So instead of looking for something that fit this criteria\u2014which would have probably taken more time\u2014I thought that I would just write as if Yitzhak took the ideas of what Hedwig had for her show, and made it their own.\u00a0 I basically created a Yitzhak version of that dark, tragic humor.\u00a0 I remember Yitzhak looking up to Angel from Rent<\/i>, and drawing in from my past experiences on Broadway; I incorporated these stylistic elements into a fictional Kickstarter video.\u00a0 The thoughts just started coming to mind organically.<\/p>\n
During your rehearsals for the show, you had stated how you were going to wear a prosthetic penis, and how you didn\u2019t want your picture or any pronouns to be included in the Playbill.\u00a0 Would you say you\u2019re approaching this character from a perspective of method acting?<\/b><\/p>\n
I\u2019m trying, but there\u2019s only so much I can do since I\u2019m not a method actor.\u00a0 I\u2019m the type of person where I really have to see the whole picture before I can get into character\u2014so once I was in costume from head to toe, I just became Yitzhak and was Yitzhak.\u00a0 It\u2019s hard for me to totally commit to a character when I\u2019m not done up, because that physical transformation isn\u2019t there.\u00a0 So I wear a wig and a prosthetic everyday to rehearsal\u2014an entire outfit that makes me feel more masculine, and my body language changes accordingly.\u00a0 So I don\u2019t know if that\u2019s necessarily method; since I\u2019m not eating, breathing, and sleeping the character or speaking in a Slavic accent at home [chuckles].\u00a0 Plus, I have my limitations in truly letting go because of the ending; which requires me to preserve some aspects of femininity.\u00a0 So it\u2019s important for me to toe the line between the two.<\/p>\n
As an actor, do you think that the transformation of drag\u2014or otherwise physically embodying the \u2018other\u2019 gender\u2014wields this personal or cultural liberation?<\/b><\/p>\n
For non-gender normative individuals like Yitzhak, there is definitely a liberation because they are staying true to who they are.\u00a0 In fact, this reminds me of a documentary I recently saw on the transgender porn star Buck Angel.\u00a0 It was honestly the best thing I\u2019ve ever watched [chuckles], because he is sincerely staying true to who he is.\u00a0\u00a0 He never opted for bottom surgery because he knows that having male genitalia or the lack thereof doesn\u2019t necessarily define him as a man.\u00a0 And while many people would claim that he\u2019s confused about his identity, this is not the case at all.\u00a0 He knows exactly who he is, and he is embodying that\u2014which is definitely liberating.<\/p>\n
In many ways, your role of Yitzhak is similar to Felicity Huffman\u2019s character in Transamerica<\/i>, where Huffman also plays a transgender woman.\u00a0 How does playing a man differ from playing a man who [to some extent] transitions into womanhood?\u00a0 Is it more difficult to embrace that element of dual transformation?<\/b><\/p>\n
I would say the biggest difference is that inability to completely forego your feminine side; which can\u2019t be entirely suppressed, just covered over very lightly.\u00a0 You have to take that slight femininity and incorporate it into however masculine your character is.\u00a0 It\u2019s difficult to answer this straightforwardly because there is such a spectrum within the trans community, and so many nuances to this internal form of identity.<\/p>\n
<\/b>Prior to Hedwig<\/i>, you were in Kinky Boots<\/i>, which also has a non-gender normative storyline.\u00a0 Do you think that musical theater has always been intertwined with glam and drag?<\/b><\/p>\n
Yes. [chuckles] I mean, even women playing women are in drag to some extent because you have to put on so much makeup, along with such dramatic costumes and hairstyling.\u00a0 Anyone who dresses up that much\u2014with so much \u201cstuff\u201d on\u2014is in drag no matter what, you know?\u00a0 I never thought of drag as having to be a transition from one sex to the other; to me drag is simply a transformation where your former self is no longer recognizable.<\/p>\n
In addition to being the lead singer of The Deafening<\/i>, you have former experience with hard rock through Empire<\/i>, Rooms<\/i>, and Toxic Avenger<\/i>.\u00a0 When were you first drawn to this musical genre?<\/b><\/p>\n
Since I was a little kid, my parents always played Jimi Hendrix or Janis Joplin at home.\u00a0 I mean, I did listen to a lot of classical ballet-type music, but I was always drawn to the cool rock ballads of my parents\u2019 records; so growing up I was definitely exposed to a lot of rock music, and I loved it.\u00a0 Although I kind of lost track of it for a while when I went off on my own and did theater in NY.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t until I moved to LA a couple of years later\u2014where I would often listen to classical rock on the car radio stations\u2014that the passion was reignited in me.\u00a0 And once I returned to NY, I just felt the urge to join a rock band. Coincidentally The Deafening <\/i>had randomly contacted me on MySpace [chuckles], saying they were looking for a female lead singer.\u00a0 How perfect is that?!\u00a0 I love musical theater, but my rock band allows me the purest form of self-expression.<\/p>\n
So would you say you were in your element with the soundtrack of Hedwig<\/i>?<\/b><\/p>\n
Definitely.\u00a0 The glam rock ballads are so much a part of me, and everyday I\u2019m grateful to be a part of this project.\u00a0 I\u2019m personally drawn to Hedwig\u2019<\/i>s story and to the character of Yitzhak, which is why I tried so hard during the auditions\u2014I couldn\u2019t imagine someone else getting the part I wanted so badly!<\/p>\n
And it payed off!<\/b><\/p>\n
I guess, although it seems like everyday you fight for your role.\u00a0 And right now I\u2019m navigating the challenges of telling a story with my body, because it\u2019s easy to convey emotions during the musical numbers since the lyrics are so powerful.\u00a0 However, it\u2019s those moments of silence that are tricky.\u00a0 But it\u2019s a fun challenge.<\/p>\n
In a recent interview, composer Stephen Trask said that when Hedwig<\/i> first came out, there wasn\u2019t a demand or appetite for rock in musical theater.\u00a0 But with recent productions such as Rock of Ages<\/i> and American Idiot<\/i>, do you think that the climate of Broadway has shifted to allow for more rock?<\/b><\/p>\n
It all really depends, but I do think that more doors are opening for this genre.\u00a0 And certainly with Hedwig<\/i>, audiences have been more receptive to the \u201charder\u201d rock tracks.\u00a0 If there\u2019s ever a time to do the \u201cCourtney and Kurt Cobain\u201d love story, I guess it\u2019s now [laughs] because audiences would be interested in hearing Nirvana\u2019s albums again.<\/p>\n
Do you still get pre-show jitters before going onstage, or have you shed those nerves?<\/b><\/p>\n
No, I definitely do (although not as bad as before auditions)\u2014but I guess those nerves are taken care of with a pre-show ritual.\u00a0 I\u2019m a creature of habit, and before every show I drink an iced tea\u2026I don\u2019t know, there\u2019s just something very comforting and ritualistic about it.<\/p>\n
You recently played Miranda in the Sex and the City movie.\u00a0 Do you plan on doing any other crossover work into film?<\/b><\/p>\n
That\u2019s interesting you ask because at some point after Tarzan<\/i>, I had grown tired of theater.\u00a0 It just wasn\u2019t feeding my creative soul anymore, and luckily my band came into play and helped me with that.\u00a0 It was at this point that I focused most of my energy on The Deafening <\/i>and film projects; but after a while I started to miss being able to tell a complete story every night on stage.\u00a0 I certainly love both avenues, and even though it\u2019s difficult to do 8 shows a week, you feel so gratified after each show.\u00a0 And it\u2019s a little bit more difficult to achieve that gratification with film and TV, but I do love how [unlike theater] it\u2019s preserved forever.<\/p>\n
Any upcoming projects you\u2019re working on with The Deafening<\/i>?<\/b><\/p>\n
We have a single coming out that\u2019s a pop rock anthem.\u00a0 We have a great sense of humor about it, and I\u2019m excited to begin shooting the video!\u00a0 I\u2019m also collaborating with Holly Knight on some solo singles, and The Deafening<\/i> is working on a full album.\u00a0 There\u2019s a lot going on, but at this point it\u2019s all behind the scenes!<\/p>\n
Directed by Michael Mayer and composed by Stephen Trask, <\/span>Hedwig and the Angry Inch<\/i> will be on Broadway through the end of August, and you can see if Ms. Hall takes home the trophy when Hugh Jackman hosts the 68th annual Tony Awards airing this Sunday, June 8<\/span>th<\/sup> on CBS.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nTwitter: @DemionFilm<\/span>
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