Hedwig - Ally Sheedy

She was awful in the role. It was a poor casting decision that never should have happened. Also, she missed about half of her scheduled performances, and when she did show up, her behavior was all over the place. She ended up quitting well before her contract was up. I don't think it was a pleasant experience for anyone involved.

The decision to cast her always seemed--to me, at least--a publicity stunt and a purely financial decision--the kids and teens who grew up loving THE BREAKFAST CLUB were young professionals in the late nineties, who would pay top dollar to see one of their childhood favorites in an edgy, popular downtown show. And at first she did bring in a strong advance--a lot of which ended up being refunded because she was absent so often. In the end, I think it's safe to say she did more harm than good.

Updated On: 2/4/15 at 07:29 AM

" know this is a ways back but did anyone catch Ally Sheedy when she played Hedwig off-broadway?"

Having had to bear witness to every one of her performances, let me say that some things are better left unsaid.

I believe that she was fired, did not quit.

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Updated On: 2/4/15 at 09:44 AM

An ace bandage wrapped around the chest like a drag king. There was consternation when the casting was announced, so JCM wrote an open letter on the show's website urging people to give her a chance.

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From http://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/16/theater/reinventing-hedwig-wig-down-ally-sheedy-man-s-world-gender-bending-role-drag.html

"Shortly after the word leaked out in late July that Ms. Sheedy was taking over, Mr. Mitchell posted an open letter to Hedwig fans on the show's Web site, explaining how he had met and cast Ms. Sheedy. 'She'll need to feel welcome to go where she needs to go in this part,' Mr. Mitchell concluded. 'And I hope you'll all be there for her.'"

Maybe there's a woman (or a trans performer) who can come in and do this Broadway revival before it closes and revive that possibility...

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In our dream-casting talks, my friend and I brought up Pink (whom I know the producers have reached out to) and Juliette Lewis.

Stephen Trask addresses the Pink idea in a new interview, and says "I don't see it." Obviously the casting isn't entirely up to him, but I doubt he'd say that if there was a chance she'd do it at some point.

He also says "we'll start rehearsing the next guy in two weeks." The interview was done the day before John took over, so two weeks from then is...now! So, based on what Stephen's saying, it sounds like the next Hedwig is a man, and that he's likely already started rehearsals....


link

Updated On: 2/5/15 at 05:47 PM

Sheedy discussed her HEDWIG experience in a New York Times piece last year while she was doing THE LONG SHRIFT at Rattlestick:

Her list of Off Broadway credits is short, but the one she mentions first in her program bio is neither the most recent nor the most successful: the title role in the musical “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” from 1999.

“It was a mixed blessing, that experience,” Ms. Sheedy said. “I really wanted to do that role. It was such a monumental challenge that it just pushed me into an entirely different world of how I feel onstage. Nothing’s as scary as Hedwig.”

She has not seen the current Broadway production of “Hedwig,” but she said she planned to take her daughter and her daughter’s partner once she’s settled into her run of “The Long Shrift,” which runs through August 23. Ms. Sheedy’s performance in “Hedwig” was not well received, and her conduct onstage and off raised eyebrows. She left the show before her contract ended.

“I think I’m better at this now, but there have been times in the past when I’ve had a very difficult time separating myself from a role that I’m playing,” she said. “So I felt pretty nutty when I was playing Hedwig. I have gotten pretty used to hearing from people that I’m crazy. I’m not. But I have certainly not been on my best behavior when I probably should have been.

“I’ve been working for such a long time, since I was very, very young, and there was a whole lot of growing pains that I’ve done in a public way. I look back and think: ‘Why did you do that? Won’t be doing that again.’ Some acting out that perhaps people get to do when they’re younger happened, unfortunately, when I was a little bit older and should not have been acting out anymore."

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/20/theater/ally-sheedy-still-gravitates-to-dark-characters.html

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