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John Cameron Mitchellis looking back on the life and legacy ofDavid Bowie.
Best known for his 1998 stage musicalHedwig and the Angry Inchand its subsequent 2001 film adaptation, Mitchell took a page from Bowie’s book when it came to breathing life into Hedwig, a glam rocker reminiscent of Bowie’s alter ego Ziggy Stardust.
Now, he will pay homage to the late English singer-songwriter once more whenBlackstar Symphony, The Music of David Bowie— featuring songs from Bowie’s final album — makes its world premiere in Charlotte, North Carolina, Sept. 16 and 17. Mitchell will guest star in the two-night event.
While Mitchell feels a closeness to the “Space Oddity” singer, they only met once, shortly after Bowie attended an Off-Broadway performance of Mitchell’sHedwig and the Angry Inchin the late 1990s.
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“Thank God I didn’t know he was there until after — and he didn’t come up to the dressing room — [so we thought] maybe he hated it,” Mitchell says.
That night, however, Bowie had a few friends who were also in the crowd, including Jayne County, rock’s first openly transgender singer. “It was only later — my boyfriend was working at Complete Music [Studios], where [Bowie] would rehearse — and I think he told me to come on over because he was there, and[late photographer] Mick Rockwas there, too,” explains Mitchell.
“David kind of swiveled his lighthouse smile upon me and said, ‘John, you got it right.’ And I was like: Wow, I can die now,” says Mitchell.
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Bowie was such a fan ofHedwig and the Angry Inch, he went on to co-produce the Los Angeles production of the show and even tried to tap Mitchell for a possible collaboration in the vein ofHedwig.
“He actually asked me to look at [adapting] Ziggy Stardust for the stage, which my one great regret is I didn’t do it because I was burned out onHedwig,” Mitchell reveals. “But he’s always inspired me in everything that I do. His spirit and way of working — way of collaborating — is a model for my life.”
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Mitchell is instead working with frequent Bowie collaborator, saxophonist and Blackstar Symphony Artistic Director Donny McCaslin, who played with the legendary rocker himself onBlackstar.
“I felt like I was observing rock ‘n’ roll history,” McCaslin tells PEOPLE of working onBlackstaralongside Bowie before his death, calling the experience “transformative.”
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Mitchell hopes to “honor” Bowie’s work withBlackstar Symphony, which McCaslin is aiming to tour internationally following its performances in North Carolina.
Adds Mitchell: “[Bowie] was not only a great artist, but he was a model for living, a design for living. And he even designed his exit. How often do you do that? Only a king does that. But he did it as a poet king.”
For more information onBlackstar Symphony, The Music of David Bowie, visitCharlotteArtsFest.com.
source: people.com
