"I wanted to do something really rock'n'roll, with Bowie-like glam, but infuse it with hard-core emotional truth," says the soft-spoken Mitchell. He hooked up with songwriter/composer Stephen Trask, and the show has been a New York smash since last spring. A cast album will be released this February, and Mitchell will soon direct and star in a film version, "I've definitely gotten to live out my rock-star fantasies," he notes. "Bea Arthur was in the audience the other night. You can't top that."
Velvet Goldmine: It's wonderful - almost makes glam look and sound better than it was. But I'm not objective: [director] Todd Haynes is a friend. We used to laugh about trying to singlehandedly bring back glam. I guess that's not so funny now.
Tommy: I was never a big Who fan, but the theatrical production had no narrative and felt like a greatest-hits festival. The ending to the movie version, where Tommy hugs his molester uncle, felt tacked on.
Rent: Most annoying is it pretends to be about East Village [New York City] kids squatting, as if that happens anymore, wearing clothes that models were wearing in 1995, and listening to music they wouldn't be listening to.
Hair: Songs were great. It didn't pretend to be anything but a crazy, silly, undigested moment in time, which is good.
Jesus Christ Superstar: I grew up very Catholic and have hazy memories of guitar masses where everyone would sing lyrics from the show such as, "I've had so many men before in very many ways," and it seemed so wrong...and yet so right.
Truth or Dare: Never saw it. I have no interest in Madonna. Pure insincerity and lack of talent. I prefer Monica.