Two-time Tony Award-winning star John Cameron Mitchell is returning to Australia this September with a thrilling new theatrical concert celebrating the music, poetry and enduring spirit of David Bowie in Sydney and Melbourne, as well as an appearance at Sydney’s Festival of Dangerous Ideas in August with a further special event appearance to be announced in the coming weeks.
I’M AFRAID OF AMERICANS – A Bowie Song Cycle is a wildly original evening conceived and performed by the creator and star of the cult musical phenomenon Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Blending Bowie’s most provocative, paranoid and visionary songs with personal stories and razor-sharp wit, Mitchell constructs an electrifying theatrical journey through the mind of one of the greatest artists of the modern era.
Joined by an extraordinary ensemble of performers including Australian rising star Jude York, powerhouse vocalist Amber Martin (Scissor Sisters) and international cabaret icon Meow Meow (Sydney only), Mitchell will lead I’M AFRAID OF AMERICANS’ audiences through a curated song cycle of Bowie classics and deep cuts — from Station to Station, Queen Bitch, and Sweet Thing to Hallo Spaceboy, Fame, Quicksand, and Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide.
The evening is both a celebration and a meditation: Bowie’s dark prophecies of chaos and alienation balanced with his timeless hymns of hope and reinvention. The production features musical direction by Matthew Katz-Bohen (Blondie), costumes by acclaimed designer Erik Bergrin, and lighting design by Jojo Franjoine, creating a visually stunning concert experience that fuses theatre, rock performance and cabaret.
Mitchell shares a personal connection with Bowie, who was an early champion of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Bowie even became an investor in the groundbreaking musical – a gesture Mitchell remembers fondly as both generous and delightfully reckless. Through songs and stories, I’M AFRAID OF AMERICANS explores Bowie’s artistic legacy and the profound influence he continues to exert on culture, identity and resistance.
“When fascism popped its head back out of the spider hole after our 2024 election, I was reminded of Gary Oldman’s quote: It all went to shit when David Bowie died. It was like he was some cosmic glue holding it all together,” said Mitchell.
“So I binge-listened to Bowie’s most paranoid and apocalyptic songs and found myself strangely comforted. I constructed a song cycle of those songs – some hits, some deep cuts – and balanced them with his ballads of hard-won hope and stories of my meeting the man himself.”
“With my longtime producers David M. Hawkins and Tommy Kriegsmann, a brilliant band led by Matthew Katz-Bohen, and backed by legendary vocal powerhouse Amber Martin alongside special Aussie guests like Jude York and Meow Meow, we are coming Down Under to remind ourselves that, under pressure from hate, we can be heroes … if just for one night,” said Mitchell.
Timed to coincide with the tenth anniversary of David Bowie leaving the planet, this extraordinary concert event honours Bowie’s fearless imagination, boundary-breaking artistry and unforgettable catalogue.
Part rock concert, part cabaret, part theatrical love letter, I’M AFRAID OF AMERICANS – A Bowie Song Cycle is a night of music, storytelling and electrifying performance celebrating the genius of a true cultural icon and is expected to sell fast!
I’M AFRAID OF AMERICANS – A Bowie Song Cycle will play at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre on Sunday 6 September and the Melbourne Recital Centre on Wednesday 9 September 2026. For more information, visit: www.dmhentertainment.com for details.
Image: John Cameron Mitchell (supplied)