Neil Patrick Harris to be replaced by Andrew Rannells in ‘Hedwig’

A new Hedwig has been anointed and he/she is a Mormon -- a Broadway “Mormon,” that is.

Neil Patrick Harris will step down from his Tony Award-winning role as the title transsexual rocker in the Broadway production of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” on Aug. 17 as previously scheduled and will be replaced by Andrew Rannells, who was in the original cast of the musical “The Book of Mormon.”

Rannells will begin in the musical on Aug. 20 at the Belasco Theatre in New York. The actor played Elder Price in “The Book of Mormon” and has recently appeared in the HBO series “Girls.”

Harris has been a popular draw for the show, which opened in late April. The John Cameron Mitchell musical is a fictional rock concert that tells the story of Hedwig’s journey from Germany to the U.S., and the romantic and career frustration experienced along the way

There had been some speculation that Harris might extend his run with “Hedwig,” but producer David Binder said on Thursday that Aug. 17 will be his final performance.

The current Broadway production’s weekly grosses broke $1 million for the week ending Sunday, which coincided with the Tony Awards. The production won four awards, including best revival of a musical.

Twitter: @DavidNgLAT