Mariska Hargitay debuts super short 'new cut' and fans are going wild

Mariska Hargitay is preparing to swap the police precinct for the playbill and has a dramatic new look for her next act. 

The Law & Order SVU actress officially unveiled a razor-sharp, choppy bob, specifically tailored for her upcoming return to the Broadway stage.

Taking to Instagram, Mariska revealed her new cut, which is a departure from the soft, shoulder-length waves fans have grown accustomed to on the NBC show.

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The look was crafted by her long-time hair guru, Adir Abergel who wrote: "NEW CUT FOR THE ONE AND ONLY @therealmariskahargitay BROADWAY DEBUT IN @brilliantbway."

Mariska commented: "Switching gears," and was immediately inundated with messages from famous friends and fans who loved the look. 

Ali Wentworth quipped: "Love it. Now I'm doing it," while the official Law & Order Instagram wrote: "It should be criminal to look this good!"

Mariska was branded "the Queen of hair," and others remarked she looked "beautiful".

Hair evolution 

See her hair transformation over the years.

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Short and sweet! Mariska pulled off the pixie cut in the early years of Law & Order SVU

Pixie cut

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She rocked a pin-straight bob with confidence

Sleek bob

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She isn't afraid to play with color either

Honey-hues

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Red carpet ready with retro waves

Going for glam

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Mariska suits a sleek up-do too

Up-do

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Bangs and pixie cut combo

Bangs

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She grew out her pixie cut

Shaggy bob

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Back to business

The star is no stranger to a hair-induced frenzy and over the years, her locks have been as much a part of her character's development as her badge.

In the '90s she rocked an edgy pixie cut, before her character, Olivia Benson, got an updated shag in the mid-2000s.

As she rose through the ranks to Captain, Mariska’s hair grew longer and warmer and was often styled in polished, honey-blonde waves.

Her Broadway role

Mariska is heading to the Broadway stage for Every Brilliant Thing and will take over from Daniel Radcliffe for the lead role of the solo play. 

She'll make her debut on May 26, and will feature in 40 shows at the Hudson Theatre.

Mariska last appeared on the NYC stage in The Exonerated off Broadway in the early 2000s. 

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"I read Every Brilliant Thing and cried, rejoiced, laughed, cried some more, and loved it so much," Mariska said of her new role. "I'm always drawn to themes of healing and renewal, especially when the journey is rendered in all its complexity.

"It feels like an extraordinary gift to make my Broadway debut, the fulfillment of a lifelong dream, with a play that affirms life so emphatically. For me, the triumph of this beautiful piece of work — this luminously brilliant thing — is that through a deeply personal story, we experience the universal endeavor of keeping ourselves pointed towards light, compassion and hope."

While she is the sole actor in the show, it involves plenty of audience participation.