Wilson Freeman
John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask knew they had something special back in 1998 when Hedwig & the Angry Inch opened Off-Broadway at the Jane Street Theatre, but they probably never imagined the show would go on to have such a long life with productions in the UK, Austria, Brazil, Canada, the Czech Republic, Germany, The Netherlands, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, South Korea, Thailand, and Turkey. The show made its Broadway debut in 2014 at the Belasco Theatre with Neil Patrick Harris and Lena Hall, winning Tony Awards for Best Revival of a Musical, Best Lead Actor in a Musical, and Best Featured Actress in a Musical. And in 2001, Mitchell and Trask brought the stage show to life on the big screen in what has become a cult movie musical, greatly expanding the stage story, opening up the show’s intimate theatrical/cabaret setting, and bringing characters to life who are only mentioned and heard, but never seen, in the show.
And in the year 2025 when society has begun to rapidly regress instead of advance, Hedwig & the Angry Inch is a show more urgently needed today than it was 27 years ago. If you’re unfamiliar with the story you may ask why a show from last century still feels current and more in tune with the political climate of the moment. The show is basically a performance by Hedwig Robinson that the audience is watching, in this moment performing in a venue right next door to rockstar Tommy Gnosis. Hedwig and Tommy have a history, including an accident that nearly ruined Tommy’s career, and because of the accident — caused by Hedwig pleasuring Tommy resulting in him crashing into a shortbus (inside John Cameron Mitchell joke for those in the know) — Tommy had to distance himself from Hedwig … but taking all of the hit songs Hedwig had written while never acknowledging Hedwig. So, bitter, party of one.
But the story becomes much more deep as Hedwig relates his childhood in a Berlin still divided by a wall. Young Hansel’s father had run off and his mother was emotionally distant, often telling him to go play … in the oven. Hoping to escape over or under the wall somehow, a naked ‘slip of a girlyboy’ meets an American soldier named Luther Robinson. The two fall in love but the only way Luther and Hansel can come to America together is if they are married. But Hansel can’t just put on a wig and pretend to be a female because there will be a full-body examination, so Luther and Hansel’s mother convince him to have a sex change operation … which is botched, leaving Hansel with the titular ‘angry inch’. Hansel’s mother tells him to use her name, Hedwig, and leave with Luther and the couple end up in Junction City, Kansas where Hedwig is abandoned soon after, and to make matters worse the Berlin Wall has fallen so Hedwig lost a piece of himself for nothing. After things go badly with Tommy, Hedwig meets Yitzhak, a Jewish drag queen from Zagreb and the two have a toxic, codependent relationship. But Hedwig agrees to marry Yitzhak if he agrees to never let a wig touch his head again, but it’s clear Hedwig is intimidated by Yitzhak’s talent. As Hedwig’s story and obsession with Tommy continues, she spirals emotionally leaving the audience to wonder if she can find forgiveness from Tommy and acceptance of herself, joining the two halves together again, and find some peace and respect with Yitzhak.
Wilson Freeman
Hedwig & the Angry Inch explores queer identity, and while Mitchell has stated unequivocally that this is not a story about a transgender person (the operation was a necessity in the moment, not as a result of Hansel’s gender identity) but it acknowledges and embraces the trans experience. Hedwig’s story is rooted in the myth of Plato’s ‘Origin of Love’ in which three races of people — two men as one, two women as one, and a man and woman as one — whom the gods have split apart, leaving the split individuals, like Hedwig, searching for their other half, their soul mate. (This idea of division is also reflected in the divided city of Berlin.) For Hedwig, that other half has always been Tommy. Hedwig uses music to deal with the trauma, and the story is ultimately about transformation, survival and making oneself whole in an individualist society. In a world where LGBTQ+ people, particularly trans people, are under attack from political and religious forces, this is a story of resilience that is more urgently needed now more than ever.
For Hedwig, Mitchell created a character that is both unsympathetic and sympathetic. We have to feel bad for Hansel’s loss, especially when it was all for naught as the Berlin Wall came tumbling down. But Hedwig’s unapologetic behavior that caused Tommy’s accident (and the loss of her soul mate), and the abusive behavior toward Yitzhak make Hedwig someone difficult to love. But that is the point because we have to go on the journey with Hedwig, and Leo Grinberg does an amazing job of making Hedwig a character who has actually built a wall around herself, holding the audience at arms length, but knocking that wall down brick-by-brick so we can feel empathy as she begins to accept herself. Grinberg seems to be having a great time cavorting around the stage and among the audience at times, and he really does Trask’s songs justice, from the deeply emotional ‘Origin of Love’ and ‘Wicked Little Town’, to the more upbeat ‘Wig in a Box’ and ‘Sugar Daddy’, totally rocking out to ‘The Angry Inch’ and ‘Exquisite Corpse’. It’s a brave and powerful performance that literally bares Hedwig’s soul by the end.
The role of Yitzhak has typically been played by a female as a male. For this production, Canter Irene O’May plays Yitzhak reimagined as a trans woman, played by a trans woman. This is an important bit of information about the character that is found if you read the program but does not seem to be explained in the show, leading to some confusion as Hedwig refers to Yitzhak as her husband and a drag queen. At one point Yitzhak is furiously wiping off the drawn on beard and finally lets her hair down at the end, which doesn’t have much context. It doesn’t really seem to impact the story in general but it is a curious change. O’May’s performance, however, is riveting as Yitzhak often angrily stomps around the stage in service to Hedwig, while also giving voice to Hedwig’s mother and Tommy, making the audience feel shock, outrage and sympathy for the treatment she endures. O’May also gets to cut loose with a stunning performance of ‘The Long Grift’ that is a true showstopper.
Wilson Freeman
Hedwig is ably assisted by back-up singers Tits (Cera Baker) and Clay (Nicholas Miles), with Miles also voicing Luther. The Angry Inch musicians — Michelle Henning (Skshp), Nick Jewett (Krzyzhtof), Jack Naden (Schlatko) and Jared Davis (Jeremy) — are all in fine form and sound fantastic. Director Sean Elias works hard to keep the story focused on Hedwig’s journey amid all of the chaos on stage with wigs and pieces of costumes and wig heads strewn about, using the giant video screen at the back of the stage to show some close-ups and performances of Hedwig with live cameras, while also utilizing videos to give backdrop to the songs. The performance is supposed to feel a bit impromptu and it does, but it would have been complete anarchy if it hadn’t been for Elias’ directorial vision. The space at the M&T Bank Exchange inside the Hippodrome Theatre is also used well with Hedwig making her first appearance on the third level of the space (and making it down to the stage in time to sing the second verse of ‘Tear Me Down’, while Yitzhak, Tits and Clay pop up for a moment during the closing number, ‘Midnight Radio’. Costumes and wigs and make-up are faithful to the original production, and the lighting design is nothing short of spectacular. It may seem like chaos, but the show is a very well-oiled machine.
If I have one little nit to pick, it’s the company’s desire to make this production faithful to the original, which is set in a specific era, while mixing in the present day. If Hansel was in his 20s when he met Luther, Hedwig would be pushing 60 at this point in time and that clearly is not the case. Interestingly, the 2014 Broadway revival did update the show to the modern era and also helped explain how Hedwig had access to a theatre. If the company was intent on including modern references, especially to the current political situation (including a quick image of Trump on the video screen), it might have been better to use the updated version of the show. There also seems to be an attempt at some ad-libbing and banter with the audience that sometimes works, but often strays too far from the story which needs to quickly get back on track. As it stands, though, Hedwig & the Angry Inch is still a vital piece of musical theatre, and this production deserves all of its acclaim.
Hedwig & the Angry Inch runs about 90 minutes with no intermission. This production includes sexual themes, irreverent humor, simulated violence and intercourse, discussions of gender identity, explicit language, and references to trauma, disease, and death. The production design features loud sound effects, haze, props that create sounds similar to gunshots, and bright, strobing, and reflective lighting effects. Viewer discretion is advised.
Hedwig & the Angry Inch runs through March 16 at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Exchange at the Hippodrome Theatre. Visit the official website for more information. Use our Ticketmaster link to purchase tickets.
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