Review of Hedwig and the Angry Inch or, If You’re Metric, the Irascible 2.54 Centimeters

 

Treasure Treasure as Hedwig Credit all photos to Kristi Jan Hoover

          John Cameron Mitchel, who wrote the book for the daring musical “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” proves early on in the show that he’s no slouch when it comes to gray matter and familiarity with the classics. He cleverly references a narrative form Plato’s “Symposium,” that certainly ties in with the main character’s transexual identity.

          According to the tale, humans originally had four arms and four legs and were essentially double bodied. When they angered Zeus, the king of the gods divided them in half with his infamous thunderbolts. Ever since, humans have desperately searched for their matching half to reach wholeness.

          Hedwig (Treasure Treasure) was born Hansel Schmidt, a genderqueer child living in Communist East Berlin, fond of Western rock and caught up in a quest for identity and, like everyone else, sexual/emotional wholeness.

          At age 26 and still living with his mother, who taught sculpture to limbless children (the kind of humor you’ll find in the show), he meets up with an American G.I. (Sugar Daddy), who falls in love with him and proposes marriage. Hansel, anxious to leave and begin a new life in the West, reluctantly agrees to undergo genital reassignment surgery to comply with passport requirements and legal entanglements. The only problem is the operation is botched and will eventually give rise to one of the show’s anthems “Six Inches Forward and One Inch Back.”

          Now called Hedwig, she and her husband land in Junction City, Kansas, but it’s not long before he decides to leave their trailer park digs and head off with a boy he’s recently gone head-over-heels for.

Left alone and desolate, the resourceful woman forms a rock band, The Angry Inch, which now includes her ex-drag queen husband. Yitzhak (Theo Allen). To supplement her income, she services men who can pay her price but also babysits, an encounter that introduces her to Tommy (Treasure Treasure in a double role), a “17-year-old, classic rock loving, Dungeon and Dragons obsessed, Jesus freak with a fish on his car.” To quote Hedwig “I found him incredibly hot.”

The Angry Inch

While they hit it off and become successful songwriters/musicians, things turn sour, and Hedwig begins a life of stalking the big arenas Tommy plays by booking her band in nearby joints and dingy restaurants.

Those familiar with the 2001 film by the same name that stared John Cameron Mitchel in the title role can find solace in the fact that the story line in the musical is nearly identical. Credit scenic designer Britton Mauk with giving the production a spacious feeling despite the spatial limitations of the Greer Cabaret Theater, which, by the way seems to be the perfect venue for the show’s racy content and sometimes interactive presentation.

I can’t say enough about the stars Treasure and Allen who compliment one another as if each was the other’s matching or missing half. Treasure is spicy, sassy, witty and dirty minded not to mention  confident, even intimidating in her madcap, off-kilter way. 

Treasure Treasure

In addition to handling music/lyricist Stephen Trask’s portfolio of rock, punk and ballads with her warmly sarcastic sound, she plays her character with a sense of antic enthusiasm tempered with tinges of pathos and sublime euphoria. Too many words to describe a very singular artist.

Strangely enough, in spite of the magnetic pull of the lead, I often found myself drawn to Allen as Yitzhak. While assigned with a secondary role, she excelled vocally, creating exquisite harmony when paired with Hedwig and joltingly present in her solos. And did I mention she can act?

Kicking up Hedwig’s visual vibrancy are costume designer Daniele Tyler Matthews’ three exuberant costumes and perhaps four if I may have missed something during a call of nature I answered near the musical’s conclusion.

Pay attention to lighting designer, Andrew David Ostrowski’s work during the show; he’s a master of his craft, or is it art? I’ll have to ask him next time I see him.

Music director/pianist, Ben Brosche along with Shane McLaughlin on guitar, PJ Roduta on drums and Chris Trepagnier on bass

What could a musical even hope to accomplish without a competent band playing behind it? Music director/pianist, Ben Brosche along with Shane McLaughlin on guitar, PJ Roduta on drums and Chris Trepagnier on bass certainly are no slouches when it comes to filling the theater with astounding musical virtuosity.

Last but not least, I can only imagine what fun and insightful creativity director Robert Ramirez must have had preparing for the show, based on the (I’m at a loss for an adjective) outfit he wore so provocatively on opening night. The joie de vivre he exuded simply by walking through lobby before the show decked out in his daring attire was a snippet of a hint of what was to follow inside the Greer.

“Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” a City Theatre production, is at the Greer Cabaret Theater, 655 Penn Avenue in Downtown Pittsburgh, through June 7. For tickets, go to www.trustarts.org.