Six years ago, Cygnet Theater opened its doors to the public for the first time. It is fitting that the first show, a glam-rock musical titled Hedwig and the Angry Inch should be the last show at Cygnet's Rolando stage. We had been to the space many times when it was called the Actor's Asylum. It was also the theater where I saw Fridays with Maureen, the work of another reviewer, Cuauhtémoc Quetzalcoatl Kish. Ah the memories of the plays presented in the space.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch is the story of Hedwig Schmidt (Matthew Tyler), an East German transgender singer. She tells her tale in an extended monologue and music. We meet her singing in some dive along with a ragtag band and Yitzak (Katie Alexander), a scruffy long-haired male friend. Okay there is a certain amount of gender bending.
The lyrics in the song, "The Origin of Love," and projections on the back wall make it the most significant song in the musical. The song is based, in part, on a speech given by Aristophanes in Plato's "Symposium." Other songs include the title, "Wicked Little Town," and "Midnight Radio" as well as other equally telling songs.
Stephen Trask's music is masterfully played by the combo featuring Erik Enstad on guitar, Andrew Hoffman on drums, Michael Alfera on keyboard, and Zach Pyke on bass.
The musical opened Off-Broadway in February 1998 and ran two years. Besides New York, it has had long runs in Boston, Los Angeles, and London. People debate whether the musical is about a transsexual woman or a drag queen. Nothing seems clear cut. Other terms offered to Hedwig's identity include nonbinary gender, transgender, androgynous, and gender queer. What really matters is that Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a fun, 90-minute view into the lives of Hedwig and Yitzak.
The piece was made into a film in 2001 starring the writer, John Cameron Mitchell, in the title role. As with The "Rocky Horror Picture Show," it has developed a cult following. Unlike early rock musicals, this show does not assail the ears; in fact, there are some quite lyrical numbers.
