"Hedwig" Is A Hit
A man in frilly cowboy boots, a pink dress and a cowboy hat walks up on stage and asks, “Are there any Hedwig virgins in the audience tonight?” I timidly raise my hand along with a half-dozen or so others and think, “So it’s gonna be one of those shows....”
Cleveland Public Theatre’s production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch at the Hi Fi Concert Club is anything but typical. Never having seen the show before (and knowing almost nothing about it), I’m unable to compare this production to others. But I am a fan of musical theatre, and my experience with Hedwig was unique. The story of Hedwig takes us through the life of a transgendered East Berliner, from his confused childhood during the ‘60s where he shares a small, cramped apartment with his mother, through a sex change operation gone wrong, to her relationship with famous rock-and-roller Tommy Gnosis. Although the show starts out with witty, sarcastic dialogue, it eventually moves into a very dark, serious place, revealing Hedwig’s struggles in her relationships both with Tommy, and with her current husband, Yitzhak.
From the beginning I was hooked, both with the show itself, and with this particular production. Dan Folino, as Hedwig, is an incredible performer, both in his acting and as lead singer of the band The Angry Inch. But although Folino has almost all of the dialogue to himself and sings most of the songs, this can hardly be called a one man show. Alison Garrigan, as Yitzhak (and director, and costume designer), also does a wonderful job as Hedwig’s moody husband and back-up singer. Between her strong acting and make up, I actually thought she was a man until she came out to bow at the end. And then there’s The Angry Inch (named after the remains of Hedwig’s messed up sex change operation), a very talented band (to say the least) made up of Dennis Yurich and Brian Hager on guitar, Jason Giaco on drums, and Derek Poindexter on bass. I found myself really enjoying music, and felt that the performers deserved the loud applause they got after each song.
This may not be the kind of show you’d take your eight-year-old to see, but it’s definitely worth checking out at least once. The show runs through October 3rd at the Hi Fi Concert Club in Lakewood, and tickets are $20.