Tony Tuesday: HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH

This week we’re going back to the teenies for some androgenous 80s glam rock musical theatre. This week’s TONY Tuesday is:

“Sugar Daddy” from Hedwig and the Angry Inch at the 2014 TONY Awards ceremony. 

Hedwig and the Angry Inch tells the story of Hedwig Robinson who is a genderqueer singer of a rock ‘n’ roll band from East Germany. The musical was developed by John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask, with the former penning the book and the latter writing the score. A lot of the story was inspired by the life of Mitchell himself, with Hedwig being loosely based on a German babysitter he had as a child that moonlighted as a prostitute. The character of Tommy was originally intended as the main protagonist of the show, however, through development his role was significantly reduced in order to focus on Hedwig. Unusually the piece was developed through gigs and band slots at clubs etc rather than the traditional theatrical workshop route. A lot of the development happened at Squeezebox, which was an NYC based drag-punk club. The roster of drag performers deeply inspired how the musical would develop and what styles of songs Hedwig would use to tell her story. The musical is set up as if the audience is watching Hedwig’s act and she, alongside her drag queen husband Yitzhak, tells the story of her life, whilst she is following the more successful musical tour of her frenemy Tommy Gnosis round the country. 

The show premiered as a full musical on Valentine’s Day 1998 at the Jane Street Theatre, Off-Broadway. The musical was well received by audience and critics alike. The production won the Obie Award and also the Outer Critics Circle Award for ‘Best Off-Broadway Musical’. The production was directed by Peter Askin, with musical staging by Jerry Mitchell. The opening night cast included John Cameron Mitchell himself as Hedwig and Miriam Shor as Yitzhak. The run ended on 9 April 2000. 

The West End production opened on 19 September 2000 at The Playhouse Theatre. The production included Michael Ceveris as Hedwig, who had previously played her during the run of the original Off-Broadway production. The show failed to grasp the interest of the UK press and audience like it had done in the United States, and the production closed on 4 November 2000.

The musical was then performed internationally before finally coming to Broadway in 2014 at the Belasco Theatre. The Broadway production (classed as a revival) was directed by Michael Mayer and musically staged by Spencer Liff. It starred Neil Patrick Harris as Hedwig and Lena Hall as Yitzhak. To make the idea believable that Hedwig would perform in Broadway Theatre, director Mayer came up with the concept of Hedwig’s tour having moved in due to the quick closure of (the fictional) ‘The Hurt Locker: The Musical’. This concept was woven into the design element with abandoned Playbills of the show lying around. The production received rave reviews and won three 2014 TONY Awards for Harris, Hall and ‘Best Revival’. During the revival’s run, the role of Hedwig was assumed by Andrew Rannells, Michael C. Hall, John Cameron Mitchell, Darren Criss and finally Taye Diggs before closing on 13 September 2015. 

Post-Broadway, the show enjoyed its first US tour in 2016. The tour starred Darren Criss and Lena Hall as Hedwig and Yitzhak respectively. Over the course of 8 weeks, Hall performed the role of Hedwig once a week making her the first actor to portray both roles. When Criss and Hall left the tour, their roles were assumed by Euan Morton and Hannah Corneau respectively until the tour closed in 2017.

In 2001, the production was adapted into a musical film becoming a cult classic. The motion picture was directed by John Cameron Mitchell also starring as Hedwig, with Miriam Shor reprising her role as Yitzhak. 

Besties, if you haven’t rocked out to the Hedwig cast recording, then why not!? 

Available on streaming services. 

FACTS:

Music: Stephen Trask
Lyrics: Stephen Trask
Book: John Cameron Mitchell
Theatre: The Jane Street Theatre, The Belasco Theatre
Run: 14 February 1998 – 9 April 2000 (857 performances), 29 March 2014 – 13 September 2015 (22 previews and 507 regular performances)

TONYS:

(NOMINATED) Best Costume Design of a Musical – Arianne Phillips, Best Direction of a Musical – Michael Mayer, Best Scenic Design of a Musical – Julian Crouch, Best Sound Design of a Musical – Timothy O’Heir

(WON) Best Revival of a Musical, Best Leading Actor in a Musical – Neil Patrick Harris, Best Featured Actress in a Musical – Lena Hall, Best Lighting Design of a Musical – Kevin Adams.