This story was originally published by ArtsATL.
With its newest production of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” Actor’s Express has essentially delivered a gift-wrapped wig in a box to Atlanta audiences. It’s terrific fun.
Running through Aug. 19 and starring both Niko Carleo and Christina Leidel in the title role at alternating performances, “Hedwig” is a thought-provoking, hilarious piece of work with amazing songs.
The 1998 rock musical, written by John Cameron Mitchell with music and lyrics by Stephen Trask, has been staged at Actor’s Express twice before. This production, directed by Quinn Xavier Hernandez, sets all of its activity in Atlanta at the actual theater, rather than placing the craziness in a zany fictional setting as previous productions have done.
This allows for hometown references and for the show to feel immediate, since the audience doesn’t have to suspend disbelief at all to fully grasp the narrative. It’s a great touch.
As the audience, we are in attendance at a small concert of the band “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.” Somewhere else within earshot at the King Plow Arts Center, a large rock show for superstar Tommy Gnosis is taking place. The parallel shows are no accident. Hedwig is Tommy’s former mentor, songwriter and lover.
Hedwig and her band, which includes her backup singer/husband Yitzhak, now stalk him Tommy across the country. She hopes that Tommy will in some way acknowledge her and give her the credit and fame she deserves. Barring that, she at least wants to capitalize on the notoriety and have her story known.
Credit: Casey Ford
Credit: Casey Ford
Hedwig’s story, presented in between and punctuated by the band’s songs, is a bittersweet, weird and fascinating tale. She began life as Hansel, an East German child with a stern mother and an abusive, then absent, father. The child would pass the time by playing in the oven of the family’s tiny apartment, listening to rock music on American Forces Network and dreaming of becoming a David Bowie or Tina Turner.
Eventually, a way to America presents itself when a soldier named Luther offers to marry Hansel, though a botched gender reassignment surgery precedes the marriage, hence the band name and show title.
Once in America, Hedwig gets mixed up with Tommy, and their collective fate is sealed.
In the performance seen for this review, Carleo was a blast as Hedwig, giving the audience a wry sense of humor, emotional vulnerability in the storytelling and signs of a diva attitude. The role is mostly monologue, requiring the actor to occasionally play every character mentioned in a memory. Carleo, who uses the pronoun they, was able to alternate their voice and physicality seamlessly when embodying Hedwig’s mother, Tommy or Luther.
Credit: Casey Ford
Credit: Casey Ford
The physical feat of playing Hedwig is also impressive. Carleo’s voice has a wonderful range, and they do remarkable work in heels performing Precious West’s choreography and navigating quick costume changes.
It’s great work, matched by Isa Martinez as Yitzhak. Martinez, who uses the pronoun they, has a phenomenal singing voice and innate star quality, which is used to great comic effect in the show. Whenever Yitzhak threatens to steal focus from Hedwig during the performance, the tension is palpable.
Additionally, Martinez grabs the audience’s sympathy in large and small ways throughout the show. Yitzhak is one of the first people we see, and we watch as they sacrifice or subjugate themselves out of love for Hedwig.
That dynamic drives the show almost as much as the great music.
And the musicians here are really, really grand. Under the direction of Bucky Motter, the band playing the Angry Inch features guitarist JoAnn Pfeiffer, drummer Jen Hodges, keyboardist and guitarist Gamble and bassist Dan Bauman. The band is onstage for the length of the 95-minute performance, occasionally acting in addition to playing the music.
The technical touches that were particularly effective included Nick Battaglia’s props and April Carswell’s magnificent costumes. My favorites include a gigantic necklace made of candy hearts with obscene messages, as well as the American flag/rainbow flag cape and all of the wigs.
Honestly, “Hedwig” is just a breezy good time with an undercurrent of humanity flowing through it. Trans people deserve consideration and respect in general. On this particular stage, Hedwig deserves our applause.
THEATER REVIEW
“Hedwig and the Angry Inch”
Through Aug. 19. 8 p.m. and 11:59 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays. $45. Actor’s Express, 887 W. Marietta St. NW, Atlanta. 404-607-7469, actors-express.com.
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Benjamin Carr, a member of the American Theatre Critics Association, is an arts journalist and critic who has contributed to ArtsATL since 2019. His plays have been produced at the Vineyard Theatre in Manhattan, as part of the Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival and at the Center for Puppetry Arts. His novel, Impacted, was published by The Story Plant in 2021.
Credit: ArtsATL
Credit: ArtsATL
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