"Hedwig and the Angry Inch" at Lush Lounge and Theater

I love Hedwig. I've seen her (and the Angry Inch) a half a dozen times (including the 2001 movie), and never cease to be inspired by this fierce and unapologetic misfit who encourages us all to be just who we are. I caught one of the final performances of Lush Lounge and Theater's production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, their second foray into the world of musical theater (I believe they did La Cage Aux Folles recently). For a bar best known for its drag shows (and being the home of Musical Mondays), both of these shows are right in their wheelhouse. And now seems like the perfect time to celebrate with Hedwig, with this irrational fear of drag culture among some politicians. To quote the director Maxwell Freudenthal, "We believe that all people are worthy of love, drag is not dangerous, and a queer person's right to exist exactly as they are is not subject to debate." You can see Hedwig for two more nights only, or check out Lush's event page to see what else is happening.

"Hedwig and the Angry Inch" by Theater Latte Da at the Ritz Theater

I've been excited to see Theater Latte Da's production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, starring multi-talented #TCTheater artist Tyler Michaels King, since they announced their season last spring. I've loved Hedwig since seeing the movie in the early aughts, and even more so since seeing her Broadway debut five years ago in the person of Neil Patrick Harris. Even though punk rock isn't usually my scene, I really connect with this queen of the misfits and losers who encourages us all to be ourselves, and reminds us that we are worthy and whole exactly as we are. Latte Da's production captures all that and more - part fantastically fun rock concert, part transformational journey to the self. The piece is co-directed by Artistic Director Peter Rothstein and Annie Enneking, #TCTheater's preeminent fight choreographer and headliner of the rock band Annie and the Bang Bang. Through this perfect combination of Peter's clear vision for music-theater storytelling and Annie's rock star sensibilites, they have created a piece that's epic and intimate, loud and in your face, yet beautiful and touching.

"Hedwig and the Angry Inch" by Zenith City Horror at Camp Bar

Hedwig and the Angry Inch is one of my favorite musicals. I've seen it several times, and it's always so epic and beautiful and inspiring (you can read all of the many words I've written about it here). I can think of no better way to celebrate my 44th birthday (a day early) than with one of my heroes, who has taught and continues to teach me to be misfit myself, and hold my wig high while doing so. The best part of getting older is being more comfortable in your own skin and caring less and less about what the world thinks of it. And that's what the beautifully flawed human we call Hedwig represents. Zenith City Horror has brought their fantastic version of the show from Duluth to Camp Bar in downtown St. Paul, go see it if you need a little more Hedwig in your life (and who doesn't?!).

"Hedwig and the Angry Inch" on tour at the Ordway

Friends, there's a very special and unique person sharing her story at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts this week. I attended opening night of the Broadway tour of Hedwig and the Angry Inch on Valentine's Day, a day that's supposed to be about love but is often more about commercialism and feeling bad if you're not coupled off, or pressured to buy the right gift if you are. What better day to contemplate the very nature of love, both of others and more importantly, of oneself, with an East German transgender rock star? Hedwig shows us that it's OK to be authentically who you are, even if who you are doesn't fit into the neat labels and boxes society pressures us to fit into. As Ordway's Producing Artistic Director James Rocco notes in the playbil, "She's more than a woman or a man, but she really is her own gender - a gender that, by accident, defines individualism and the beauty of authentically being who you are." This idea of beautiful and worthy humanity no matter what body parts we have or whom we choose to love, is perhaps more important now than ever (as is pretty much everything, I'm finding). Hedwig is only in St. Paul for a week, do not miss this transformative theater experience!

"Hedwig and the Angry Inch" at the Belasco Theatre on Broadway

autographed by Neil Patrick Harris
(lower left) and Lena Hall

I've always known I would see Neil Patrick Harris on Broadway one day. I've loved him for over twenty years, from Doogie Howser, MD to How I Met Your Mother and various points and hosting gigs in between. But I didn't know it would be in such a special creation as Hedwig and the Angry Inch. John Cameron Mitchell created the character and along with Stephen Trask (music and lyrics) developed the piece in clubs throughout the '90s, eventually landing Off-Broadway in 1998. Mitchell also adapted, directed, and starred in the 2001 film which catapulted Hedwig into a cultural phenomenon, but she's only now receiving her Broadway debut. I've only seen the movie once, and the stage version once as well (at the Jungle Theater in 2008, for which Jairus Abts won an Ivey Award), but it's left a lasting impression on me. It's one of those rare pieces of art that once you experience it, it stays with you forever. And with Neil Patrick Harris stepping into Hedwig's high heeled gold boots, not an easy task but one he accomplishes with grace and ease, seeing Hedwig and the Angry Inch on Broadway was and will always remain a theatrical highlight of my life.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch plays out as a 100-minute concert and is almost a one-person show (although with great support from the four-piece band and Lena Hall as Hedwig's husband Yitzhak). This allows Hedwig to speak directly to the audience, playing, flirting, and arguing with them. There is room for nightly changes and ad-libbing (something Neil is a master at from his many hosting gigs), and current pop cultural references have been added. Hedwig sings her songs for us and tells us the story of her life. And what a story! Born a boy in East Berlin to a cold German mother and an American GI who abandoned them, Hedwig later falls in love with another American GI and has a botched sex change operation (hence the "angry inch") so that she can marry him and move to America. Shortly thereafter she finds herself divorced and broke. She falls in love with a young man, nurtures him and writes songs with him, whereupon he leaves her and becomes a famous rock star using her songs. This leaves Hedwig a bit angry with her lot in life, but through the course of this one evening she's able to work through it and come to a place where she's not angry anymore, she's able to be herself and let those around her be who they are (including Yitzhak). It's a transformative experience for Hedwig and for those of us lucky enough to go on this journey with her.

Hedwig's concert takes place on the abandoned set of the fictional Hurt Locker: The Musical (which sadly isn't too far outside the realm of possibility with the direction Broadway has been going lately). Through the course of the evening the set gets pushed aside as Hedwig makes way for her own show. In one particularly lovely moment, a scrim is lowered at the front of the stage and cartoons illustrate the beautiful mythology of "The Origin of Love." It's gorgeously staged so that it looks like Hedwig is part of the illustrated world. Much of the original creative team contributed to this production, including Arianne Phillips' gorgeous costumes and Mike Potter's fabulous wigs and make-up design. Because Hedwig wouldn't be Hedwig without her iconic look.

And now let me rave about Neil Patrick Harris. There are not enough superlatives to describe his performance. As an audience member, I was emotionally and physically exhausted at the end of the show, I cannot imagine how he feels. He pours everything he has into this performance. He is so strong and powerful, yet raw and vulnerable, funny and heart-breaking, emotionally and physically naked. It's an incredibly challenging role, vocally (he sings nearly every song of this punk-rock score), emotionally (conveying all of Hedwig's highs and lows), and physically (literally climbing all over the set), and he's fully committed to every moment. And this was only a preview (official opening on April 22), he's only going to get better as the run continues - more comfortable and playful and deeper into the character. I would love to be able to see the show again near the end of its run, but I feel so lucky to have seen it once that twice is just too greedy. Neil is once again hosting the Tony Awards this year, and is all but guaranteed to be nominated as well.

Over the past nearly twenty years, Hedwig has become a heroine and an inspiration, not just for gay and transgender people but for everyone who feels like a misfit or a freak at one time or another, and who doesn't? In her journey to find her place in the world and her complete self, Hedwig teaches us that there is a place for all of us in this world, that it's OK to be just who we are, with no shame or apologies. "And if you've got no other choice, you know you can follow my voice, through the dark twists and noise of this wicked little town." I will and I do, Hedwig.

Breath
Feel
Love
Give
Free
Know in your soul
Like your blood knows the way
From your heart to your brain
Know that you're whole.
And you're shining
Like the brightest star
A transmission
On the midnight radio.
And you're spinning
Like a 45
Ballerina
Dancing to your rock and roll.