Review: Hedwig and the Angry Inch at Carriageworks

Review by Scott Whitmont

It’s been thirty years since John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask’s rock opera/cabaret had its performance origins in a small New York drag-punk club. It has since developed to become today’s tour-de-force production, performed around the world, having also been adapted to the screen as a cult classic.

Its power and modern-day relevance is unabated. In a time when LGBTQIA+ rights and recognition of trans and non-binary identities are being rolled back and globally repressed, a queer hero like Hedwig Robinson is as important as ever. 

After being convinced to undergo (botched) sex-change surgery, Hedwig escapes Communist East Berlin as the wife of an American serviceman. Seeking a better life in the United States, her story of abuse, abandonment and multiple betrayals is powerfully recounted through song and monologue. All the while, we are reminded just how much our sense of self and life satisfaction is impacted by past trauma and how we process it.

From the opening moment they step on stage, Seann Miley Moore’s commanding presence grabs the compliant audience by the throat and never lets go. Moore is imbued with resounding charisma, mesmerising stagecraft and an incomparable vocal control. With equal parts biting humour and heart-wrenching pathos, their performance as genderqueer hero, Hedwig, is masterful, energetic and simply unforgettable.

Equally triumphant in a supporting role is Hedwig’s husband, the subjugated Yitzhak (Adam Noviello), a Jewish drag-queen from Zagreb who remains loyal despite Hedwig’s clear jealousy and vitriolic treatment of him. Hovering around the set’s edges and almost magically appearing at just the right time to slide costume pieces and props into Hedwig’s hands, Noviello also melds seamlessly into The Angry Inch band on centre-stage to perform back-up singing and sweet harmonies with Moore. With their own solo towards the end of the show, however, Noviello’s own magnetism, talent and vocal prowess is wonderfully highlighted.

It is not merely the vocals in Hedwig that impress. Under the musical direction of Victoria Falconer (also on keyboards), the members of The Angry Inch are clearly each masters of their instruments and provide accompaniment with skill and gusto. (Glenn Moorhouse on guitar, Jarrad Payne on drums and Felicity Freeman on bass).

Audience members at Hedwig are by no means mere observers. Addressed directly by Moore and Yitzhak throughout, they’re encouraged to dance and to sing, feeling very much a part of this special musical experience. The power, energy and joy of numbers like The Origin of Love, Sugar Daddy and Wig in a Box will be long remembered by enlivened attendees.

Kudos to Set Designer Jeremy Allen, whose central band pit, semi-spiral staircase around it, and rear doorway to the world outside provide the perfect staging for Moore’s perambulations and engaging choreography (by Amy Campbell). Lighting Design by Geoff Cobham provides ideal spotlighting and ethereal effect, while Sound Design by Jamie Mensforth and Soundscape from Jason Sweeney ensure one feels truly within an American dive bar of the ‘90s rather than a reworked railway warehouse.

The meticulous detail in Nicol & Ford’s brilliant costumes strike the perfect balance of sexy grunge with Hedwig’s striking ‘wig cape’ particularly memorable.

All in all, Hedwig and the Angry Inch is no mere outing for a Winter night’s distraction. Under the brilliant Co-Direction of Shane Anthony and Dino Dimitriadis and the passionate talent of Seann Miley Moore, it is an all-embracing and immersive theatrical experience to be relished and long remembered.

Image Credit: Eugene Hyland