James King as Hedwig - Photo by Scott Gorman
My first introduction to Hedwig was the movie adaptation, staring author John Cameron Mitchell in the title role. I've been a fan since then, though this was my first time seeing a performance of the stage show.
The Hart House production, while not perfect -- I'll get to that later -- has much more in its favour than against it. So, despite the criticisms below, I'll just be clear and say that I recommend it as worth seeing!
For those not in the know, this show is, for all intents and purposes, a monologue punctuated with rock songs, in which the titular Hedwig discloses her journey from pre-unification East Berlin to America, in search of love and purpose. She also opens up about the failures she has encountered along the way, including the failed sex change operation giving rise to the "angry inch" of the title.
Plot synopsis out of the way, let's look at the execution.
First and foremost, I want to give praise to Jeremy Hutton's sound design and to whomever was running the sound systems opening night. Hart House is not a kind space for musical performances, and I think every musical I've ever seen there has had sound issues. Going in to see what I knew was a rock show, I had doubts as to what sound quality to expect. Whatever Hutton did, however, worked like a charm! The sound was balanced and clear, and helped the material jump to life.
Of course props go out to the band, under direction of Giustin MacLean. It is also worth calling out the strong vocal work of Lauren Mayer as Yitzhak, whose one solo number in the show is moment of calm in the growing frenzy of show's plot and emotional progression.
James King in the role of Hedwig brought the energy, presence, and pipes that the role demands. Interestingly to me, he often chose to go with a softer, more approachable Hedwig, less jaded by her life thus far than I would have expected. It was an interesting choice and worked in most cases. However, I felt the absence of aggression made it unclear why Yitzhak (Hedwig's man Friday.... through Thursday) despised her as much as he does. I also felt that having a bit more of a jaded shell might have made the final payoff of Hedwig's breakdown and transformation carry stronger emotional currency.
James King as Hedwig - Photo by Scott Gorman
The costuming by Kathleen Black was hit and miss. Her costuming of Hedwig and Yitzhak was excellent, and felt right. Her costuming of the rest of the band felt a little off-genre to me. In my mind, Hedwig's aesthetic draws from 70s glam rock and punk inspiration. The band costumes, however, felt like they erred to the side of 80's metal and hair bands. It wasn't distracting, but did feel a bit off to me.
Rebecca Ballarin's direction was clear, honored the moments on the script appropriately, and has resulted in a strong overall production. That said, a few pushes could have elevated it from strong to spectacular:
Preshow: the band is on stage, but isn't doing anything to establish the production. Even just going through the motions of a sound check, or having a pre-show drink would have helped establish what we were about to see.
Hedwig's breakdown (aka Exquisite Corpse): This number is the emotional storm before the ultimate catharsis of the show. As presented, it served exactly the purpose it needed to, but I found myself wanting it to just be punched up a bit more. It never quite felt, for lack of a better word, dangerous. I really wanted to feel as if Hedwig might at any moment destroy the set, or even the theatre. A fight choreographer for just that number might have helped elevate the moment.
Choreography: There is no choreographer listed in the program. As full of energy and power as King was on stage, his stock of movement patterns started to feel repetitious after a while. A choreographer could have helped tighten up some of the more performative numbers and made a good show even better.
Now, I want to be clear that as much as I am offering critique, I fully enjoyed this show, left with a big smile on my face, and re-listened to the sound track the next day.
In all, this is a strong production, worth taking in!
Recommended
Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Book by John Cameron Mitchell, Music and Lyrics by Stephan Trask, runs at Hart House until Oct 7.
Tickets at http://harthouse.ca/hart-house-theatre/