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A woman playing Hedwig?

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#1

A woman playing Hedwig?

Posted: 2/7/08 at 11:03am

On the DVD of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, there is a docimentry about the history of the show. Within that, they talk about all the Off-Broadway Hedwig's, and they talk about women playing Hedwig. I was wondering how this worked, especiall when Hedwig rips off all his clothes at the end?
Thanks.
#2

re: A woman playing Hedwig?

Posted: 2/7/08 at 11:23am

Jane2 would be a good person to ask.

I'm pretty sure when Ally Sheedy was Hedwig she had her breasts bound with an ace bandage.
#3

re: A woman playing Hedwig?

Posted: 2/7/08 at 11:25am

I was gonna say, Ally Sheedy is the only person I've ever heard of playing her, and from what I understand, she was *bad*
http://www.youtube.com/huskcharmer
#6

re: A woman playing Hedwig?

Posted: 2/7/08 at 11:51am

I remember reading accounts of Sheedy changing the lyrics/script, forgetting things, etc.
#7

re: A woman playing Hedwig?

Posted: 2/7/08 at 11:58am

Sheedy wasn't horrible...it just falls apart once you know its a woman playing the role. Its not transgender or edgy anymore -- but fake.
#8

re: A woman playing Hedwig?

Posted: 2/7/08 at 12:03pm

I really liked Ally Sheedy as HEDWIG. The show doesn't quite work with a woman as Hedwig -- having seen other (male) Hedwigs as well. But she could certainly act the part, however her singing was not quite up to par with some of the kickier Hedwigs (John Cameron Mitchell, Michael Cerveris, Kevin Cahoon, Matt McGrath, and Donovan Leitch all rocked out vocally) -- the glam sound of Hedwig when sung by a woman sounds a little like Liz Phair, which although isn't a bad thing, it's distracting.
<---- You can see the crazy in her eyes. ;-)
#9

re: A woman playing Hedwig?

Posted: 2/7/08 at 12:10pm

Of course the show works with a woman playing Hedwig. The show is all about getting out of that Gendered headspace, and so a woman playing Hedwig is the ultimate expression of that.

#10

re: A woman playing Hedwig?

Posted: 2/7/08 at 12:31pm

La LuPone would make an incredible Hedwig.


#11

re: A woman playing Hedwig?

Posted: 2/7/08 at 12:39pm

Might make good discourse, but on stage I never got much passed the I'm a woman playing a guy who wants to be a woman. Why do this?
It requires too much suspension of disbelief revolving around the central character that didn't need to be there. IMO - it came off as fake hedwig. Of course, I was comparing Sheedy to JCM -- but lots of folks left the show saying they thought the gender switch wasn't working either.
#12

re: A woman playing Hedwig?

Posted: 2/7/08 at 12:48pm

Well, I imagine a lot of people walking out of that theater didn't really understand that show then.

The whole show is about willing suspension of disbelief, oh Hedwig's part, on many of his partner's parts (no pun intended).

IMO, it was a whole new level to this piece and it was incredible.
Im sorry that you had a hard time letting go of middle-class ideas about gender long enough to enjoy her.
#14

re: A woman playing Hedwig?

Posted: 2/7/08 at 12:57pm

"La LuPone would make an incredible Hedwig."

You should write in to her website!
#16

re: A woman playing Hedwig?

Posted: 2/7/08 at 1:24pm

I can't remember who said it, I think it was the make-up and hair artist, but he said that Ally Sheedy was "intense".
#17

re: A woman playing Hedwig?

Posted: 2/7/08 at 1:34pm

I think that Sandy B. was offered the part, according to JCM, but she declined. I never saw the stage show, just the movie. Does Hedwig show his "junk" at the end of the show? That is the only reason I could see a woman not playing it.
"The sexual energy between the mother and son really concerns me!"-random woman behind me at Next to Normal "I want to meet him after and bang him!"-random woman who exposed her breasts at Rock of Ages, referring to James Carpinello
#19

re: A woman playing Hedwig?

Posted: 2/7/08 at 2:33pm

Ally was decent, at best, but she had some huge shoes to fill !

After seeing people like JCM, Ceveris, and Cahoon play the part, it was sort of a letdown.

That being said.... this show NEEDS to be back in NYC !!!
#20

re: A woman playing Hedwig?

Posted: 2/7/08 at 2:37pm

Wasn't there supposed to be production at the Zipper in October of last year? Whatever happened to that?

#21

re: A woman playing Hedwig?

Posted: 2/7/08 at 2:37pm

John Cameron Mitchell did ask Sandra Bernhard to take over the role but I believe when she saw the show she felt he had basically copied her or something to that effect. Point is she declined.
I think a woman playing Hedwig is definitely an interesting idea in terms of the themes behind the show. Not sure how it would actually work on paper though.
"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"
#25

re: A woman playing Hedwig?

Posted: 2/7/08 at 5:00pm

She was terrible. It was ninety minutes of watching bricks fall from her mouth. Serviceable singing in between dialogue delivered with all the emo and none of the timing or warmth. Completely failed to connect to the audience.

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