I know that I am preaching to the long-ago converted, but I wanted to share my belated reaction to the San Francisco show because I didn't go into it as a big fan. In fact, I really didn't know much about it at all, and I was pretty ambivalent about going. My daughter was curious enough to see Darren Criss because of Glee, I knew Lena Hall had won a Tony for her role (you don't get Tony winners in touring productions too often), but I cannot say I was going in with high expectations. I figured it would be interesting, even though I tend to be skeptical of rock musicals, and last-second rush tickets seemed worth the risk.
I'm glad I took it. I have seen a lot of musicals this year, more than I ever have, and I enjoyed this show more than any musical in 2016 except for Hamilton on Broadway. As I went in cold, not knowing the plot, it took me a while to realize how the show was going to work. Oh, Criss as Hedwig is just going to stand there and talk. For two hours. It took me about 20 or 30 minutes, until "Sugar Daddy," for me to adjust and realize how much fun the show would be.
The first thing that surprised me was that the score was terrific, better than I ever expected. Stephen Trask put together a terrific set of songs that borrows liberally from various rock genres but never feels like an imitation. It didn't feel like "Broadway rock.". These songs stood on their own. "Wicked Little Town" - both versions - is one of my favorite songs from a musical. My wife didn't see the show, and she was marveling at how much she liked the music - out of context.
The second surprise was that if felt so unique. Trask and John Cameron Mitchell take theatergoers on a strange journey that feels both ridiculous and, in the end, deeply moving. I wasn't expecting that, not from Darren Criss, not when he - like every Hedwig - has to carry almost the entire show by himself. But for all of its unusual quirks, Trask and Mitchell actually pull a trick. Under all the glitter, it's a surprisingly conventional musical in structure (except for the fact that there aren't any conventional scenes).
The third surprise is that it gets better as it goes along. I know plenty of people like "Tear Me Down" and "The Origin of Love," and I do too, but I was still getting my bearings at the beginning. I am so accustomed to musicals with weaker second acts that it's a genuine thrill to watch one that builds to an emotional crescendo at the conclusion. By the time Hedwig and then Yitzhak tell everyone to "lift up your hands," it feels genuinely inspirational. Once again, I wasn't expecting that. And Lena Hall's voice. Wow.
My biggest regret: Not taking my wife to see it. Now I just have to decide which version of cast recording - or soundtrack from the film - to purchase.
well, he surely can sing! 
