Hedwig and the Angry Inch- Page 2

[MadeofGold]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 2:02am

I saw Hedwig at the Jane twice, both with JCM and was amazed by his performance and the show as a whole. It was the first time that I walked out of a show and wished I was a performer.

The movie is excellent though too. JCM and Michael Pitt were fabulous!

[holden]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 2:05am

cabarethed, I sure did (about 10 times, I think). He was an excellent, well-rounded Hedwig -- meaning that he was funny, emotionally powerful, and a great singer. He was unflappable, and really great at keeping the drama of the role real.

Matt was Hedwig on closing night. He stayed focused the whole time, but gave an amazing performance. That final performance -- especially the last few scenes, and Midnight Radio, which he did with the name-substitution that has been used on a few special occasions -- was really magical.

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 2:11am

I LOVE Hedwig. I think the movie is one of the best stage- to- screen musical adaptions out there. I did a paper about Hedwig and the Angry Inch last semester...

[cabarethed]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 2:11am

I adore the man (obviously), and it's very difficult to find people who saw him in that...that was really wonderful to read. How I wish I was able to get to NY back then and "find" him before Cabaret.

[Mimi Imfurst]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 3:43am

Hedwig is probably the most amazing show ever. (see avatar) John's writing is at par with any writer who masters symbolism and metephor as a theatrical tool in the world of the piece. Stephen's songs are nothing but completely innovative and amazing. I am proud to have played hedwig twice, working with John and Fabio Toblini, who remade the Jane Street costumes for the production i was in in 2003. Seeing hedwig live is an amazing experience, as Damon Introbartolo(BARE) told me, watching Hedwig is like being in the presence of something unearthy..something devine. He is right. I have had to pleasure to travel to see Hedwig. May I take a moment to compare and contrast Hedwigs.

While John's Hedwig is irreplaceable as he is the creator, I simply marvel at Michael Cerverais' take on the role. There is eomthing about Michael as an actor period. You can't take your eyes off of him. He sucks you into the world. He captures the 'love the front of me' scene more so than any other hedwig ive ever seen.
Cahoon's hedwig is raw, edgy and completely unlike a woman. He is an amazing hedwig because he doesnt at all look like a woman, and is completely jarring. His voice is amazing, and perhaps my favorite 2nd favorite Hedwig vocally.
McGrath has a magic to playing Hedwig as he is so extremely consise and has extreme amounts of calculation and craft to his every move.
I have to say, that as much as I did not like the direction of Rapp's Hedwig- he had something amazing about him. The director i feel totally missed the end of the show, but still the production had some amazing noteworthy moments. First of all, may I say, that Rapp sings the score beautifully. You would think the score written for him, thats how good he is. Acting wise, of all the hedwig's ive ever seen, he is the most transparrent in relation to himself. No matter how good an actor, every person brings a bit of themself to the role. NOT RAPP. He managed to create a character that completely hid his own personality. I could not find him on stage. Even after knowning him, he manages to leave his body as hedwig takes over.
David Colbert- whom does indeed strike an amazing resemblance to JCM was an AMAZING hedwig. There was something about his slightness that made him so very vunerable, that was just really creapy. LOVED him.

Nick Garrison is another great hedwig as he does things that just makes my hair stand on edges.

Another great hedwig was constantine who is currently on american idol. He was an AMAZING hedwig... he sounded a bit like gwen stefani at moments, he sang the score so wonderfully. Not to mention his band, probably rocked the most out of the score.

The show itself, surpasses the movie beyond description. Although the movie is amazing, John did something with the stage show that is truely magical. The most amazing moments spent in the theatre ever. I have even inked myself with a Hedwig Tattoo in 2001.

Hedwig was rumored to return to knitting factory but we had to pull it, unfortunitly john didnt quite want hedwig to return just yet....but, it will probably return in the future thank god!

I am very excited as I'll be playing hedwig again this summer in Provincetown. We're gonna be there all summer. :) Check us out as we have a realy fun new look at Hedwig. There are some clips up of Hedwig 2003. (Ignore the voice overs it was done with a poor mic...) You'll be able to see a bit of You Light Up My Life that we threw in the show to bring it back to its roots.
www.GetHedwig.com

Updated On: 3/3/05 at 03:43 AM

[temms]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 11:20am

Wanted to chime in - "Hedwig" was the show that briefly returned me to my roots of being a teenage theatre-loving geek, and I wound up seeing it many times at the Jane Street.

JCM was magnificent, of course. Cerveris was a lot manlier, but it worked for me. I almost believed him more as a transsexual - and he sang the crap out of the score.

Donovan Leitch was fine - nothing outstanding, but the show definitely held up with him. Didn't see Ally Sheedy or Kevin Cahoon (really regret the latter - not so much the former).

Matt McGrath I really liked - he was a more fragile Hedwig, I thought. You really got the sense the the Hedwig character was very much a facade, and that underneath was someone who was truly devastated by Tommy's betrayal and everything else. Probably the most heartbreaking of the Hedwigs I've seen.

I saw the Anthony Rapp production, and as someone else in the thread mentioned, it was very poorly directed and completely missed the ending, I thought. (There was no transformation - Hedwig disappeared during "Exquisite Corpse", and then reappeared as Tommy somewhere else on the stage. No attempt to draw any connection between them.) Plus, the band at Hartford Stage was absolutely awful. Maybe I got spoiled at the Jane Street, but the band was simply not up to par at all. I thought Rapp was fine, but it was not an enjoyable experience overall.

The best one I saw, though, (and this ranks as probably my favorite night I've ever spent in the theatre) was JCM's return to the role for three performances near the end of the run. A friend who works in ticketing found out about it and immediately snapped up tickets for several of us, and I got to see his last-ever performance at the Jane Street. It was amazing - everyone knew all the jokes, so every joke in the show had an added punchline (even the pre-recorded Tommy speeches all went on for a few lines longer). At one point, there was a recitation of an original poem Hedwig had written about the Taint. ("It t'ain't your asshole and it t'ain't your dick.") "Midnight Radio" that night was pretty much indescribable.

Anyway, just wanted to wax for a moment about a show that reaffirmed my faith in this crumbling artform. Still waiting for it to happen again...

[WISHIHADATONY]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 1:28pm

I enjoy some of the songs......the show is very rocky and sometimes country and is certainly not everyone's cup of tea.......I suggest you see it on video prior to spending to see it live:)

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 1:31pm

Constantine from AI was Hedwig? Not that he'd ever admit to it now...

[Mimi Imfurst]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 3:23pm

I didnt like Rapp the first time I saw him in the Role. I saw him five times total, but after taking a week off of going to see it, I came back and saw the show from the very last row of the theatre(which hartford stage is a huge theatre) and I saw a totally different show. It was much more amazing. It was clear that the director directed it for the back row- but he still missed the ending. BIG TIME. I however, think the band was good, but RAPP's voice was amazing.

Constantine was Hedwig in 2000 I think. He was good. His acting was a little bland, but vocally, he was great...perhaps it was his band- which was the best hedwig band ive ever heard.

WISHIHADATONY-where did you see the show? Did you have a bad experience seeing it live?

[musicman117]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 3:49pm

i really like the movie.... but have sadly never seen it live.

On a complete side note - am I the only person that JCM in drag looks like Rachel Griffiths from Six Feet Under?? Just wondering...

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 4:16pm

No, I totally see it, too, Musicman.

[AnothaPartofMe]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 4:35pm

I heard there might be a possible tour of the show... anyone know if that's true?

[Testing1232]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 4:39pm

We were there during JCM's last stint as well. Totally amazing !!! Going to see "Hedwig" at the Jane was an EXPERIENCE. The theater... the repeat customers... it was incredible. Miss it terribly !

[Mimi Imfurst]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 4:55pm

there is no official tour of hedwig but there are many productions upcoming. I run a listing on another site...here is the information I've had submitted.

HEDWIG:COLORADO SPRINGS
Darkside
2106 E. Platte Avenue
March 4-19
Friday-Sunday at 8pm
(no show on March 5)
$20
www.uccstheatreworks.com
719-262-3232

HEDWIG: WASHINGTON
March 17-April 2
Capital Playhouse
612 East 4th Avenue
Olympia, WA
www.capitalplayhouse.com

HEDWIG: CHICAGO
Opens: March 18th
Elemental Theater
Chicago, IL
www.elementaltheater.com

HEDWIG: BOSTON!
Boston Get's Hed....AGAIN!
March 24, 25: 8pm 26: 2 &8pm
The Greene Theatre at Emerson College
10 Boylston Place, Boston, MA
(6th floor of the Tufte Center)
Directed by Aoife Barrington-Haber
Tickets:$5
For tix call: 617-824-8369 or visit http://www.ticketweb.com

HEDWIG: CHICO, CA
April 7 - 30th
The Blue Room Theatre
139 W. First St
Chico, CA
www.blueroomtheatre.com

HEDWIG: CHESTNUT HILL, MA
May 26, 27, 28 2005
In the Black Box Theater @ Beaver Country Day School
Chestnut Hill, MA
To benefit the Waltham House (part of the Home for Little Wanderers).

HEDWIG: JAPAN
Theatre Parco (Shibuya, Tokyo) June 16 to June 26
Zepp Tokyo (Aomi, Tokyo) July 11 to July 16
Zepp Fukuoka (Fukuoka city) July 1 & 2
Theater Dramacity (Osaka city) July 5 to July 9
Tickets: $60 to $90.

HEDWIG: PROVINCETOWN, MA
Details to come
Provincetown, MA
http://www.GetHedwig.com

Also in 2005
Rome
Korea
Hawaii

Again, I'm playing hedwig in provincetown. I'm quite excited. :)

[cabarethed]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 5:03pm

musicman, when my friend first saw the movie, he immediately said JCM looked like Rachel Griffiths!

I love this thread....

[Mimi Imfurst]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 5:10pm

he's a cross between rachel griffiths and dana carvey

Updated On: 3/3/05 at 05:10 PM

[cabarethed]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 5:14pm

Indeed. At the back of Movieline when they do the stars crossing, like which 2 stars could be the parents of another...Dana Carvey and Juliet Stevenson were chosen for JCM.

[Mimi Imfurst]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 5:29pm

hmm never thought of that one before. but yes he does in a way- but i also think he looks more like griffith/carvey

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 6:56pm

Movie soundtrack or cast recording? And Why?

[Mimi Imfurst]

Posted: 3/3/05 at 10:22pm

Both are excellent and i enjoy listening to the movie and the the tribute CD but ultimately the original cast is the best. Its raw and amazing.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 3/4/05 at 1:03am

Movie soundtrack or cast recording? And Why?

Get both. Certain songs have better renditions on one or the other recording. For example, I like "Angry Inch" better on on the OOBCR, but I like "Wicked Little Town" better on the movie soundtrack. The movie soundtrack also has some new songs by Stephen Trask that are not in the live show; however, what I find strange about the movie soundtrack is that the tracks aren't in show order.

Generally, the movie soundtrack has a more polished, studio sound than the OOBCR, which is very raw -- like an independent record.

[Mimi Imfurst]

Posted: 3/4/05 at 3:48am

Stephen reordered the songs to make the album seem more like a rock album. I think its stupid- the flow of the OCR is fine. I love the more "guitar" and "clean" sound of the movie recording, but over all the tempos are slower than death. Does anyone else have the WIG IN A BOX tribute CD or the controversial clevland and UK tour CDs?

[JHartnow]

Posted: 3/4/05 at 9:54am

What a cool thread!

Getting back to the original question...(does this count as thread jacking?!). I've enjoyed John's work for years, ever since I saw him in THE SECRET GARDEN(I'm actually singing WICK for an audition on Monday). When I saw Hedwig at The Jane Street...I left the theatre awe-struck by every second of material presented, not only from John but from the entire cast. Although a work of complete fiction, I believed Hedwig...I felt her struggle and actually felt sympathy(what's that?!), and at some points...empathy. It was if a light had come on in my head(hed?). When the movie came out, I was a bit jarred because it didn't have (as much) of an edge. It was odd seeing a (basically) one man show turned into a full-blown casted movie. I still thought it was a good translation, and saw it 3 times in one week. But still, it didn't have the power or emotion that I experienced live. But then again, the nature of film has a tendency to be, arguably, less emotional. I mean, who can beat getting "car-washed" live!

Since the movie came out, there's been an explosion of Hedwig productions all over the world. I've seen 3 different productions of the show, all different in their incarnations. Some good, some lacking in talent, but overall I haven't seen anything that adds up to what I initially experienced. Have I been spoiled?

And speaking of the soundtracks, I think they're all good in their own right. I bought Ben Jelen's CD last year because he covered Wicked Little Town. I didn't care how good or bad it was, I just wanted to support the mainstream exposure to Hedwig. His take on the song isn't bad at all...

This brings me to a discussion point. Is it possible for an actor to effectively translate the character of Hedwig without doing an impersonation of John Cameron Mitchell? There are so many iconic images that are associated with Hedwig...the hair, the costume(s), the makeup, the voice...that JCM and the original crew put into place. Many of the smaller scale productions I've seen have tried to replicate what they've seen John do. I don't think this is necessarily bad, and granted, my exposure to live Hedwig performances has been limited, so my opinions are limited as well. The only performance that I've seen that really shook things up was Anthony's. He did a great job making the role his own, and I loved the new look and slightly more aggresive take on the role.

Toggling through my iPod now to get some 'Hed'...

Take Care,
John

[Mimi Imfurst]

Posted: 3/4/05 at 3:51pm

I think that in many ways the hedwig character look as become so identifiable with the character than many productions simply mimic the original productions design. (Rather poorly might i add) I was fortunite to have Fabio Toblini re-create the costumes for me, which I'm very proud to have accurately recreate the costumes.

I really did appreciate the RAPP production's design. It has definitly influenced the look we are persuing for the production this summer.

The whole problem with the Jane St look is that when Hedwig first opened the acid wash demin was still considdered tacky and out of date. Unfortunitly, the retro 80s look has come back, making hedwig's original look trendy. One thing that Fabio said is that Hedwig's look is supposed to be outdated. She's supposed to be behind the times, but she thinks she's fabulous. So my point is, any production from here on out should not copy, but rather go forward into making their own, and to really make hedwig an georgeously ugly creature. As david binder(director) has been quoted "it was a mess, but it was a wonderful mess"

There is some truth to Hedwig's look, however. Hedwig is, a biproduct of Germany. Her nazi influenced mother left a mark on her. Hedwig strives to be the Aryan ideal- blonde, blue eyed, tall..a barbie to say the least. So at the very least, she should probably have that influence.

Which brings up another note. Has anyone else seen productions where hedwig has an anti-swatzika symbol on her? (the NO symbol with a swatzika on it) I've seen this numorous times, and although I understand the reasoning, it bugs me. Hedwig is a tragic flaws and has her negative attributes as well. She does have Nazi influence, even though she doesn't awknowlege it. But to go so far as to have her actively go against it is in my opinion breaking the character.

[luvliza89]

Posted: 3/4/05 at 7:15pm

Thanks for posting those dates Mimi! Really made my day. I'm totally gonna see it in Boston at the end of March.I'm simply in love with the score and story of Hedwig. This would be my first time seeing it live, so I'm sure it will be an amazing treat!