Overview
Synopsis
Hedwig and the Angry Inch tells the tale of how a “slip of a girlyboy” from communist East Berlin, Hanschel, becomes the “internationally ignored song stylist” known as Hedwig after a botched sex change operation. The show daringly breaks the fourth wall, as Hedwig directly tells the audience of her past tribulations and heartbreak in the form of an extended monologue paired with rock songs. With a little help from her band and her back-up singer Yitzhak, Hedwig examines her quest for her other half, for love, and ultimately for her identity. Featuring a groundbreaking rock musical score by Stephen Trask, Hedwig and the Angry Inch is hilarious, harrowing, and essentially uplifting for anyone who’s ever felt different.
Show Information
- Music
- Stephen Trask
- Lyrics
- Stephen Trask
- Category
- Musical
- Age Guidance
- Mature Audiences (M)
- Number of Acts
- 1
- First Produced
- 1998
- Genres
- Dark Comedy
- Settings
- Unit/Single Set
- Time & Place
- present day / site-specific; setting should vary depending upon where it is produced
- Cast Size
- small
- Orchestra Size
- Rock Combo
- Dancing
- Optional
- Licensor
- Broadway Licensing
- Ideal For
- College/University, Diverse Cast, Ensemble Cast, Mostly Male Cast, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Small Cast, Star Vehicle Male, Includes Adult Characters
Context
The musical was created by John Cameron Mitchell (book and original Hedwig) and Stephen Trask (music and lyrics). It began in the mid-1990s as a cabaret act performed at the Squeezebox club in New York City, where punk and drag culture thrived. Mitchell developed the character of Hedwig partly from his own experiences and as a response to traditional portrayals of gender and sexuality in theater. Trask, a punk/glam rock musician, composed songs that blended glam, punk, and classic rock
to read the context for Hedwig and the Angry Inch and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Hedwig and the Angry Inch follows the powerful and poignant journey of Hedwig Robinson, a genderqueer East German rock singer, as she tells the story of her life during a raw and electric concert performance. On a makeshift stage in a gritty venue—shadowed by a larger stadium where her former lover and protégé, now-famous rock star Tommy Gnosis, is playing—Hedwig bares her soul to the audience.
As the show begins, Hedwig bursts onto the stage with fierce energy, introducing herself and her
to read the plot for Hedwig and the Angry Inch and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Either Gender |
Mezzo-Soprano, Baritone |
|
|
Ensemble |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Ensemble |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Ensemble |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Ensemble |
Male |
Non-singer |
Songs
- America the Beautiful: The Angry Inch
- Tear Me Down: Hedwig, Yitzhak
- The Origin of Love: Hedwig
- Random Number Generation: Yitzhak (1999 Off-Broadway Only)
- Sugar Daddy: Hedwig
- When Love Explodes: Yitzhak (2014 Broadway Revival Only)
- Angry Inch: Hedwig
- Wig in a Box: Hedwig
- Wicked Little Town: Hedwig
- The Long Grift: Yitzhak
- Hedwig’s Lament: Hedwig
- Exquisite Corpse: Hedwig
- Wicked Little Town (Reprise): Hedwig
- Midnight Radio: Hedwig, Yitzhak
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
Performance of gender expression, often when men imitate or exaggerate a feminine style.
The accepted generic term for the LGBTQ+ theatre movement.
A production designed especially to show off the talents of a particular performer.
Videos
Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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Guide Written By:
Alexandra Appleton
Writer, editor and theatre researcher
