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
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
Character Portrayals
See StageAgent members who have performed roles in Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
Want to be featured on this page? Update your credits.
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.
Key Terms
A performance style where a performer adopts exaggerated gender expression, often for satire, art, or celebration.
A genre that centers LGBTQ+ characters and themes, challenging heteronormative narratives and celebrating diverse identities in performance.
A production created to showcase the talents of a specific star performer, often tailored to their strengths.
Videos
Quizzes
Guide Written By:
Alexandra Appleton
Writer, editor and theatre researcher
