Please activate JavaScript!
Please install Adobe Flash Player, click here for download
ePaper created 2016-02-23, 18:02:12 | version 1.33.00
charm) which Hedwig’s creative team put faith into attracting the right audience. A decision that would eventually turn out to be spot on. Influential names in the music industry came to see Hedwig: Pete Townshend (The Who), Lou Reed or David Bowie. Names, which could then later be used for a few stra- tegically placed advertisements in local print media like the New York Times or Time Out. David Bowie was even so impressed by the show that he produced Hedwig and the Angry Inch for Los Angeles. Later the show would be staged internationally at the West End and tour internationally with e.g. stops in Brazil, Italy and Germany. THE WHERE AND WHEN If you missed Hedwig’s run on Broadway, fear not. Adapting their story into a movie was always on the horizon for creators Mitchell and Trask. Despite fa- cing numerous scepticism, they were eventually able to convince the moving picture production compa- ny Killer Films to bring Hedwig onto the big screen. Luckily Killer Films wanted John Cameron Mitchell himself to star as Hedwig after seeing him perform in the role life and naturally he also ended up directing the movie: a challenging double task that guaranteed Hedwig’s authenticity. In the movie, Hedwig’s mo- nologues are acted out, which gives each character a face and voice, and makes for an engaging story world. Musical performances are still prominent and were even recorded live each take. Speaking of which, the music comes in three different versions accompanying each theatrical installment: the first off-broadway run (1998), the film (2001) and the latest Broadway cast recording with Neil Patrick Harris (2014). On stage the songs are the pure punk rock concert experience that you would expect from *insert bands* Not only live, but always too loud, raw and imperfect for musical theatre standard. Hedwig cuts the vibrato, clear diction and gravity defying tu- nes of Oklahoma! or Wicked. Yet exactly this rough, and honest delivery is what makes Hedwig’s story feel real, sucks you in and leaves you in awe and the soundtracks don’t fail to deliver this into every living room. After more than 500 performances, Hedwig and the Angry Inch concluded its first Broadway run on September 13, 2015. But fear not! As announced on March 2, 2015, our favourite and soon-no-longer internationally ignored song stylist is tearing down all walls around her: Hedwig will be conquering sta- ges all around the States in an American tour that is planned for the coming year. It will kick off west coast-style in San Francisco on October 4, 2016, and will bring the house down for a limited run until Oc- tober 30 before heading east. But wait, there’s less! Both Stephen Trask and John Cameron Mitchell have voiced their strong interest in bringing the show back to the West End in Lon- don. And when the power-duo Trask-Mitchell set their minds on something, you can be sure to catch it soon...on the Midnight Radio. Diana Heinze DISCLAIMER This Article was in production since early June. Hence the focus on Criss who was the current Hedwig at that time and whose promotional material we were given permission to use. The article was updated afterwards. Many thanks to Hedwig‘s PR-Team for giving us permission to use and sending the material, to all fans who kindly agreed to be quoted and of course to John Cameron Mitchell, Stephen Trask and all the actors par- ticipating in this show, without whom the wig would have stayed in the box.