Synopsis
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
John Cameron Mitchell & Stephen Trask
Published by Dramatists Play Service
1 Male 1 Female
It tells the story of "internationally ignored song stylist" Hedwig Schmidt, a fourth-wall smashing East German rock 'n' roll goddess who also happens to be the victim of a botched sex-change operation, which has left her with just "an angry inch"
This outrageous and unexpectedly hilarious story is dazzlingly performed by Hedwig (née Hansel) in the form of a rock gig/stand-up comedy routine backed by the hard-rocking band "The Angry Inch"
Using songs and monologues, Hedwig tells her story, which began in the former East Berlin where as Hansel he meets Luther, an American GI who promises to take the young man to the States on the condition that he switch his sex
After the bungled operation, Luther abandons newly named Hedwig in a Kansas trailer park where she turns to music and meets geeky Tommy Speck, whom she takes under her wing and soon falls for
Tommy steals her songs, achieves rock star fame, and Hedwig is once again cast aside
She decides to demand redress and stalks Tommy's world tour, performing in the T.G.I. Friday's that are situated next door to his stadiums
Hedwig describes her life's search for "The Origin of Love" and her other half
It's a rocking ride, funny, touching and ultimately inspiring to anyone who has felt life gave them an inch when they deserved a mile
"HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH brings theater alive with the pounding sounds of rock 'n' roll and the funny sad voicing of a painful past...it is also an adult, thought-provoking musical about the quest for individuality ... the kind of Rocky Horror Picture Show-style event that may inspire a rabid cult following" ~ NY Times
"Sublimely trashy and surprisingly powerful" ~ LA Times
"In the whole long, sorry history of rock musicals, HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH is the first one that truly rocks" ~ Rolling Stone