Review: HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH at Winspear Opera House

"For the next 90 minutes you are not permitted to curate the present or fetishize the past because you are afraid of not having a future. Be here now! Or you will be removed."

So begins Hedwig and the Angry Inch, a raucous, dazzling journey that takes you from East Berlin to rural Kansas all the while standing still. Originally Off-Broadway in 1998 and recently on Broadway with a long line of celebrity leads in 2014, Hedwig is a rollercoaster and a half of punk-rock fantasy, emotional catharsis, and truly human storytelling.

The musical unfolds diegetically, as an extremely talented on-stage band trickle in and begin to warm up, then suddenly the concert within the world of the show begins. Euan Morton as Hedwig crashes through the set to mount the wrecked car that anchors the space, immediately jumping into the song "Tear Me Down," which ironically builds up the confines within which our story shall exist. His presence is markedly different to the Hedwigs the public may have seen before - and it is wonderful. He stomps around the stage, literally demanding attention, and well deserves it. The show progresses swiftly, as Hedwig leads us through her stoRy Peppered with unique, energy filled songs and a glorious punk-rock aesthetic. All the while, the dragged-out Hannah Corneau as Yitzhak supplements with vocals and literal stage support.

As Hannah (Yitzhak) mentioned in an interview [click here to read] we had last week, the show has a lot to say, and yet somehow the entire life lesson is one of the most joyous theatrical experiences you can find. Hedwig herself monologues most of the plot content, though it never gets dull, partially because the cast clearly pays attention and enjoys playing with the cities and unique audiences they have. Hedwig cracked jokes throughout the night about Dallas specific icons, threw some shade at Fort Worth, and even made a continuous bit about some poor guy who walked in late after the first number and sat in the middle of the first row. Morton's relentless commitment to the absurdity that is the world of the show and the character Hedwig portrays herself as made the continued banter magnetic.

The cast of 2 carries the exhausting show, neither one leaves the stage, and yet somehow their performances never falter. Morton's vocals are at times rumbling and reminiscent of a classic rock front-man, though he masterfully pulls back for songs like "Wicked Little Town" and mixes into a classically tuned upper register. Corneau is a joy to the ears as Yitzhak; with bright, clean vocals both as backup and when center stage, her moments stand in such contrast to the tone of the overall show and help drive so much of the emotional content that Hedwig herself at first seems reluctant to share. There's a quick cover of a Whitney Houston favorite later in the show that Corneau trills under cover of darkness - one of the few times I'd ask a musical theatre performer to record a cover of a pop song, I could listen to it on repeat (though Hedwig herself might disagree with the song choice).

Though the performances were all I could ask for in this show, it was a bit odd in a space like the Winspear. The space is huge: cavernous even by Opera house standards - Hedwig almost calls for smaller spaces. The show structurally was well adapted for the tour, though the sound was slightly overblown in the first number (though corrected quickly), and I wonder if this may be a function of the acoustics of this specific site. While projection and lighting design on the stage are complimentary and stunning, at times the placement of strobes and blinders around the proscenium made large sequences that weren't necessarily meant to be jarring physically hard to look at.

Technical/first night things aside - the production is bright and bursting with heart and song. The evening is quick and well-paced. The music is exhilarating, heart-wrenching, and engaging. Hedwig is a national tour, which are by rule generally clean and exact; yet the individuality this cast brought especially for the city of Dallas makes the experience feel like so much more.

If you want to laugh, perhaps "so that [you] don't cry" as Hedwig does, not to mention, if you actually want to feel like a standing ovation is deserved, catch Hedwig and the Angry Inch at the Winspear Opera House/AT&T Performing Arts Center through February 12th.

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