Review: HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH at The Laboratory Theater Of Florida

HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH at The Laboratory Theater of Florida brings to life the bittersweet Tony Award-winning show about life, love, and music.

Hedwig is played by PJ McCready, and his performance was phenomenal. Hedwig is not an easy character to play, but he was able to thoroughly showcase her raunchy and witty personality while also opening up a very vulnerable and raw side of the character. From the fun musical moments of the show to each of the serious and heartbreaking ones, McCready takes the audience on a journey that really makes you feel for Hedwig, and his talent is evident.

This show is set up as if the audience is experiencing Hedwig's opening night concert at the Hotel Riverview, and of course there is storytelling to accompany the music. I thought this aspect made the show very unique, as the band was also right on the stage and quite involved in the show. Misha Ritter Polomsky plays Yitzhak, and her vocals were incredible. She contrasted her character with McCready's perfectly as well. The band includes Lee Blackston as Skszp (lead guitar), Israel Zakar Coover as Schlatko (drums), Greg LaMastro as Jacek (bass guitar), and Andrea Roccella as Krzyzhtoff (keyboard).

Though this show was very funny and provocative, it also taught the audience a lot not only about finding love but also about finding yourself. Hedwig gets to a very real and open place by the end of the show, and you find yourself holding your breath waiting to see what will happen. The story is full of upbeat fun and sass, but it's also quite sad. It's also worth noting that there were numerous references to other musicals, including LES MIS and PHANTOM, which I enjoyed very much; keep an eye out for those.

You can truly feel the excitement that The Lab has about producing this show, and I can absolutely see why. I definitely recommend checking out HEDWIG while it's playing if you get the chance, especially if you've never seen this show before.

HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH is playing at The Laboratory Theater of Florida now through February 3. For more information and to buy tickets, check out http://www.laboratorytheaterflorida.comor call their box office at (239) 218-0481. The Laboratory Theater of Florida is located at 1634 Woodford Ave, Fort Myers, FL, 33901.