90 minutes (no intermission) | Rock Musical | Mature content including explicit sexual and coarse language.
I approached this Vanity Project production with some trepidation. The last time I saw Hedwig and the Angry Inch was in another city where a professional rock singer and a punk band sold out every night of a 12 day run in a one of the roughest and seediest bars in town.
I am pleased to say that Vanity definitely exceeded my expectations. If you like rock and roll and aren’t afraid of adult language and a rainbow of sexual roles, get tickets early before this short run sells out. There are only three more performances in two days. Git yo’ ass in gear and git yo’ tickets.
I didn’t give my guest any hints about the content that she was about to see. But for you, O gentle reader, I will give some basic elements of the plot so you can decide whether this show is for you.
There is definitely some heavy duty sexual language in the show. The main character begins life in East Berlin as Hansel, born the year the Berlin Wall is built. As he reaches puberty he listens to music from the West via Armed Forces Radio. His musical heroes are Lou Reed, Iggy Pop and David Bowie. As role models they leave him confused about how he fits into his society.
An American soldier, Luther Robinson, offers Hansel a chance to escape to the West, but there’s a price to be paid. Luther can take Hansel to America, but only as Luther’s bride. Hansel’s mother arranges for a sex change operation and gives him her own name and passport so he can become Hedwig. But the doctor botches the operation. The new vagina closes up and Hedwig is left with a one-inch penis/clitoris. Her sexuality and identity become more confused than ever.
Once in America, Hedwig’s troubles multiply through divorce and abandonment. She turns to singing, but achieves success only when she teams up with a young lad who takes the stage name, Tommy Gnosis. Then, at the height of her success, Tommy abandons Hedwig as Luther did before him. There is plenty of blatant sexual language to explain the story of these role confused lovers.
That much you may know from published synopses of the script or the film. What’s less obvious is how much comedy (spoken, physical and musical) tempers the heavy pathos of the storyline. Between the humour of John Cameron Mitchell’s original text, added joking references to local Ottawa settings and the occasional well timed rimshot, there are plenty of chuckles for the audience.
“Thank you. I like a warm hand on my entrance.”
“The Gladstone is the carefully shaven armpit of our nation’s capital.”
Director Stewart Matthews and Musical Director Steven Lafond run a tight ship. The opening night performance was dead on. Vocals by Tim Oberholzer (Hedwig/Tommy), Rebecca Noelle (Yitzhak) and Lafond (Schlatko) were crystal clear and in perfect balance with the band. In a story where so much of the plot moves forward on the song lyrics, this is a blessing.
Then there’s the music. Lafond (drums), Marc Connor (bass) and Scott Irving (keyboards) lay down a rhythm section so solid the singers can walk on it. Matthews provides a similarly solid rhythm guitar line, with occasional licks of trashcan rock band lead guitar that is appropriately dirty and distorted to remind us that this is indeed rock and roll. Together they form The Angry Inch, Hedwig’s backup band. A band good enough for Wichita bars … or a dive like the Gladstone (a venue so low-class that it can’t even afford a parking lot).
The musicians enable the singers to shine. Oberholzer’s baritone is strong, belting out lyrics without sounding strained. He needs only modest use of his microphone. Noelle’s voice has plenty of dynamic range, from pianissimo to fortissimo, with strong performance in tenor and soprano ranges. Both of them had beautifully clear diction for all songs except one barnburner where they deliberately cut loose. Kudos to sound man Jason Sonier for keeping a proper balance between vocals and instruments. Amplification was loud enough for rock and roll without drowning out the vocals or interfering with understanding the storyline.
Why can’t more theatrical productions in Ottawa be this well rehearsed on opening night?
This is a rocking good show that exceeded my expectations, delighted my guest, and had the audience singing, clapping and waving their hands. I’m usually very sparing in my ovations, but I stood with the rest of the audience in appreciation.
If you’re not offended by diverse sexual roles and identities, or by mature language, this is a helluva fine production of a rock musical. (Although my guest had no problem with the sexual content, she found the strong language disturbing. In spite of that, she still had a really good time.)
As advertised, the show ran 90 minutes, including an encore medley demanded by the audience.
Can someone say remount?
Hedwig and the Angry Inch by Vanity Project Productions is playing at the Gladstone Theatre. Friday April 4th at 7:30PM and at 10PM, and Saturday April 5th at 7:30PM. Adult tickets are $25 (including HST). Student/Artist/Senior tickets are $20.
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