Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Broadway)

"Foulmouthed, electrically tuneful and furiously funny, with explicit descriptions of its title character’s bungled sex-change operation and erotic adventures, “Hedwig” developed a cult following that kept it running off Broadway for two years, with subsequent production around the world." Full Review

"A spectacular revival...a rock concert with political as well as psychosexual overtones. What fun! ...The band may be wearing fashionable glam-rock costumes rather than ripped T-shirts and shredded jeans and safety pins in their nostrils, but the music (and the anger fueling it) is closer to punk rock and more in step with Hedwig’s nihilist inclinations." Full Review

"Mitchell juices his 1998 script with topical jabs: dating sites, TMZ and Mark Rylance. Director Michael Mayer expertly balances the needs of a messy, punk protest with jaw-dropping visuals." Full Review

"Everyone involved in Hedwig and the Angry Inch is doing outstanding work. Longtime fans are already aware of Stephen Trask's sizzling score. As played by this gritty and grinding band, it's as fresh and vital and as rafters-ringing as it's ever been." Full Review

"As to the question of how the scrappy, subversive 1998 cult performance piece about gender identity, transformation and pop mythology would sit on Broadway, the show, its protagonist and her pulse-pounding band tear up the Belasco stage like they own it. If screaming rock concert-style veneration is not your thing, stay home." Full Review

"Mitchell has wittily updated the text to acknowledge its Main Stem bow, and there are also references to latter-day developments, from TMZ to The Hurt Locker (envisioned here, hilariously, as a musical). But Hedwig's tragicomic essence remains the same, and under Michael Mayer's razor-sharp direction, it is a blazingly entertaining and ultimately moving performance." Full Review

"Transformation is tricky, sometimes even painful. But Broadway’s sensational “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” is a reminder that change doesn’t have to hurt. This raucous pop-rock musical — a show with proudly ratty downtown roots and rabid fans — survives and thrives uptown." Full Review

"'How does a slip of a girly-boy from Communist East Berlin become an internationally ignored song stylist?"This is the burning -- or at least heavily winking -- question asked and answered in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," the Off-Broadway glam-rock comic musical sensation...The pertinent answers are that the unlikely Broadway show and its equally unlikely star are doing splendidly." Full Review

If your memory of this brilliant 1998 rock musical is that it works best in a grungy joint, ideally where the floors are sticky, the seats half-empty and the air heavy with tragedy, there is much about director Michael Mayer's new Broadway production to pull you up short...Hedwig, you might say, has emerged triumphant after all these years of graft and toil." Full Review

"Just how edgy can Hedwig remain on the Great White Way? There is, after all, a bit of cognitive dissonance in a supposed outcast selling out a giant theater. While director Michael Mayer’s tricked-out production abandons the show’s seedy origins, there’s still a satirical edge that reflects the more upscale venue." Full Review

"Taye Diggs' first night playing the beloved yet troubled transgender rocker from East Berlin was a success. The 44-year-old actor's performance - and no doubt his amazing physique - drew a standing ovation...While most know that Taye can act, they're finding out he has the singing voice and dance moves as well." Full Review

"Plays based on philosophical symposia don't come louder, lewder or more gorgeously original than Hedwig and the Angry Inch...If deliberately provocative and libidinous, Hedwig packs a stronger emotional wallop than most Broadway musicals. Despite the blaring sound mix, a few songs give you chills...what aural pleasure." Full Review

"As with any piece that is essentially a straight monologue by a single person, there are places where “Hedwig” slows down. But “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” is still the finest musical you’re going to see this year, about a transgendered Berliner with a chip on her shoulder." Full Review

"The recent addition of accomplished stage and screen actor Taye Diggs as Hedwig is good news for even the most devoted fans of the cult classic, as there is much to be surprised, delighted and enlightened by in his portrayal...he commits wholeheartedly to the insecurities, complexities and idiosyncrasies of the role. Diggs’ natural presence exudes sexually dominant masculinity, making his willingness to explore the feminine experience a compelling risk – and it pays off." Full Review

"The new setting affects the show’s credibility. Would a strange, struggling performer really be invited to perform on a Broadway stage? But as it is, this remains a wildly enjoyable production of one of the most exciting and inventive rock musicals of all time."   Full Review

"The enormous scale and professionalism of Michael Mayer’s production cuts two ways. It seems to think it’s a work of glam philosophy: part Rocky Horror, part Plato’s Symposium. But musicals do better to bury their abstractions, not animate and project them on scrims, however beautifully. Happily, Hedwig is plenty touching — and fun — most of the time." Full Review

"“Hedwig” is a tricky animal: Framed like a concert, it requires a charismatic lead who can go wild during the most raucous numbers, but also handle long, narrative banter between the songs — and the occasional audience interaction." Full Review

"Like most rock ’n’ roll worthy of the name, however, especially when the word “wig” figures in the title, this production is primarily about hair...Adding to our enjoyment are Hedwig’s fanciful costumes. The physical production centred on a broken-down car, helps keep us engaged when the storytelling sags." Full Review