Live at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre
November 1 – 27
Book: John Cameron Mitchell
Music and Lyrics: Stephen Trask
Starring: Darren Criss, Lena Hall, Justin Craig, Matt Duncan, Tim Mislock, Peter Yanowitz, Shanon Conley, Mason Alexander Park, Dylan Fusillo, and Matt Katz-Bohen
Now, prior to tonight, I’ve had no connection to Hedwig at all. I’ve never seen the show before, nor the movie. I don’t know any of the songs aside from Wicked Little Town, and only have a passing familiarity with basically one aspect of the story; so I was pretty fresh faced when I went into tonight’s performance. I really had no idea what I was in for.
What I discovered was a wonderfully executed top notch show full of heart, laughs, fantastic tunes, and an absolutely show-stopping and mesmerizing lead performance from former Glee star, Darren Criss.
The set up and simple, a rock and roll show taking over the theater after “The Hurt Locker” musical closes. Kudos for the playbills for that show scattered around the theatre. I actually saw one (and grabbed one before the night ended) and wondered what the hell the Hurt Locker musical was and why I had never heard of it. I told you I didn’t know anything about this show!
The Angry Inch takes the stage first and introduces Hedwig herself and from then on the show is in high gear and never lets up. Darren Criss throws everything into this performance. He just brings Hedwig to life and, let’s be honest, he looks amazing doing it. From the accent to the look to the voice: Darren Criss just flat out nails it. His interactions with the audience were fantastic.
Then there is Lena Hall who is basically a sniper shooting off these gorgeous vocals from out of nowhere. The two of them together are fantastic.
I don’t want to give away too much. Hedwig is most definitely a must-see show and Hall and Criss just bring the house down. It’s such a great story and it is wonderfully staged at the Pantages.
If you are even considering seeing it, do it. You won’t regret it. Hedwig and The Angry Inch is an absolute MUST SEE show.
Get your tickets now!
Hedwig and The Angry Inch PCB Score: 10/10
Garon Cockrell is the Founder and Editor of Pop Culture Beast and host of The Pop Culture Beast Show. He founded the site over seven years ago to have a place on the internet to write about the things he loved. Since then, Garon has become a best-selling author (Demonic and Other Tales), an award winning screenwriter (Best Screenplay 2013 Motor City Nightmares Film Festival), and a cast member on the top rated podcast, Never Not Funny.