Review: HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH at Kata Klysmic Productions

Somewhere in between the high heel kicking, lap dancing, water spitting, wig switching and rocking music, I fell in love with Kata Klysmic's production of Hedwig and The Angry Inch. This feeling must have come towards the beginning of the show, as I do not remember one second where the momentum of the production loosened its grip on the throats of the audience as it catapulted into its glorious finale. It is this energy, intimate staging, and top notch performances that make this production of Hedwig and The Angry Inch the most rockin' production Des Moines has seen in years.

Usually when Hedwig and The Angry Inch is brought up in conversation, a casual theatre fan won't know a whole lot about the show besides remembering seeing Neil Patrick Harris dance on the Tony's stage in drag makeup and full denim couture singing about sugar daddies. The show actually dates back to the late nineties when John Cameron Mitchell (with the help of Stephen Trask's music and lyrics) first started playing various bar gigs to tell the story of an East Berlin genderqueer glam-rock star named Hedwig, which soon led to a cult following, Off-Broadway production, movie, and finally a Broadway production in 2014. Hedwig, in essentially a one-person rock concert supported by husband Yitzhak and The Angry Inch band, narrates her own life story that involves escaping Berlin, a botched sex change (hence the angry inch), unfulfilled love and desire, and snarky, dirty jokes. In the opening song, "Tear Me Down", Hedwig is described as, "standing before you in the divide between East and West, slavery and freedom, man and woman, top and bottom." All of these divides are blurred, crossed, and enhanced as Hedwig shares her life story to the sound of glorious glam-punk rock.

It is no understatement that the role of Hedwig is both a greatly revered and feared role in musical theatre due to its physical, vocal, and emotional demands. Kata Klysmic struck absolute gold with Connor Ripperger who takes this role by its sequined horns and boldly guides the audience through Hedwig's emotional and comical journey. Ripperger fiercely embodies all of the characters in Hedwig's stories with excellent vocal and physical shifts that allow the audience to dig deeper into the humor and pain. In addition, Ripperger's rock belt vocals tear down the house number after number. Some of the stand out numbers are "Sugar Daddy" and "Wicked Little Town", which show Ripperger's ability to be glam punk but also tenderly sensitive. Supporting these vocals is The Angry Inch Band (led by Ben Hagen), who not only play the score with passion, but also interject some crowd favorites for pre-show and intermission. Also incredible is Rachel Meyer as Hedwig's neglected and fed-up husband Yitzhak who shines on her number "The Long Grift" and while entertaining during intermission.

The staging of this production is also top-notch, as director Emily Davis embraces the venue's clublike setting (supported by designer Nicholas Amudson's punk concert stage) while providing an intimate experience where Hedwig can engage the entire audience. It is in this engagement that the production goes beyond a rock concert into a touching story of human pain. It also provides room for great interaction between Hedwig and the crowd, which lightens the mood during some of the heavier parts of the show nicely. Choreographer Erin Besser also utilizes the catwalk stage well giving Hedwig room to strut, jump and kick with a nod to club drag dancing.

While all the supporting and production elements align up tightly, all eyes are on Ripperger's Hedwig. As they should be. It is important to note that Ripperger is a current freshman in college, which makes for quite a young Hedwig. Ripperger completely rises up to the challenge, immediately dismisses these concerns with his strut, and presents Hedwig without fear. I truly felt as if I was watching this glam rockstar tell her story as if it was the last time she ever would tell it. In this, I savored every moment of this fantastic production and was constantly worried that it would end too soon. This is definitely a production not to miss whether you are familiar with the show or not. Just make sure that if you sit in the front row you are cautious of high heels flying, water splashing, and music shredding because it might distract you from each precious moment of this production.

Kata Klysmic Productions presents

Hedwig and The Angry Inch
February 23 - March 5, 2018
The Garden Nightclub
https://midwestix.securemytix.com/event/hedwig-and-the-angry-inch-2

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