Luca McPhee and Jessie James in “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”, Photo by Taylor Long

Violent splitting and the resulting agonized divisions—these form the aching core of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the one-act rock musical by Stephen Trask (music and lyrics) and John Cameron Mitchell (book). A modern queer classic, Bowtie Productions‘ intimate staging at Theatre Passe Muraille is my first in-person experience of it. Though I’m very fond of the film, its original and proper form is so much more urgent, with Hedwig (Jessie James/Petrasiunas) taking up physical space amongst us, a fabulous embodiment of sad and angry spectacle. Continue Reading