ACTOR’S EXPRESS PRESENTS CULT CLASSIC MUSICAL Hedwig and the Angry Inch

 

Actor’s Express continues its 35th anniversary season with the critically acclaimed rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch with music and lyrics by Stephen Trask and book by John Cameron Mitchell. Join “internationally ignored” rock singer Hedwig as she searches the world for stardom and love in this groundbreaking musical that has become one of the great cult classics of all time. A rock and roll explosion for anyone who has ever felt like a misfit, Hedwig and the Angry Inch will have you singing along and unleashing your own inner rock star. Hedwig is directed by Quinn Xavier Hernandez and features music direction by Bucky Motter.

 

According to Freddie Ashley, “I believe that Hedwig and the Angry Inch has transcended its cult classic status to become a cultural touchstone for everyone who falls outside the margins of what society dictates to be ‘normal.’ Hedwig herself has become an almost mythical character onto whom we project our feelings of otherness and our need for completion on our own terms. I am absolutely thrilled to bring her back to the AE stage for the first time in fifteen years.”

 

Hedwig and the Angry Inch premiered Off-Broadway at the Jane Street Theatre on February 14, 1998, where it ran for over two years. The multi-award-winning film premiered in 2001. When a revival starring Neil Patrick Harris opened on Broadway in 2014, Hedwig and the Angry Inch took home four Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical, and launched a massively successful national tour. Hedwig and the Angry Inch has been performed all over the world with productions spanning every continent, exploring themes of duality, queer identity, and a whole new perspective on what makes someone whole. The Daily News raves that Hedwig and the Angry Inch is “dynamite” and that “this frisky, raunchy fable of love, loss, fury and freedom thrives.”

 

For the brand new AE production, two different performers will embody the titular role in alternating performances, Christina Leidel (AE’s Lizzie) and Niko Carleo (AE’s Heathers and Urinetown). They are joined by Isa Martinez (Lizzie) as Yitzhak.

 

Directed by AE newcomer Quinn Xavier Hernandez, this production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch also marks a homecoming for Bucky Motter, who played Yitzhak in both of AE’s previous productions in 2002 and 2015. Motter returns in the capacity of Music Director. Joining Hernandez and Motter on the creative team is choreographer Precious West (AE’s Heathers and Urinetown). The cast will be accompanied by a full rock band that includes JoAnn Pfeiffer on guitar, Gamble on keys and guitar, Dan Bauman on bass, and Jen Hodges on drums.

 

 

ABOUT Quinn Xavier Hernandez

 

 

Quinn Xavier Hernandez makes their directorial debut with Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Hernandez is also AE’s commissioned playwright, currently working on a full length play called They Them Theirs. a new play commissioning program that focuses on Atlanta-based playwrights with a focus on BIPOC, women and LGBTQ+ playwrights, as well as other writers from other marginalized communities and intersectional experiences. Hernandez has also been a playwright with AE’s Amplify New Play Narrative Podcasts Season 1 “Crossroads’ ‘ and the Virtual Downstage Series. Their Atlanta and regional work includes the Woodstock Arts Theatre, SheATL Summer Theatre Festival, Working Title Playwrights, The Warehouse Theatre (Greenville, SC). Hernandez also serves as the Assistant Managing Director for Working Title Playwrights, the Southeast’s premier new play incubator. Hernandez received their Advanced Playwriting Certificate from the National Theater Institute, BA from Clemson University. You can find them on Instagram and Facebook as@quinnxaviertheatremaker

 

Hernandez says, “Hedwig has always been an anthem dedicated to the outcasts and misfits. In this production, we’ve really leaned into the way in which Hedwig allows everyone to confront their own preconceived notions about queerness and gender identity. I’m excited for audiences to interact with this iconic show in a totally new way–one that celebrates all things genderqueer, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming.”

 

ABOUT Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Trask

Text by John Cameron Mitchell

Directed by Quinn Xavier Hernandez

Musical Directed by Bucky Motter

Choreographed by Precious West

July 20-August 19, 2023 at Actor’s Express

Hedwig and the Angry Inch begins previews July 20 and opens July 22. Performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 8 PM and Saturdays at 12 AM. Tickets start at $20 and may be purchased online at actors-express.com or by calling 404-607-7469.