A very Hedwig weekend
It is early Monday afternoon, and I'm just now coming down from the high I got from a weekend full of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. While it's no secret that I have a certain attachment to this one, and while I'm certainly prone to self-promotion, I do think this show is something special. For two years I've wanted this production to happen. For it to have finally come to fruition is mind-boggling.
Preview night was Thursday, the 13th. The crowd, which included friends of mine in the screamo band sadville, as well as Scott and Bernadette West (go figure), was electric. Everything --the songs, monologues, costumes-- culminated into something much greater than its parts.
Opening night came with a weird case of opening-night-specific jitters. Perhaps it was seeing old theatre friends like Tony Cedeno (anyone see Bent?) and Brandy Eleazor (anyone see Clue?) in the audience, or die-hard Hed-heads like Sarah Campbell, but something made me start out a little tentative. I think I settled down once the show got rolling. Anyway, if my neighbors from the bookeddy blabbed about it, and if Carl from Carl's Salon says he loved it, it must have been just as good as preview night.
Saturday night was the show that blew me away. The chemistry between the audience and me was crackling. And so many weird things happened...the house lights coming on when some lady in the bathroom hit the wrong switch, the lady who had to pee during (essentially) Act 3, the goddamned bra...but each potential hiccup worked its way beautifully into the script. And I'm pretty sure I saw some celebrities from UT in the audience. Exciting times.
posted by the badge at 10:01 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Our hero fails to give himself the proper credit.
Those hiccups did not work themselves in, and had the potential, in lesser hands, to be outright disaster. To ignore them would have been a feat in and of itself, to make them work was nothing short of brilliance.
Absolutely.
I just found out about your blog (through Knoxville520) and wanted to offer my congratulations to you and everyone associated with the current production of Hedwig at the BBT. Eleanor and I had the pleasure of seeing the show this past Friday evening and had a wonderful time. Having seen the movie previously, we were curious about how the show works on stage. It was a great night of theatre. The ad-lib about Jake Butcher, by the way, was genius.
I haven't been this excited about a production in a LONG time! Great job Joe! Also to Jodie and the band. Everything was so much fun! I went Thursday night, and returned Friday and Saturday as well! I even lied to my friends about where I was because they already think I'm treading in the deep end of the pool as it is. I'll probably be there again (well, no probably about it). Just don't tell!
People use awesome much too frequently for it to be of any real value anymore. But, to revive its original meaning, the show and the performance and every aspect of it was something of awe.
I, and my two friends who were there the night of the 27th, are going to get a fourth party and head over on the 5th as well. I wish I'd had enough chutzpah Thursday to tell you after the show how fabulous your performance was. Maybe I'll wrangle up the nerve on the 5th. And, if not, I've left this bloated comment enough for any rambling I might have done.
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