Hedwig and the Angry Inch is one of the most anticipated musicals of the year, finally arriving in Sydney after a 2021 production of the musical, which was meant to headline the Sydney Festival, was cancelled after controversy around the casting of Hugh Sheridan as Hedwig gained significant traction in the arts community. With the production now set at Carriageworks, which has turned into an exciting venue for theatre and musical theatre alike, the buzz was high on opening night as the foyer of the venue turned into a party atmosphere with activations and a DJ set to maintain audience anticipation. 

There were some technical issues at the start of the performance, with the curtain failing to rise, but once the production got underway, the stage was set for Seann Miley Moore who starred in the titular role. The story tells of Hedwig, a singer who dreams of leaving Germany to go to the US. She marries a US soldier and goes through with a botched sex reassignment surgery in order to move to the US. After her marriage ends, she meets Tommy Gnosis, who she nurtures and turns into a star. However, he steals her songs and leaves Hedwig with nothing. 

The show is very much about Hedwig, with the character being on stage for the vast majority of the show and Moore was exceptional in the challenging role. They have a presence like few others in the Australian theatre industry and strike the perfect balance of vocal durability and flair and pizzazz, whilst also giving credence to the emotions of the storyline. They truly embodied the story of Hedwig and very much carried the narrative, with moments of extraordinary vocal skill mixed in for good measure. Moore’s performance was truly masterful and after their extraordinary performance in Miss Saigon, they have established themselves as one of Australia’s most exciting theatre performers. 

Adam Noviello was also very strong as Yitzhak, Hedwig’s husband, with rocky tenor vocals which were astonishing in their range, and which provided a nice support to Moore. The band, led by Victoria Falconer, was also very strong, bringing a rock edge to the musical and playing with skill and technical precision as well as drive and power to support the emotion on stage.

While the vocals, acting and music were superb, this only went some way to covering up the issues with the storyline that made the musical slightly hard to follow. The plot is quite convoluted, which created the potential for the audience to get lost in parts. Additionally, the script tried to balance a very serious storyline with humour and, in some parts, did not get this quite right, with the poignant scenes lacking true emotional feeling and the comedic scenes not having enough bite. This was no fault of the performers, who were phenomenal in every way, but rather of a script that was somewhat limited and which did not give the performers a whole lot with which to work. 

Jeremy Allen’s set and Geoff Cobham’s lighting design were minimalist but complemented the action on stage well, with the windows into Gnosis’ life through a stage door being particularly well done. While the production dragged a little towards the end, Moore’s exceptional vocal performance kept the audience engaged as the story neared its conclusion. 

At the end of the curtain call, the audience were treated to an encore performance by co-creator Stephen Trask, who joined Moore and Noviello on stage for “The Origin of Love.” It was a great way to end the night, leaving the Sydney audience on opening night feeling as if they had witnessed something truly special. 

Ultimately, this is a production which is built around its titular role and Moore does a superb job, with their performance alone being well worth the price of admission. Storyline issues aside, the production is a celebration of queer identity and breaking through boundaries whilst also shining a light on some of the difficulties that queer individuals can face. This is not necessarily a show where the audience will (or should) engage with the subtleties of the storyline but rather it is a show to be enjoyed for its brashness and its flair, with fantastic performances to show this off. This is not like other musical theatre shows and for that, it should be celebrated. 

Rating: ★★★★

Hedwig and the Angry Inch plays at Carriageworks until 3^rd August. For more information, click here. 

All photo credits: Eugene Hyland/Shane Reid