Origin of Love
“If you’ve got no other choice, you know you can follow my voice…” The chorus of ‘Wicked Little Town’ echoed through the auditorium as tears trickled down my cheeks.
1994: Hedwig makes her first appearance at SqueezeBox, a punk-rock drag party at the SoHo club Don Hill’s. Starting as a rough drag act, ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’ annoyed the club’s patrons. The crowd wanted to party rather than be a test group for a possible Broadway show.
1998: Hedwig and the Angry Inch finds a home. The story of a an aspiring rock musician forced into a sex change operation, made its way to the Hotel Riverview (now the Jane Street Theater). Like at SqueezeBox, the show was not an immediate hit. The usual Broadway crowds were afraid of the punk scene and the punks were skeptical of the Uptown Broadway scene. Much like the character of Hedwig herself, the show was a scrappy fighter.
2001: Hedwig is made into a film. A cult classic.
2014: ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’ gains commercial success in its first revival, now on Broadway, with Neil Patrick Harris taking home the Tony for his portrayal of the genderqueer rocker.
2020: My Senior year at USC. I bought a single ticket to see the ‘Origin of Love Tour: The Songs and Stories of Hedwig and the Angry Inch’, starring creators John Cameron Mitchell (the original Hedwig, writer and director of the 2001 film), and Stephen Trask (composer). I was beyond thrilled. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic struck.
2022: Mitchell and Trask set two final performances for the tour, to be held at USC. This was too good to be true. My best friend, a current USC student and I, a proud alum, strolled into Bovard Auditorium on Friday night, not knowing what would be in store for us. Meeting other self-proclaimed ‘Head-Heads’ along the way, we find our seats. I’m shaking. ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’ has a special place in my heart. In my most trying times I have listened to Stephen’s poetic words mixed with John’s beautiful voice and I knew I was not alone.
As the lights dim, Mitchell floats on stage as the band plays ‘America the Beautiful’. In the original production, this song segues into ‘Tear Me Down’ so this crowd, me included, was taken aback when Mitchell opened the show, fittingly, with ‘Origin of Love’. The number was beautiful and tender and everyone was on their feet. Mitchell yelled for us to sit down: “This isn't a rock show! This is theater!” That didn’t stop us. We were up and dancing throughout most of the night. Just like back in 1998 at the Jane Street Theater, this 2022 audience seemed to be a mix of theater people, like Mitchell, and rockers, like Trask, all meshed together.
After the opening song, Mitchell and Trask told stories of Hedwig’s inception, how they met and more. Mitchell was bored doing traditional Broadway roles, after previously being in ‘Secret Garden’ and ‘Hello Again’. Trask was in a band called ‘Cheater’, performing often at CBGB. The two met on a plane “and the rest is herstory”, said Mitchell.
The duo performed songs that did not make it into the show, songs from Trask’s latest musical ‘This Ain’t No Disco’ and a newer original song they wrote during the pandemic. After all these years the two still have an incredible rapport.
Although Mitchell is clearly the star, ‘Origin of Love’ was also a great showcase of the whole ensemble with Trask singing lead on a few songs as well as backup singer, Amber Martin. Special guests included Lena Hall, who won a Tony for her portrayal of Yitzhak in the 2014 revival. Hall sang a show stopping rendition of David Bowie’s ‘Life on Mars’ and Mason Alexander Park (The Sandman), joined in for the final number, ‘Angry Inch’, where Mitchell stage dived. “I’m almost sixty you guys,” he joked.
I was expecting to be in my feels during songs ‘Midnight Radio’ and ‘Origin of Love’, but it was ‘Wicked Little Town’ that really tore at my heartstrings. Seeing JCM perform this song in person is a memory I will treasure forever. “If you’ve got no other choice, you know you can follow my voice…” He sang and I felt as though he was singing to me. Because I have followed his voice throughout these years. During periods of loss, during the pandemic, “through the dark turns and noise…”
The ‘Origin of Love’ tour closed on Saturday August 27. It was a brilliant showcase of talent, with fun stories and heartfelt moments, but overall it was a celebration of what Hedwig represents. During Friday’s show, John said everyone is fighting their own battle. And that is what Hedwig is about. I have nothing in common with a genderqueer rock star from East Berlin, and yet, I feel as though I am Hedwig. We all are Hedwig. We all have our own complexities. We all want to be loved.
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