Hedwig and the Angry Inch

I recently went to see Neil Patrick Harris in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" on Broadway.  I'd seen the movie, so I was familiar with the story; I'd also listened to the soundtrack several times, and love the music.  The review in the NYTimes was outstanding (and Ben Brantley is hard to impress).  Plus, who doesn't love NPH?

All this is to say that I went into the show with sky-high expectations.

And I was completely blown away.

For those unfamiliar with the show, it's basically a 2-hour monologue by Hedwig, as she reflects on her life.  It's punctuated with rock music, which Hedwig also performs.  The actor playing this role is on stage, at the center of attention, for the entire time, singing and dancing and climbing all over the set.  The physical stamina simply to get through the show is incredible.

Hedwig's life has not always been kind to her, and there are several quieter moments between the rock'n'roll - during these moments, NPH would take the time and allow Hedwig to process what has happened to her.  Sometimes there would be absolute silence for a long stretch (it felt like at least 2 minutes to me), and you could hear a pin drop in that theatre.  He had such command of the stage that the audience was his to do with, as he wished.

I can't imagine doing this show 8 times a week - the emotional roller coaster is so intense, even as an audience member, and I was at the 7PM show (ended around 9); there was another show starting at 10.  It's completely unbelievable to me that anyone could do that entire show again with only an hour to recover.

Beyond simply the physical and emotional requirements of performing the role, I was blown away by NPH's command of the character.  As I said, he's on stage without a break for nearly 2 hours.  In that time, he did not break character for a single millisecond.  He completely embodied his character, from the way he stood, the way he spoke, the way he moved, the way he carried himself, the way he had very natural-looking character tics.  It was amazing to watch - he was completely invisible as himself.

In the movie, all the flashbacks are shown as they happened - with various other characters interacting with Hedwig.  In the show, she merely tells us about her past.  And I actually preferred this.  Without the distractions of other performers, Hedwig's life (and pain) became much clearer.  And with such amazing acting, it was impossible not to be affected.

I wanted to meet NPH at the stage door after the show - to get a picture and autograph, yes, but also to tell him how much I enjoyed his performance.  (Unfortunately, with only one hour between shows, he didn't greet audience members.)  On the one hand, I'm sure that he knows how much we (as an audience) appreciated his work - we were abundantly clear during the performance and curtain call.  On the other hand, this was the best evening of theatre I've had in a very long time, and I wanted to tell him so.

On a personal note, while I was watching the show, it brought into focus why I love being in theatre so much.  I want to be as good an actor as he is (I know I'm not that talented, but hey, it's a goal) - and I want to be on a stage, fully in character, singing and dancing and in the spotlight, holding the audience's attention completely.  Something to keep working for. :-)