Cite Des Arts (located at 3rd and Vine in Lafayette, 291-1122) is currently presenting two cult musicals in repertoire through October 31. They are Hedwig And The Angry Inch and The Rocky Horror Show. Be aware that these shows run on alternating days of the same weekend. Hedwig runs Oct. 2 and 3; 9 and 11; 16 and 17; 23 and 25 and 30 and 31. Rocky Horror runs Oct 4; 10; 18; 24; 31 and Nov 1. The 18th and 24th of October there is an 8 pm performance and a midnight performance and on the 31st of October you can see a double bill--Hedwig at 8 pm and Rocky at midnight.
Lafayette has two genuine cult performers--that is, performers whose personae are bigger draws than the roles they perform. Shane Guilbeau is one and Cody Daigle is the other. There are really only two reasons to see Hedwig And The Angry Inch at Cite Des Arts--you are a Cody Daigle fan and/or you are already a fan of Hedwig. If you are a Cody fan, you already know what you are going to get and you will not be disappointed. If you are Hedwig fan, you will probably want to refresh your memory of the show before attending this production. The spoken portions of the show are fine but the lyrics are lost in a wall of sound. It's very difficult to sing with crisp diction but even if the diction were Gilbert and Sullivan perfect the band is really too loud to hear either of the singers. I would suggest using the projection screen on the set to flash the lyrics in the same way that a karaoke machine works. The lyrics carry the most important messages in the show and if you miss them all you are left with is the plot.
Hedwig And The Angry Inch was written by John Cameron Mitchell with music and lyrics by Stephen Trask. The show was developed over a period of years through workshops and partial performances at various venues in New York City. During this time it developed a cult standing which was cemented by a successful Off-Broadway run and then a film starring John Cameron Mitchell, the original Hedwig. This is not a slipshod script--it has been honed and polished in front of a variety of audiences. Pay attention--you'll be glad you did.
Hedwig has more on its mind than a blonde wig. It is filled with pop culture references, philosophical debates and puns which range from groaners to bon mots. In fact, I would recommend a quick refresher on gnosticism before seeing the show. Check out Plato and The Symposium on the genesis of human love as well. This is a show with real intellectual heft but you will have to act as your own guide.
Briefly, the story is this. Hansel Schmidt is a young man living in East Germany just before the fall of the Berlin Wall. He is desperate to escape to America and the chance comes in the person of an American soldier who will marry Hansel and take him to the US. However--Hansel will have to become Hedwig. The operation is botched and Hedwig is left neither male nor female. Circumstances make it more prudent to assume the female role which Hedwig does for the rest of her life.
In America, Hedwig (Cody Daigle) soon finds herself abandoned by her husband and working odd jobs and odder jobs to support herself. The two jobs which change the course of Hedwig's life are baby-sitting and singing in a local dive. Hedwig begins a relationship with the adolescent brother of a child she baby-sits. She tutors the boy in love, philosophy and rock music. Soon they are performing together and before long they have separated. Using songs he has written with Hedwig, the boy becomes a rock star known as Tommy Gnosis. Hedwig then becomes his shadow, going on her own less successful tour with her band, THE ANGRY INCH. Hedwig performs in dives adjacent to Tommy's concert halls and arenas. Hedwig is accompanied by her husband, Yitzhak (Sarah Gauthier), a former drag queen whom Hedwig forces to maintain a male persona. Eventually, fate reunites Hedwig and Tommy as a car crash literally fuses them into one person again. Was there ever really a Tommy or this all symbolism? Decide for yourself. The ending has generated reams of discussion and the authors are far too smart to explain what doesn't need explaining.
The set is just a performance venue with a couple of microphones, a projection screen and a place for a three-person band consisting of Barry Bihm, Shaun Gachassin and Duncan Thistlewaite (who also acted as musical director). The lighting is evocative and acts both to enhance the mood of each number and to define the purpose of the area. The use of animated sequences projected on the screen to further the story is nice and I wouldn't have objected to seeing a lot more of it. The animation for The Origin Of Love is really appealing and effective.
Costumes and makeup are a matter of personal taste. I thought the Hedwig looked a bit like Divine in one of Madonna's cast-off outfits. This Hedwig is a drag queen, not a woman. The costume for Yitzhak, however, does effectively disguise the fact that the role is played by a woman. Sarah Gauthier looks like every disaffected grunge boy you see hanging around downtown. It's an astonishing transformation visually and her body language and facial expressions never give the game away. Yitzhak is a man, not a woman in drag.
This is just a two person show. Hedwig is clearly the star and Yitzhak functions in a decidedly secondary capacity. He provides backup vocals and some help with costumes and props. His main function, though, is to act as a reverse image for Hedwig. This means that Yitzhak spends most of his time hanging around and not doing anything much. Sarah Gauthier does this splendidly. She never detracts from Hedwig and she never drops out of the moment. Cody may be the diamond but Sarah is the all important setting. The band also provides solid support both musically and visually.
The overall production is under the supervision of Cara Hayden, Cody Daigle's longtime collaborator. Theirs is a well-honed partnership. Cara guarrantees that the show looks sharp and moves at a good pace.
The show is definitely for adults due to subject matter and language. Use judgment about bringing anyone under 16. However--the show is also adult in the best sense. It poses grownup questions about identity, love and meaningfulness. How much do we make ourselves and how much does fate make us? What is the point of Life or Death? And--should blue eye shadow be a felony or merely a misdemeanor?
---Walter Brown
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