Review: HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH: The Reason why Theatre Isn't Dead in the 21st Century

After leaving The Hollywood Pantages Theatre's opening night performance of HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, I felt inspired. Sure, the show contains plenty of positive, powerful, and motivating messages for the LGBTQ community, and I definitely don't wish to discount any of those important things, but I was moved for another reason, more related to the artistic form of theatre itself. I believe this show epitomizes what makes the ancient art of theatre, which for thousands of years has refused to go gentle into that good night, even more relevant and popular in 2016 than it ever has been before.

According to the Broadway League, last year saw a record-breaking season. Over 13,317,980 people saw Broadway shows in New York, a number that is up about 1.6% from the previous season, which also broke records. Millennials, in particular, seem really attracted to live theatre, despite living in the "instant gratification" age, where every conceivable movie, TV show, or web series can be streamed right to any computer or phone with minimal or no charge. So why are people still forking over their hard earned dollars to attend one of the world's oldest art forms, and risk possibly sharing an armrest with somebody with really bad body odor and a nasty cough? If you have to ask that question, see HEDWIG, and you'll quickly understand the draw.

Recent advances in technology have been detrimental to many mediums of art: As the The Buggles pointed out in the 80's, video killed the radio star; Amazon and Netflix are currently in the process of killing traditional network TV; instead of music being "composed" it is now being "programmed" by DJs; and finally, the average 16 year old girl with an iPhone is now posting better pictures on Instagram than most "professional photographers" were selling to magazines just a few years ago.

However, one art form has withstood the test of time and is only being improved and made more relevant by technology: Live theatre. HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH beautifully epitomizes this with the stunning design and spectacle under the direction of Michael Mayer.

The story, written by John Cameron Mitchell, with music and lyrics by Stephen Trask, is a fictional rock musical memoire of the "internationally ignored" gender-fluid East German rocker Hedwig. Although it's not strictly a one woman show, since there are two principal characters and a live band on stage, the show follows much the same format: Hedwig, played by Darren Criss, breaks the fourth wall and tells the audience her life story through jokes, monologues, and rock musical numbers.

Normally, this format is one of my least favorites forms of theatre. I don't have strong opinions against it, I just prefer my theatrical plots be developed through character interactions and not by them merely breaking the fourth (or even "fifth wall", as was joked in the show) and directly telling the audience long monologues and jokes. I say leave that stuff to standup comedians. But, this show was very different, and I think it is the perfect example of why theatre is thriving in the digital age.

Aristotle once laid out the six elements of drama in order of importance: plot, character, thought, diction, music, and lastly spectacle. Times of changed since ancient Grease, and arguably, spectacle is the single most important element that keeps theatre relevant today; it's the single element of drama that differentiates theatre from TV, film, and web media. While every other element can be experienced on a screen, spectacle must be fully appreciated in person. Watching an explosion is not the same as feeling the flames of the pyrotechnics warm your skin. Listening to your favorite singer belt out a song feels way different when you're sharing the moment with thousands of other people as lights and laser beams dance over your heads. HEDWIG is one of those shows that showcases how remarkable spectacle and the modern art of theatre can be.

The coordination of lighting design, projections, animations, and performance was among the best that I have seen. Worth noting is the musical number "The Origin of Love", which features Hedwig singing between a large clear scrim and a wall, both with giant animated projections that help her visually tell her childhood story. The projections quickly become three dimensional, almost holographic, allowing her to interact with them in the most surreal manner. Giants step over her; waves crash down and flood the stage. Lighting designer Kevin Adams did a marvelous job coordinating the lights with the animation sequences and music. All the design elements with this number harmonized and worked beautifully with Criss' performance and became one moving piece of art that left the audience in awe. I could see the goose bumps on my seatmate's arms. You cannot get this experience staring at a screen. This musical number is Exhibit A, proving that science and technology is making live theatre a more relevant art form.

All the designers who worked on HEDWIG need to be commended profoundly. The stunning costumes and wigs by Arianne Phillips and Mike Potter were well worthy of Hedwig's larger than life, but also very vulnerable, character. Benjamin Pearcy and John Bair's projections and animations reminded me of dreams I've never had, but want to. Kevin Adams is a master of theatrical lighting, blending it seamlessly into the action on stage. He also has an affinity for lighting the audience at certain parts of the show, which I felt worked really well at pulling the audience into the musical numbers and it really added to the "rock-n-roll" vibe of the show. Julian Crouch's scenic design was also exquisite.

Last, but not least, Darren Criss and Lena Hall's performances were simply outstanding, as to be expected. The sheer stamina Criss must possess in order to completely rock out song-after-song and still keep his wit and delightful sass about him is impressive. Lena Hall's strong belting voice is always a treat to hear live.

To say I left the theatre touched would be the understatement of the month. The design synergy and spectacle of this production is the absolute epitome of why the ancient art of theatre has adapted so well in the digital age and remains relevant in the midst of the technological revolution. While science and technology might be killing the art and skill in other artistic mediums, theatre is thriving not in spite of it, but because of it.

I strongly recommend HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH to just about anybody, but especially to those who question the value of paying to see a live performance when things like YouTube exist for free.

HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH runs at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre though November 27, 2016. Tickets are available at hollywoodpantages.com

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