Hedwig is angry. Hedwig is depressed. Hedwig is hilarious. Hedwig is caustic. Hedwig is captivating and more. But most of all, the Thai production of Hedwig And The Angry Inch is touching, honest and raw, though not without faults.
The Thai audience are probably more familiar with the movie version of John Cameron Mitchell’s cult classic rock musical, which tells a story of an East German transgender woman, her rock band, the Angry Inch, and her pining love for Tommy Gnosis, the successful rock star who might or might not be her lover before he took off with her music to make a name for himself. The Thai production stays true to its original script, which was first performed off Broadway in the 1990s, and is now being played on Broadway with Neil Patrick Harris in the leading role of Hedwig.
Set in a small run down venue next to Gnosis’ sold out stadium show, Hedwig And The Angry Inch unfolds Hedwig’s past, future and present through clever dialogue, perfectly composed music and relationship dynamics between Hedwig and her suffering romantic partner and chorus singer who was a famous drag queen in his native land, but forced to dress as a man, bending to Hedwig’s whims.
Chanudom Suksatit as Hedwig set the stage as he entered the room, constructed as a small bar with no chairs, parting the waiting crowd like Moses before descending on stage where the Angry Inch awaited. From the first second, Chanudom became Hedwig, and stayed that way until the very end, or possibly beyond. Having recently recovered from cancer and gone through the sudden death of his beloved mother, Chanudom, who has played Hedwig before in his now legendary graduating senior project, picked up the wigs once more, but with double anguish, triple pain and further understanding of the role.
A consummate performer, Chanudom didn’t just become Hedwig on the opening night. He is Hedwig through and through. I suspect that he also carries the torch for Hedwig in his offstage life. The script, the character and the music must resonate deeply within Chanudom for every word uttered came off sincere, unforced and emotional while his taunted body became ridden with primal fear, embattled emotions and uncertainty with life peculiarly mixed with high camp and a distorted sense of humour. Chanudom’s vocal prowess, which was self-assured, strong and versatile, also contributed the well-rounded depiction of Hedwig. I would love to see Chanudom take on other diverse roles in years to come. This Hedwig And The Angry Inch determined to highlight the interplay between Hedwig and Yitzhak, and it succeeded in doing so. As always Yitzhak was a bouncing ball for Hedwig to display human conditions — love, loss, jealousy and ultimately the act of letting go. The fact that popular actress Ratchawin Wongwiriya accepted the challenge of a musical — this one in particular — was rather intriguing to begin with. It was clear that Ratchawin has put a lot of effort into portraying Yitzhak, and her love, as well as her study for her character was genuine and thorough, but her delivery appeared overwrought at times, and over enthusiastic on another. Maybe it could be written off as an opening night jitter, but singing the chorus lines in this specific play required much more than untrained singers could give. Ratchawin, who might have been too pretty for the role — please take it as a compliment — tried her best with her singing, and it somehow became charming in its own thin, nasal way.
Hedwig And The Angry Inch was done in English with Thai subtitles, which were hung so far up high that possibly more than half of the audience didn’t detect the language service without neighbourly nudging and pointing. The English pronunciations and enunciation of both performers were far from perfect, let alone trying to mimic German and Eastern European accents. I’m sure this might have proven problematic to some, but I didn’t really mind as Chanudom’s powerful performance overwrote such faux pas, and I agree that the original script would be too difficult to translate while retaining the quick-witted clarity.
The Angry Inch consist of accomplished session musicians who knew their chops so well that they would have been able to turn the entire show into any other genre besides glam rock if they wished. Remaining true to original scores and designated musical styles, composed by Stephen Trask, was the right call.
The "no-seats" decision can, however, hamper the audience from fully concentrating on the show, but it did allow mobility and beat-inspired excitement. I personally would rather sit down and strictly enjoy Hedwig And The Angry Inch rather than dance the show away.
Hedwig And The Angry Inch speaks of being an outcast, a misfit and that yearning of being loved and accepted. And as the show rolls to its close, we can fully embrace Hedwig and, maybe, a tiny part of ourselves too.
Hedwig And The Angry Inch is on today to June 21 and June 26-28 at Mongkol Studio, RCA, from 8pm. Tickets are 1,000 baht, available at www.bananabooking.com or hedwigthai@gmail.com. Call 093-992-4514.
