Front Row Reviewers Staff
Hedwig and the Angry Itch is a compelling piece that the wonderful An Other Theater Company, situation in the Provo Mall, has performed back in th
She’s back! Hedwig and the Angry Inch returns after two years and a pandemic to An Other Theater Company
PROVO, UTAH — Opening July 16 and running weekends through August 15, An Other Theater Company is bringing back their sell-out smash-hit production of the queer rock-musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch two years later.
The musical, which takes place at the opening night of genderqueer rocker Hedwig’s tour, has been a massively successful surprise hit since its debut off-Broadway and throughout its Broadway revival which starred Neil Patrick Harris and Lena Hall. When AOTC first brought this production to Utah County in 2019, it became their largest hit, selling out every single performance.
Ash Knowles, who designed the production’s costumes finds profound meaning in the play. “Through Hedwig’s story we explore the suffering experienced by those who live on the borders of socially created binaries, and also the healing that can be found for all when we embrace the contradictions and in betweens,” they said. “By exploring the gray area we are able to find the whole spectrum of color, and in doing so, turn walls into bridges.”
The show is bound to pack a punch, using a live rock band in the small, 48 seat theater. “It’s an adrenaline shot!” says Kacey Spadafora, who is directing the production. “After such a long 16 months with our space being dark, there couldn’t be a better or more exciting way to open back up than with this powerhouse of a show.”
AOTC has been shuttered since March 2020 for the pandemic, providing only streaming content and a COVID-safe drive-in production since. Because of the theater’s small space, all audience members will be required to wear masks regardless of vaccination status. Performers, fully-vaccinated, will be unmasked.
The role of Hedwig will be played alternately by returning Jordan Kramer (Fridays), and stepping into the wig for the first time will be Laura Chapman (Saturdays), who played Yitzhak in the original production. On the nights they’re not playing Hedwig, Kramer and Chapman will be in the role of Yitzhak, with Robert Ikey Starks, Scott Robinson, Celeste Fay, and Matt Oviatt in the live band, known as “The Angry Inch.”
From our original review by Ashlei Havili Thomas: “This musical will make you want to jump up and dance (don’t do it during the show) and give you a new perspective on our own identities as people and our relationships to those around us.”
The play runs Fridays and Saturdays July 16 through August 14 at 8:45, and Sundays through August 15 at 5:45 in the An Other Theater Company blackbox theater in the Provo Towne Centre (upstairs at the south end). Tickets are $17 online ($15 for Students and Seniors) and $3 more at the door.
About An Other Theater Company: An Other Theater Company seeks to provide a voice to many who are overlooked in the mainstream local theatre scene, including stipulations in its season selection process to highlight works by and about women and the LGBT community.
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