THE PLANET OF HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH
SPACE
The space is stage - like an elaborate concert venue. A built interior, it looks like a set of a street, a crater in the center, and exploded car, but front and center is the stage - for Hedwig to appear to perform with her band.
TIME
Time is linear on this planet. It is one concert, but Hedwig tells the story of her entire life, starting from her past as a child to present day. Time is marked by her memories.
CLIMATE
The climate feels cold, like an unreasonably air conditioned room perhaps to make the audience feel uncomfortable.
MOOD
The mood on this planet is serious. We may think we are enjoying a rock concert, but instead Hedwig wants to tell her story. She has our attention now. Her sarcasm and singing create the moods, shifting from comic moments to profound questioning of the world.
SOCIAL WORLD
This is a private world. Hedwig dictates the rules. We are at her venue and no one else’s. We’ve come to see her, not Yitzhak, not Tommy Gnosis. She is the central figure. Others surround her (physically Yitzhak, but the others only through description and impersonation by Hedwig). The figures are exaggerated and in costume as they are attention seeking. The only real interactions are between Yitzhak and Hedwig, and they are strained, a married couple having a fight.
CHANGES
Change in time is indicated by Hedwig’s story telling. We move from different places, learn about different relationships, and discover Hedwig’s feelings about herself. In the beginning, Hedwig is angry. She feels unconsidered, overshadowed by the talents of those around her, but by the end she realizes that her dream will not be fulfilling if she takes the dreams away from others.
PATTERNS
Hedwig speaks about several different relationships. Each one has the commonality of Hedwig feeling inferior. Luther leaves her after making her go through a sex-change operation and Tommy doesn’t want her when discover the angry inch. Hedwig attempts to take control by giving Yitzhak the ultimatum of giving up his drag persona. So ultimately he too falls into the pattern of distrust of Hedwig.
One simple sentence:
Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a story about transformation.
One complex sentence:
Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a story about understanding your identity and the transformation it takes to become at peace with it.
Three to five sentences:
Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a story about Hedwig who tries to understand her own identity through the search for a soulmate, gender exploration, and the pursuit of a musical career. Hedwig feels constantly inferior to partners and music rivals until she finally strips down from the costumes she has worn, physically and mentally. Hedwig is at peace after this transformation and it allows her husband, Yitzhak, the one he has been denied.