The mid to late 1990s was a turbulent time globally for both politics and arts. Whilst British artists railed against 11 years of Thatcherism by exploring violence, sex and drug use on stage, American theatre saw a rush of plays and musicals studying gender and sexuality gaining unprecedented mainstream acceptance. Amongst all of the ground-breaking theatre pieces that came to existence during this era dubbed The Culture War lies Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Hedwig, formally Hansel, is a transgender German rock singer who, after a botched sex change operation, was left with an inch long scar where her genitals should be, inspiring her to name her band, The Angry Inch. Over the course of the film Hedwig plays in bars and diners, and with her unique brand of humour, tells audiences her life story, all in an attempt to win the love of rock star Tommy Gnosis an ex-boyfriend who managed to gain fame by stealing songs written by Hedwig. While this musical established itself as a cult classic from the moment it premiered Off-Broadway, recent years have seen it slowly become more popular, having this year finally made its Broadway debut. With Neil Patrick Harris taking on the lead role, it is guaranteed that this show will attract large audiences, some of who will be shocked at the lack of Barney Stinson-esque antics that modern audiences expect from the actor. Instead, they will be treated to casual discussions of transgenderism and the often violent and discriminatory attitudes that some people still hold to this day. Also, Hedwigs description of the scar that the musical is named after is vivid enough to make many audiences members cringe.
A writer, actor, teacher and musician from New South Wales, Australia. His first play/musical "Hipster Apocalypse: A Zombie Cabaret" will be hitting the stage in Wollongong, Australia later this year. If you have any questions or just want to chat, you can contact Bradley on Facebook, Twitter and Google+
