I agree that Hedwig's anger seems less frantic in the tour shows that I saw, compared to in the Broadway show that I saw.
Lilikoiluv wrote:During SHNSF's panel "Hedwig and the Angry Inch in Coversation with Darren, Lena, and Stephen Trask, Darren mentioned how he got like 2 notes from Stephen during rehearsals, and that one of them "completely changed the trajectory of this show." (VIDEO: The question about Stephen giving advice starts at about 22:13, and Darren's remark starts at about 22:49). I've been wondering if this fine tuning of Hedwig is what Darren was referring to when he said that. Makes me also want to know what exactly Stephen had said to him for both rehearsal notes.
Thanks for the link to the video, and the handy reference to the point in the video. I also would have loved to hear what Stephen said to Darren.
Lilikoiluv wrote:YES! I felt such a send of loss and sadness for/from Hedwig that I actually cried during OoL. The animation and Hedwig interacting with it was stunning too.
I'm glad that you were so touched by this song performance, Lilikoiluv. It is an amazing part of the show. As you said, the animation is gorgeous to view. Darren's voice and acting, combined with the lyrics of this beautiful song, really did make me emotional. I felt more emotional during this song performance in the Los Angeles shows, than the Broadway show.
Lilikoiluv wrote:It seemed (to me at least) that Tommy wasn't just "performing" the song as a rock star, but was really singing out to Hedwig with the those words (and even his motions reached out). I did not get such an emotional reaction to the Broadway version, but wasn't sure if I just didn't catch it. I like that you think this was the beginning of Hedwig's self-acceptance, and I think this version of WLTR hits that home.
You helped me understand why I found Darren's performance of WLTR so much more emotional in the tour version, when you said it was not just Tommy "performing" the song in the tour shows. The emotion in the song just felt palpable to me in the Los Angeles shows that I saw. It felt so heartfelt.
Yes! Darren's acting was stunning, truly gorgeous in this scene. Truly impressive acting. My husband was very impressed, and that's not an easy thing to do. He said to me after our last Hedwig show, that Darren is a talented person.Lilikoiluv wrote:During the performance I saw, there was a smattering to applause after WLTR, but it quickly died down to complete silence. As I mentioned before, what was so amazing that you could just see how Hedwig's awareness/transformation stopped the clapping quickly. It was remarkable and oh-so powerful to watch that whole scene
Lilikoiluv wrote:
I also liked how, during the Broadway MR, Hedwig actually gives Yitzhak a little push or send off for the newly wigged Yitzhak as Hedwig sings "shining" as in "and you're shining like the brightest star"--and Yitzhak raises his hands in triumph as Hedwig looks happy for him. That little push/send off seemed like a beautiful visual step in Hedwig's self-acceptance/healing and I loved it, so was a bit disappointed that it didn't happen during the performance I saw (or the SF/LA videos I've seen so far).
Oh, I forgot about that little push, Lilikoiluv. I agree, that push was a visual symbol, both of Yitzhak being freed, and of Hedwig being "freed" by not being bound bythe vicious cycle of cruelty to Yitzhak and not being bound to her own self-hate.
Lilikoiluv wrote:I found myself aching for Hedwig so much, especially knowing that Tommy was about to reject her. The weary sadness that Darren brought to his portrayal of Hedwig throughout the show all led up to this moment, and all of the hope/hurt she put as she slowly uttered those words, just shattered me . . . I cried here too.
Truly a heartbreaking scene. And performed so beautifully by Darren. (Deserves this emoticon, again! )
Note: My husband's friend decided to see the show in Los Angeles after my husband mentioned seeing it. His friend does some stand-up comic work and does public speaking/training for agencies. I think he appreciated more than my husband and me, how remarkable was Darren's seamless, effortless back-and-forth transition from Tommy to Hedwig during this central scene. He remarked to my husband: "Do you know how hard it is to do that this well, this smoothly?!!" And the answer is, "no," as a non-actor who does no public speaking and no performance work/acting, I don't think I appreciate how difficult is that scene where Darren moves between Tommy and Hedwig. I don't think I appreciate how much skill, time, rehearsal and plan hard work it took for Darren to perfect that scene.
I remember for the first Los Angeles show I saw, I chatted with that nice woman who also seemed very impressed with Darren's acting in this scene where he transitions back-and-forth between Tommy and Hedwig. I think as a Hedwig fan who had seen several actors perform the role on Broadway, she appreciated more than I did how wonderful Darren was in this scene, and how wonderfully he conveyed emotion in this scene by making the "acting" disappear. This feedback from my husband's co-worker also impressed upon me how amazing Darren is in this scene. The talented Lena Hall said Darren's Tommy is her favorite. Now, that is a tremendous compliment! And there's more! Stephen Trask had said that Darren is really good in the show (Point 47:30 in the video Lilikoiluv linked: VIDEO. I think Darren should be very, very proud of himself. (And we, as his fans, are very, very proud of you, Darren. Truly.)