Hedwig and the Angry Inch [Hardcover]

John Cameron Mitchell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 31, 2000

On Valentine's day, 1998, Hedwig and the Angry Inch opened to rave reviews, and the phenomenon that is Hedwig was born. This fierce rock musical, with its central metaphor inspired by Plato's Symposium, tells the story of Hedwig Schmidt, a "fourth wall-smashing, German rock & roll goddess who also happens to be the victim of a gruesomely botched sex-change operation" (Time Out). This unique and outrageous story, dazzlingly recounted by Hedwig (n Hansel) in the form of a sleazy lounge act and backed by the rocking band "The Angry Inch," begins in the former East Berlin when Hansel meets Luther, an American GI who promises to take the young man back to the States on the condition that he change his sex and become Hedwig. This spectacular tale of abject love has been "knocking the socks off New York theater-goers with a much-needed jolt of twisted bathos and wigged-out histrionics" (The Advocate).

"Hedwig brings theater alive with the pounding sounds of rock and the funny-sad voicing of a painful past... [It's] the kind of "Rocky Horror Picture Show"-- style event that may inspire a rabid cult following."--The New York Times

"In the whole long, sorry history of rock musicals, Hedwig and the Angry Inch is the first one that truly rocks."--Rolling Stone
Winner of the Obie Award and the Outer Critics Circle award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical

Editorial Reviews

Review

Hedwig brings theater alive with the pounding sounds of rock and the funny-sad voicing of a painful past. -- The New York Times

In the...long, sorry history of rock musicals, Hedwig & the Angry Inch is the first one that truly rocks. -- Rolling Stone --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

John Cameron Mitchell recently wrote, directed, and starred in the film adaptation of Hedwig, which was released in the summer of 2001.

Stephen Trask's band Cheater originated the role of The Angry Inch Off-Broadway and for the original cast recording and film. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Overlook Hardcover; First Edition edition (July 31, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585670340
• ISBN-13: 978-1585670345
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 7.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #333,846 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Long Live Hedwig, October 10, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Hardcover)

For some people, the stage production of Hedwig And The Angry Inch was this greally great Off-Broadway musical. For others it taught them a little bit about themselves, about those around them, and about their lives. John Cameron Mitchell's text laces beautifully with Stephen Trask's lyrics to dish out an emotional beat down that hurts so much you love it.

If you haven't seen it, I'll admit, reading the script isn't going to do it for you, but if you've at least heard of it, go out and get yourself the CD and read along between the songs. There's also some incredible photography to look at, many of which haven't been seen before. You get a semi-decent idea of what's going on on stage, anyway. It's quite a show by some extremely talented people. I will never forget Hedwig or her brain parents as long as I live.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Whether You Like It Or Not: "Hedwig" in Sheet Music Form!, February 1, 2006

By 

paygenie "Pianist and sheet music collector" (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hedwig and the Angry Inch: Vocal/piano selections (Paperback)

John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask's Hedwig and the Angry Inch debuted off Broadway in 1999, then gained widespread popularity in 2001 when a film version of the queer-themed rock musical hit theaters. It's a wonder why then fans had to wait till 2004 for a songbook to be released. The bitter wait aside, finally here is Hedwig and the Angry Inch: piano/vocal selections published by Hal Leonard, and if you're a Hedwig fan, better snatch one of these before they're out of print!

THE BASICS:
--Music and Lyrics by Stephen Trask.
--Contents: Tear Me Down (6 pages), Origin of Love (12 pages, Sugar Daddy (8 pages), Angry Inch (6 pages), Wig in a Box (9 pages), Wicked Little Town 9 pages), The Long Grift (4 pages), Hedwig's Lament (2 pages), Exquisite Corpse (5 pages), Wicked Littel Town Reprise (5 pages), Midnight Radio 6 pages).
--70 pages. (Music starts on page 4.)
--No pictures/photos.
--The cover is the Hedwig MOVIE art, but the songs are printed from their 1999 form. So for instance in "Sugar Daddy," there is an "extra" monologue music interlude by Luther that isn't in the film.
--The title says "piano/vocal selections." But note that there are ALSO guitar chords and diagrams for every song!! Songs are arranged so that you have the melodies intertwined (the songs are not just piano accompaniment), and you get all the lyrics too. You get spoken dialogue too in the songs as in Wig in the Box and Tear Me Down.
--ISBN 0-634-06881-4. Not to be confused with the other Hedwig books/libretto/making-of.

OVERALL: ***1/2 stars out of 5.
A great piano solo songbook for lovers of the Hedwig play/film. The songs are arranged from the play, so there are some "extra" lyrics not seen in the film. Arrangements are rich, though at times not very sophisticated. Driving rock beats frequently are arranged as humongous chords. This might sound a little strange in songs like Tear Me Down and Exquisite Corpse, but it works out decently. Songs originally with a piano or piano-based melody like Wig in a Box, WIcked Little Town, and Origin of Love sound beautiful in their piano arrangements here.

Songs are very challenging with heavily-sharp'd/flat'd keys, quirky rhythms and frequent jazz triplets (the quarter-half note combo). In the end of Midnite Radio, the pianist is told to "ad lib" the ending, which something for the novice. The book is too difficult for a beginner, but has potential to sound super for a very skilled pianist. But get the timing down and the melody comes right through. Worth owning this music book while you can still get your hands on it, even if it ends up being too tough to master.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hedwig and the Angry Inch, August 5, 2000

By 

Brian Snider (Bellevue, Washington United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Hardcover)

What can I say I loved this book. The book is wonderful it includes the entire lyrics for the songs in the musical and the text from the script. In addition it includes Plato's symposium which John Cameron Mitchell partially based the play on, and a number of photos from the musical production. There are two pages with wonderful color glossy pictures, the rest are good balck and white photos. If you didn't get the chance to see the play this is the next best thing to it. If you did get a chance (like myself) to see the play then this is a must have for a Hedwig fan. I can't say enough about this wonderful, book other then you'll love it.