Free To Be He and She: 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch'

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THE "PAPER SHROUD" of a patchwork girl has finally trod into town in platform heels. She is Hedwig, the handmade creation of John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask, from their groundbreaking musical "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," about a "slip of a girlyboy" from East Berlin who grew up to become an "internationally ignored song stylist" and, thanks to a botched sex-change operation, someone of unclassifiable gender. We spoke with the show's director and star, Joshua Morgan and Chris French, respectively.

» FRENCH: It's an epic story and it takes a lot of work to tell it.
» MORGAN: In order to do a good job as an actor, a writer, a director, this piece has to have a context, a reason to be done. We have every reason to do this show right now. When I talk about what "Hedwig" is, audiences are not turned off, but they tend to be a little wary. And they realize that it has nothing to do with what the show's about, but it has everything to do with who we are, how we decorate ourselves with B.S. and consumerism, with the need to impress. It's about fighting impulses, the things that hold us back every single day.

» EXPRESS: This version of the show seems to be more about moving forward than speaking out.
» FRENCH: With our new president, we can see our society moving in a progressive direction. But it's just a step. I watched the movie "Milk" and see a correlation with our show. For me, both illuminate how far we've come and how far we have to go. We can't stop now.
» MORGAN: We talk about what Hedwig wants. The great moment is when she says, "I want to fall in love with myself." This has nothing to do with ego. It's owning every inch of who we are.

» EXPRESS: What does Hedwig's story require of a performer?
» FRENCH: It called on me to explore my own identity. Hedwig has so many identity issues; she's developed this whole other person to put on to protect herself, to express herself. I used that point to focus on the ability to love yourself, to keep from detracting from that beautiful person you really are.

» EXPRESS: So, why Washington and why now?
» MORGAN: It was clear that Washington was a place for this show. There's a spirit and energy that welcomes new artists and revivals of certain things.

» The Warehouse, 1021 7th St. NW; through Fri. June 12, $20; 202-783-3933. (Mt. Vernon Square)

Written by Express contributor Christopher Correa
Photo by Will Abner