Text by John Cameron Mitchell. Music and lyrics by Stephen Trask. Co-Directed by Shane Anthony & Dino Dimitriadis
Hedwig has arrived in Gadigal, Sydney and we’re all the luckier for it!
Reviewed by Justin Clarke
Carriageworks, Eveleigh
Until 3rd August, 2025
Tickets: https://hedwig.com.au/
Type: Grunge, Queer Icon, Rock and Roll, Immersive
If you liked: RENT, Cabaret, The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Fresh from her tour which started at the Adelaide Festival, followed by the Athenaeum Theatre in Naarm, Melbourne, Hedwig arrives at Sydney’s Carriageworks, and she’s bringing the house down with thunderous applause.
Co-Directed by Shane Anthony & Dino Dimitriadis Hedwig and the Angry Inch is imbued with an electric energy as the two creatives dial into the punk rock elements of Stephen Trask‘s music and lyrics. Audiences on opening night were even lucky enough to be treated to Trask being present to play an encore of “Origin of Love” with Seann Miley Moore (soon to be continuing the role of the Engineer in Miss Saigon in the UK tour) and Adam Noviello.
So having seen this production once in Adelaide, why was I struck with the realisation that this may be one of the best productions I’ve seen this year? To be blunt, it’s just so fucking rock and roll. Miley Moore’s Hedwig is a revelation as Moore excavates all the edges of Hedwig’s character. From the traumatic, to the sexual, as well as her own darker shades, this Hedwig is both visceral and untouchable. Paired with Noviello’s extraordinary vocals that range from the deeper basslines to a soaring tenor, the emotion on display fills the expansive Carriageworks cavernous depths.
Geoff Cobham‘s lighting design makes the space intimate when needed, with spotlights and shadows cutting through space. Then, crashes through the void to make us feel the space we sit in with red shades illuminating a ghostly glow through large dockyard-sized walls behind Jeremy Allen‘s set. Not many musicals are staged at the Eveleigh space, but Hedwig has set a precedent that there should be many, many more.
With Victoria Falconer serving as Musical Director, you know to expect two things. One, there will be a smorgasbord of instruments on display. Two, the sound is going to pop, and pop it damn well did. Jamie Mensforth‘s sound design is cranked to eleven as it blasts through the space, giving Hedwig the rock concert she deserves. With Falconer on keys – and theremin??? – and the rest of Hedwig’s Angry Inch band sitting in the pit of the stage, this isn’t just a one-creative show. This is a family, and they’re here to rock and shock whether you like it or not.
Read our original Adelaide Festival review below:
