History Theatre / HedwigAndTheAngryInch

* ActorAllusion: Beginning with John Cameron Mitchell's run in the Broadway production, it became a tradition for Hedwig to remark after licking the stage during her opening monologue that it "tastes like [the previous actor to play Hedwig on Broadway]." Darren Criss, referring to Mitchell, remarked that it tasted "aged" and "you think it goes away but it comes back"; while Taye Diggs, referring to Criss, remarked that it tasted cheesy and "could use a bit of age."

* ActorAllusion: Beginning with John Cameron Mitchell's run in the Broadway production, it became a tradition for Hedwig to remark after licking the stage during her opening monologue that it "tastes like [the previous actor to play Hedwig on Broadway]." Darren Criss, referring to Mitchell, remarked that it tasted "aged" and "you think it goes away but it comes back"; while Diggs, referring to Criss, remarked that it tasted cheesy and "could use a bit of age."

No relation to [[Literature/HarryPotter a certain snowy owl.]] Though [[Fanfic/MyImmortal Tara Gilesbie]] seems to think there is.

* CrossoverCosmology: ''The Origin of Love'' features [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Zeus]], [[Myth/NorseMythology Thor]], [[Myth/EgyptianMythology Osiris]], [[AndZoidberg and]] [[Myth/HinduMythology some Indian god]]. [[JerkassGods They're all dicks.]]

* {{Foreshadowing}}: In "Sugar Daddy," Hedwig (then Hansel) tells Luther, "If you buy me the dress, I'll be more woman than a man like you can stand." [[spoiler:A year after their marriage, Luther leaves Hedwig for a man]].

* PunnyName: Phyllis Stein, the band's manager. Also Yitzhak's original stage name (which also [[CrossesTheLineTwice crosses the line twice]]), Krystal Nacht.

** "Here's to [[Music/PattiSmith Patti]], and [[Music/TinaTurner Tina]], and [[Music/YokoOno Yoko]], [[Music/ArethaFranklin Aretha]], and Nona (Hendryx), and [[Music/VelvetUnderground Nico]] and me."

* AmbiguousGender:
** Yitzhak is played by a woman. The only unambiguous aspect of Yitzhak's gender is that they want to be feminine, but Hedwig forces them to dress as a man because she felt threatened by how good Yitzhak's drag act was.
** Just what gender Hedwig identifies as is debatable as well, though she tends to lean towards female pronouns etc rather than male ones. The sex change operation was for convenience in escape not because Hansel wanted to be a woman, but by the time we 'meet' Hedwig during the show she seems to identify more as a woman than a man - most noticeable in the way she refers to Hansel with male pronouns, but to her present self with female ones. Word of God says that she is not specifically transgender, but something outside the gender binary.

''Hedwig and the Angry Inch'' was a 1998 off-Broadway {{rock opera}} by Stephen Trask and John Cameron Mitchell, adapted into a film in 2001 with Mitchell in the title role.

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In 2014, Creator/NeilPatrickHarris and Creator/LenaHall won Tony awards for their performances in the Broadway revival of the same year. The show itself took home prizes for Best Revival and Best Lighting Design, as well as nominations for Best Direction of a Musical, and Scenic, Costume, and Sound Designs. [[Theatre/TheBookofMormon Andrew Rannells]] replaced Harris in the title role through October 2014, followed by Creator/MichaelCHall. In late January 2015, John Cameron Mitchell returned to the role and was awarded the Special Tony Award later that year for his [[http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/news/press_releases/2015-04-27/201504271430153485130.html "outstanding success"]] in the role. Creator/DarrenCriss and Taye Diggs also played Hedwig during the show's Broadway run in 2015. Notable actors who have portrayed Hedwig off-Broadway include Jerick Hofer (better known as Creator/JinkxMonsoon), Sven Ratzke, and Oh Man-seok.

* {{Corpsing}}: Often the case for the actor playing Yitzhak, especially during the Broadway production: all of Lena Hall's Hedwigs were known to mess with her during performances to try and make her break. One documented instance is on a bootleg of John Cameron Mitchell from the Broadway production, where Hedwig's extended bizarre monologue about the death of Phyllis Stein causes Hall to visibly break.

* MrsRobinson: Hedwig initiates a relationship with then-17-year-old Tommy when she is at least thirty. Bonus points for her name, since her marriage to Luther, literally being "Mrs. Robinson."

** "Here's to [[Music/PattiSmith Patti]], and [[Music/TinaTurner Tina]], and [[Music/YokoOno Yoko]], [[Music/ArethaFranklin Aretha]], and Nona, and [[Music/VelvetUnderground Nico]] and me."

* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: Hedwig jokes about when she had to prostitute herself to survive. "I returned to doing odd jobs. Mostly the jobs we call blow. I had lost my job at the Base PX and I had lost my gag reflex. You do the math!"

* IWantSong: "Origin of Love" is a subtle one, establishing Hedwig's desire to find her "other half."

The story follows Hedwig Robinson, who at first appears to be a {{transgender}} woman. She's the head of the "internationally ignored" nouveau glam rock band The Angry Inch. They play in a string of failing seafood restaurants to small, hostile crowds, while stalking the much more successful rock and roll icon Tommy Gnosis. Tommy -- as Hedwig explains to her audience -- stole her songs. There's much resentment within the band, particularly between Hedwig and her aspiring drag queen husband Yitzhak.

** "Here's to [[Music/PattiSmith Patti]], and [[Creator/TinaTurner Tina]], and [[Music/YokoOno Yoko]], [[Music/ArethaFranklin Aretha]], and Nona, and [[Music/VelvetUnderground Nico]] and me."

In 2014, Creator/NeilPatrickHarris and Creator/LenaHall won Tony awards for their performances in the Broadway revival of the same year. The show itself took home prizes for Best Revival and Best Lighting Design, as well as nominations for Best Direction of a Musical, and Scenic, Costume, and Sound Designs. [[Theatre/TheBookofMormon Andrew Rannells]] replaced Harris in the title role through October 2014, followed by Creator/MichaelCHall. In late January 2015, John Cameron Mitchell returned to the role and was awarded the Special Tony Award later that year for his [[http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/news/press_releases/2015-04-27/201504271430153485130.html "outstanding success"]] in the role. Creator/DarrenCriss and Taye Diggs also played Hedwig during the show's Broadway run in 2015. Notable actors who have portrayed Hedwig off-Broadway include Jerick Hofer (better known as [[Series/RuPaulsDragRace Jinkx Monsoon]]), Sven Ratzke, and Oh Man-seok.

The story follows Hedwig Robinson, who at first appears to be a {{transgender}} woman. She's the head of the "internationally ignored" nouveau glam rock band The Angry Inch. They play in a string failing sea food restaurants to small, hostile crowds, while stalking the much more successful rock and roll icon Tommy Gnosis. Tommy -- as Hedwig explains to her audience -- stole her songs. There's much resentment within the band, particularly between Hedwig and her aspiring drag queen husband Yitzhak.

* GaveUpToSoon: Hedwig leaping to escape East Germany instead of waiting another year for the wall to collapse ends with her dumped by Luther on their anniversary.

* UnusualEuphemism: "My 'bishop in a turtleneck.'" Used once more in the stage show, after which Hedwig congratulates herself on a successful running gag.

* Tommy says his guitar is this from his father.

The story follows Hedwig Robinson, who at first appears to be a male-to-female {{transsexual}}. She's the head of the "internationally ignored" nouveau glam rock band The Angry Inch. They play in a string failing sea food restaurants to small, hostile crowds, while stalking the much more successful rock and roll icon Tommy Gnosis. Tommy -- as Hedwig explains to her audience -- stole her songs. There's much resentment within the band, particularly between Hedwig and her aspiring drag queen husband Yitzhak.

* YumYum: "And a giant sized SugarDaddy named Luther..."

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: The first four seconds of the movie perfectly nail down exactly who Hedwig is by having her walk confidently to the allyway entrance of a building while dressed to the nines, then tossing her umbrella aside as she enter as if she expects someone to catch it for her.

* AllMusicalsAreAdaptations: The film is an adaptation, but the stage show was completely original.

*** When Yitzhak [[spoiler: is offered the role of Angel]], WordOfGod on the DVD commentary states this is a ShoutOut to Creator/JohnCameronMitchell being offered the same part in ''Theatre/{{Rent}}''.