Second LB Playhouse “Hedwig” looser, funnier, still too quiet

It was approximately 75 seconds between my coming across Long Beach Playhouse’s audition notice for Hedwig and the Angry Inch and transmitting it to Andrew Pedroza. Remembering his lament this summer about how long it had been since he was on stage, I couldn’t imagine a better opportunity to get off the schneid. This bitch was born to play Hedwig. It’s why I wasn’t the only one to point him in this direction — and why he got the part. 

Knowing he would be great, I trekked upstairs to the Playhouse’s Studio Theatre hoping against hope that the sound issues (band volume, mic distortion) undercutting the efforts of the previous week’s “Lil Guys” cast would be rectified for “Dem Bratz” (Pedroza and Renee Cohen). The Playhouse was providing complimentary earplugs, so maybe . . .

No such luck. Surely the failure to redress such painfully obvious shortcomings means that for some reason(s) the Playhouse simply can’t, at least in the Studio Theatre. So why not stage Hedwig downstairs on the Mainstage Theatre, where presumably they could crank it up? This would be a far better room for Hedwig, anyway. Audience on three sides would give Hedwig far more opportunity to engage the audience, a few tables on stage could create a real cabaret vibe . . .

File that under ‘The Hedwig That Might Have Been.’ As for the Hedwig that is, the big difference between “Lil Guys” and “Dem Bratz” is that Pedroza is far more improvisational. Although it would be a mistake to gloss over anything John Cameron Mitchell put on the page, by its very nature Hedwig’s show-within-a-show conceit allows for leaning into the moment. Whereas Zachary Balagot chooses not to indulge in the metafiction, Pedroza is all about it. In fact, some of “Dem Bratz” funniest moments come when Pedroza is off-book, a trick he managed without sacrificing any of the funny in the very funny script.

Where Pedroza can (and I suspect will) improve as the run wears on is how often he cranks his delivery up to 11. Perhaps it was opening-night overexcitement, but he went over the top too often both comedically and dramatically. Modulating his delivery more carefully will make those moments when he really needs to go there all the more impactful and help make sure all the beats in the script come across.

Vocally, although the “Dem Bratz” cast is not quite as technical as the “Lil Guys,” that doesn’t stop them from being just as good. “Dem Bratz” is generally more punk, but Pedroza’s best moments include the opening of “Wig in a Box”, which he drags out to beautiful effect (and the Angry Inch is attentive enough to let happen), and a powerful emotional outpouring in “Midnight Radio”. 

One misstep I neglected to mention last week comes during the musical dissolution at the end of “Exquisite Corpse”. There are basically two ways to play Hedwig’s (SPOILER ALERT)  reunification with Tommy Gnosis: have her transform in front of our eyes, or go into blackout and lights up on her transformed state. Director Angela Cruz apparently favors the latter, in that she has Hedwig exit — except that instead of going into blackout (or how about a strobe?), with nary a change of light the Angry Inch’s discordantly churning feels like a meaningless vamp to cover a costume change rather than evoking the mysterious drama of the moment. When Hedwig/Tommy returns, the transformation has been hamstrung.

Although we’ll never know how great Long Beach Playhouse’s staging(s) could have been, Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a magnificent work, and these two fine casts do enough to allow that to show through the shortcomings. But don’t bother with the earplugs. 

Hedwig and the Angry Inch at Long Beach Playhouse

Times: Fri–Sat 8:00 p.m., Sun 2:00 p.m. 

• • “Lil Guys” cast: Oct. 25–27, Nov. 8–10
  • “Dem Bratz” cast: Oct. 18–20, Nov. 1–3, 15–16

The show runs through November 16.
Cost: $20 to $30
Details: (562) 494-1014; LBplayhouse.org 
Venue: Long Beach Playhouse, 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach