b'Gender and sexual identity in Hedwig and the Angryclaims shes never turning back (Cameron Mitchell and Trask, 2003). Thus,Hedwigs use of drag when she performs in her band allows her to express herInch. inner feelings and the complexities of her life as an artist and her personalrelationships. The musical numbers provide Hedwig with a platform to freely ex-Samuel Churchousepress her inner turmoil as the rock style is authentic to Hedwigs band, producing an accurate account of her life that feels authentic to her. Samuel Churchouse writes about the way gender and sexual identity areexplored through music, particularly lyrical choices, in John Cameron MitchellSamuel later explores a moment of change in the musical:and Stephen Trasks 1998 rock musical, Hedwig and the Angry Inch.Samuel prefaces his discussion by citing Simon Friths stance that identity,In the climax of the show, we see a different representation of Hedwig, contrasting like music, is a matter of both ethics and aesthetics (1996: 109), inextricablyher appearance throughout. In an instrumental sequence towards the end of the tied with society, and therefore a discovery tool between the self and society.show, Hedwig strips off her drag attire while strobe lighting and loud music swell to create an erratic, overwhelming image of Hedwigs internal rage. When the lights Hedwig and the Angry Inch combines musical numbers performed in the dramaticreturn to a faint wash of the stage, we are left with the image of Hedwig wearing no world of the play, and spoken dialogue which is delivered directly to the audience.dress, no wig and void of all the glamour that was once present, capturing what Immediately, the audience is presented with Hedwig, whom we see develop into aHedwig might look like off the stage. Judith Peraino describes this as an ideal rock artist throughout the show, and who is distinct from Hansel, her original musical expression of inexpressible gender which envisionscoexistence that identity. In his analysis of the 2001 film adaptation, Dominic Symonds points outcannot be regularized or institutionalized (2005: 251), and which provides us with the relationship between the folk and punk within the Angry Inchs music and a lens through which to view Hedwigs identity. The overwhelming rock music in freedom of speech: creativity, community, virtuosity, sincerity, politics and this scene connotes the distress that members of the queer community can face, anti-commercialism can be seen very clearly in Hedwigs character (2017: 26-27).which are prompted by social systems that work against freedom of identity.This is seen in the opening number of the show where Hedwig compares herself toDespite leaving the drag attire behind and presenting herself as typically more the construction of the Berlin Wall, claiming There aint much difference betweenmasculine, Hedwig passes the wig to Yitzhak, her current lover, to continue hera bridge and a walltry and tear me down (Cameron Mitchell and Trask, 2003);legacy, suggesting that Hedwig identifies more with his drag persona and that is this is accompanied by the fast tempo of electric guitar and drum instruments. Thewhat she wants to be remembered for. The music that Hedwig performs through music complements Hedwigs character and, as Symonds notes, Hedwig exists asthe drag persona allows her to explore an imaginative identity that is nota geographically in-between character in terms of her national identity (2017: 18).necessarily her own but is still alluding to her sexual identity. This allows Hedwig to This in-betweenness is certainly present here, with the fact that Hedwig speaksexplore her real-life experiences of her sex change and her relationships through in her natural German dialect; however, in the opening scene she wears a denimthis narrative which she performs on stage (Frith, 1996: 124). cape patterned with an American flag, spray painted with the words Yankee Go Home With Me (Cameron Mitchell, 2003), alluding to the idea that Hedwig does not identify with any single nationality. Cameron Mitchell, J. and Trask, S. (2003) Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Availa-ble at: http://www.rockymusic.org/showdoc/hedwig-play-script. Accessed We understand that Hedwig used to be Hansel, a young man in Germany who had15 November 2024. to undergo a sex operation to become the legitimate wife of Luther, an AmericanFrith, S. (1996) Music and Identity, in S. Hall and P. Du Gay (eds) Questions of G.I., whom Hansel fell in love with. Now adopting a new identity as Hedwig, sheCultural Identity. London: SAGE Publications, pp. 108127.dresses in drag when performing with her band, and this is the Hedwig we see for the majority of the show. The use of drag allows people to present a different sexPerraino, J. (2005) Flights of Fancy: Power, in Listening to the Sirens: Musical and gender to their own, which may not align with ones preferred identity, but itTechnologies of Queer Identity from Homer to Hedwig. 1st edn. California: also serves as a personal quest for ones authentic self (Symonds, 2017: 22). InUniversity of California Press, pp. 195252.the number Wig in a Box, Hedwig describes how, when she is performing, she canSymonds, D. (2017) Drag, Rock, Authenticity and In-Betweenness, in G. be Miss Midwest, but when the wig comes off, she no longer adopts this persona.Rodosthenous (ed.) Twenty First Century Musicals: From Stage to Screen. She herself is aware of the fact that her sex change and relationship with LutherLondon: Routledge, pp. 1823.has caused her to become a punk rock star of stage and screen, to which she 20 21'