In a bold, blistering new Australian production, Hedwig and the Angry Inch has roared to life at the Athenaeum Theatre with searing passion, raw vulnerability and rock ‘n’ roll ferocity.
Starring the magnetic Seann Miley Moore as the iconic genderqueer glam-rock goddess Hedwig, and Adam Noviello as the ever-simmering Yitzhak, this staging redefines what a revival can be – ferociously alive, unapologetically queer, and emotionally volcanic.
From the moment Moore struts on stage, it is clear this is a Hedwig for the now. With a voice that oscillates between smoky seduction and operatic howl, Moore delivers Stephen Trask’s music & lyrics with spine-tingling power.
Moore’s Hedwig is complex, tragic, and wickedly funny, wielding every double entendre and tear-streaked ballad like a weapon. Their performance is an act of theatrical alchemy: dangerous and devastating, but ultimately redemptive.
Adam Noviello brings gravitas and longing to Yitzhak, resisting an easy caricature to reveal an individual torn between devotion, resentment, and dreams of their own spotlight. The chemistry with Moore is both electric and tense, layered with unspoken histories that play out with every glance and grimace.
Co-directors Shane Anthony and Dino Dimitriadis have created a production that is equal parts punk concert, confessional booth, and fever dream. They honour the grit and heartbreak of John Cameron Mitchell’s text while infusing it with a contemporary queer-political charge. The direction is slick, yet in a good way, emotionally ragged, allowing each scene to bleed into the next with hallucinatory flair.
Victoria Falconer (Musical Director) and her Band (Glenn Moorhouse, Felicity Freeman and Jarrad Payne), on stage and in character, punches through the venue with the full force of a dive-bar apocalypse. Falconer ensures that the score isn’t just performed – it’s unleashed with ecstatic abandon. The Origin of Love is haunting and celestial, while Wig in a Box turns into a full-throttle rebirth. The climactic Midnight Radio left the audience in awe.
Visually, the production is sumptuous and anarchic. Jeremy Allen’s set design and Nicol & Ford’s costumes embraces the chaos within – mirror-ball glamour clashing with torn fishnets and layered denim, East Berlin grit meeting drag-fantasia surrealism. Combined with Geoff Cobham’s Lighting, Jamie Mensforth’s sound and Jason Sweeney’s soundscape, transformed the Athenaeum stage into Hedwig’s emotional battleground – unconditional and thrilling.
This Hedwig is more than a show – it’s an experience and a rallying cry. It’s what theatre should be: daring, devastating and unforgettable. Seann Miley Moore doesn’t just play Hedwig – they are Hedwig, in all her fractured, furious, and fabulous glory.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Athenaeum Theatre, 188 Collins Street, Melbourne
Performance: Wednesday 18 June 2025
Season continues to 6 July 2025
Bookings: www.ticketmaster.com.au
Following the Melbourne season, Hedwig and the Angry Inch will play at Sydney’s Carriageworks from 17 July 2025. For more information, visit: www.hedwig.com.au for details.
Images: Seann Miley Moore in Hedwig and the Angry Inch – photo by Shane Reid | Adam Noviello and Seann Miley Moore in Hedwig and the Angry Inch – photo by Shane Reid | Seann Miley Moore in Hedwig and the Angry Inch – photo by Eugene Hyland
Review: Rohan Shearn