Hedwig and the Angry Inch at the Black Box Theatre in Knoxville

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A review of Hedwig
and the Angry Inch
at Knoxville's Black Box Theatre

Photo by Shannon Stanfield of Hedwig actor, Joseph Beurelein

Our Knoxville Business reviewer got to see a great production with a few friends tonight: Hedwig and the Angry Inch, at the Black Box Theatre -- which continues to run until August 5th, 2006.

Produced by the Actors Co-Op and Directed by Co-Op co-founder Amy Hubbard, Hedwig is the story of a transvestite punk rock girl from East Berlin who is heart broken by the loss of her lover -- who happened to get famous by stealing her songs.

I won't go further into the plot, because you should go to this play! Suffice it to say, there are many great comedic moments, including a few one-liners specifically added about Knoxville. There's some nice drama in the mix, too, for those of us who enjoy some ups and some downs.

Hedwig was wonderfully played by the adventurous local actor Joseph Beurelein. He has a great voice for the roll, and is able to bring both vulnerability and a distinct diva strut to the role.

Jodie Manross, one of Knoxville's best-known female singer-songwriters (who has opened up for the likes of BB King and John Mayer), steps into her role as the petulant back-up singer and stage-hand Yitzak with a good bit of fire and feeling for a first-time adult actress.

The musicians in the band - Lucas Flatt as Krzyzhtof on Guitar; Christopher Hamblin as Skszp on piano; Mike Murphy as Jacek on Bass; and last but not least, Nathan Barrett (percussionist for Artvandalay, among other gigs) as Schlatko on the Drums - all did a fantastic job. Their jams were very together, melodic, and often very rocking.

And I'd be remiss if I didn't add that Nate Barrett was in serious danger of being in one of those "stealing the show" positions. He's an excellent drummer, and really filled up the strongest jams with some amazing skins work.

Aspiring drummers, take note! I've heard through the grape vine that Mr. Barrett, who was hired to lead multiple drum sessions at Bonnaroo this summer in the sound garden, has started giving private lessons. You should be so lucky as to have him as an instructor!

But I digress. The point is: go see Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and buy season passes at the Black Box Theatre. They're playing an important role (hehe) in making Knoxville a cool city in which to live.

NOTE: This article really belongs under a Knoxville Theatre heading, but since we don't write about Theatre that much, it's under our Knoxville Music Scene pages. We hope you enjoyed it, and if you would like to write about theatre productions in Knoxville, let us know!

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A review of Hedwigand the Angry Inchat Knoxville's Black Box Theatre

A review of Hedwig
and the Angry Inch
at Knoxville's Black Box Theatre