It has a cult following. It's a mix of glam-rock and drag queen. It's got heart and is rather in-your-face about the whole affair. Neil Patrick Harris takes the reigns of this monster and reels it in for a big Broadway pay-off. Hedwig (Harris), by all accounts is a mess, yet she manages to fill your heart with warmth and your belly with laughter. With his unique mix of charm, good looks, (check out the body on this fine 40-something specimen!), and a true entertainer, Mr Harris' gamble on this show truly pays off in what some might consider a spectacle of lights, song, and love.
Unlike the movie, this version is told much like a one-night only concert at the Belasco Theatre - current day. Hedwig regularly breaks the 4th wall to chat with the audience and banter with a man in the box seat where Mr. Belasco's ghost may often may be seen, thus indicating a successful run of a show, and even kiss a lucky boy in the front row!
Throughout the evening the stage show never ceases to impress. Outrageous costumes and makeup, concert style lighting to whip the audience into a frenzy, and a cadre of tunes simply rock the house down. The lovely Lena Hall also does double duty as a man (Yitzhak) who blossoms in the end.
I'm pretty sure there will never be a performance - tourists included - that doesn't end in a raucous standing ovation for Mr. Harris, Ms. Hall, and the entire band.