Heart rises from subversive underground in new production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch

It’s been a long time coming for Dino Dimitriadis and Shane Anthony’s new production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. The theatre directors and long-time friends had separately admired the musical for years – it was just a matter of getting all their ducks in a row to bring it to life.

“I saw the musical on Broadway with Neil Patrick Harris in the role in 2014 and I instantly fell in love,” Anthony says. “It’s such a fantastic rock musical that’s joyous at times, celebratory at times, but has such deep heart.”

Seann Miley Moore will star in Hedwig and the Angry Inch.Credit: Ryan Cara

Dimitriadis says: “What appealed to me about it is the opportunity to create a really great night out. Audiences are really hungry for experiences and encounters, not just shows … going back to that very primal desire to feel moved and exhilarated.”

Hedwig follows the titular East German rock singer who has a botched sex reassignment surgery, then journeys to find themself. It began its life in 1998 as a stage musical by John Cameron Mitchell, who also starred in the lead role, with music by Stephen Trask; it was then adapted for the screen in 2001. Rolling Stone called it “the best rock musical ever”; the Broadway production has won four Tony awards.

Dimitriadis and Anthony’s version will premiere at Adelaide Festival in February before heading to Sydney and Melbourne. With Mitchell’s blessing, the directors have tweaked the show – which has an all-queer creative team – for the modern age. “There’s been a real desire to revise the work and consider the nuances for 2025,” Anthony says. “As much as the work is about searching for identity, it’s also very much a rally against traditional structures, patriarchy and class systems.”

Far from the gloss and glamour of most Broadway musicals, Hedwig finds itself in the grungy clubs of ’90s New York. “It’s not a shiny world of performance – it’s this subversive underground world that’s really thrilling and electric,” Dimitriadis says.

Seann Miley Moore as the Engineer in Opera Australia’s production of Miss Saigon.Credit: Daniel Boud

Anthony adds: “The story is incredibly fragile and vulnerable and broken – whilst there’s an incredible celebration of queer culture at the heart of the work, this character has had real struggle. We’re really keen to connect to the authenticity and the truth of that.”

Rising star Seann Miley Moore will play the lead role of Hedwig. Theatre audiences may recognise Moore from their subversive performance as The Engineer – or, as they call it, The Engin-Queer – in Opera Australia’s production of Miss Saigon, which played in Australia last year. Others might know them from X Factor UK, Eurovision Decides and The Voice, or from the club circuit, where they made the rounds as an underground pop star.

“Miss Saigon brought me back home to my roots of musical theatre,” says Moore, who trained at WAAPA. “There’s not that many roles out for me, so I had to make my own.”

In Hedwig, Moore sees themself. “Before Miss Saigon and the legit musical theatre that I just did for the past year, I was a struggling independent artist doing pop gigs in drag bars and dive bars – an exact similarity with Hedwig,” Moore says. “For someone that looks like me to lead Hedwig, it’s never been done … That is a beautiful motherf---ing thing.”

Born in the Philippines, Moore grew up with performance – they remember their titas (aunties) singing Whitney Houston, Celine Dion and Mariah Carey. As a child, they learnt flute and piano, and tease that the instruments might make an appearance in this show – the possibilities are more boundless than they’ve ever been.

“No one has really seen me in this space – I’ve been an independent artist, but now to have all this fabulous budget and bling, bling, bling behind me is going to be everything I’ve worked for,” they say.

Once a young queer Asian boy who didn’t see a place for themself in the world of performance, Moore is now leading the way. “I wouldn’t have dreamt it,” they say of their career. “To have this chance is for the community and for everyone that looks like us … To continue to wave the rainbow flag super high, and serve you big Slaysian energy in occupying Hedwig and the Angry Inch, it’s going to be charged with such celebration of being who you are. That’s my purpose as an artist.”

Beyond Hedwig, the future is bright and full of possibility. Moore adopts what they call a “Cardi B mentality”: “You gotta do it all!”

Hedwig and the Angry Inch will be staged as part of the Adelaide Festival from February 18 to March 15, 2025, with Melbourne and Sydney dates to be announced.

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