We’re nearly 20 percent of the way through the 21st century, and we’ve yet to see a stage or film musical that’s as glorious as John Cameron Mitchell and Steven Trask’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch. The story – about a young East German who undergoes a botched sex change operation to emigrate to the United States and becomes a glam rock performer – was ahead of its time in its treatment of queer and transgender issues. And the songs – steeped in early punk and glam – are just so damn good. Hedwig has become something of a holy text for freaks, geeks, losers and queers, so seeing it on the big screen with an audience of fans should make for a transcendent moment when the follow-the-bouncing-wig scene happens. Lift up your hands.
