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I saw the Hedwig tour last night in Pittsburgh, and since I haven’t seen many comments about Euan’s Hedwig, I thought I’d write down a few thoughts.
First, I will say that, as many of you know, I am huge Darren fan. His Hedwig will always be my favorite. Since most of my followers are also Darren fans, I feel like many of you will be curious about how Euan compares to Darren. I don’t want to dwell on that because I feel each performer really brings something different to the role and both are valid, but I will say that Darren remains my favorite, so there’s that. :)
Euan has a great voice! Wonderful quality and tone. His phrasing is quite good. He sounds like a trained singer, but not overly so (meaning, he still sounds like a punk rocker). He sang the score as written, rather than what some of us became accustomed to with Darren and the way he played with the notes on the page. Euan always seemed comfortable with the score and in command of the role.
As many of you might have already seen, he looks wonderful in the costume and makeup. He works with the costume--it doesn’t overshadow him.
His performance of the non-Hedwig characters are more subdued than what I’ve seen with past Hedwigs. He’s not trying to make the different voices/characters into caricatures in any way. His “Mother” character felt the most genuine that I’ve seen and the German accent he uses for her sounds pretty legitimate. His Luther voice sounds very similar to previous Hedwigs (if not a bit more gravelly) and it works. His Tommy sounds more mature than a teenager. He doesn’t really do the “awkward teenager” thing. Instead, his Tommy is more confident and brazen--a rebel who is pissed off at his parents and the world. He does play Tommy as confused and ignorant of the world, but not “awkward” or “embarrassed.” The “love the front of me” scene remains one of the most powerful moments onstage.
Euan’s Hedwig is far funnier and sillier than any I have ever seen. She was nearly dorky at times. Whenever she did any “sexy” choreography (i.e. thrusting the stage floor), she did so with a funny face. She seemed to be “playing sexy” for the audience rather than for herself.
Euan’s Hedwig is an entertainer. She is sweet and charming and cute, which is not a word I would have used for Hedwig until now. She, more so than other Hedwigs, has a need to please the audience. It feels as though everything she does is for the audience. It’s as if she’s saying, “did you like that? What can I do to make you laugh/applaud/scream for me?”
There were some really sweet moments between Yitzhak and Hedwig (a lot of tenderness with giving Hedwig water, etc.). Euan’s Hedwig did not come across as cruel and mean to Yitzhak as other Hedwigs. After “The Long Grift,” Hedwig’s “thank you” to Yitzhak felt very genuine.
The one critical comment I have about Euan’s performance is that he doesn’t lean into the emotional moments until after “Wig in a Box.” Everything before then is very much the “charming entertainer,” and I think he misses connecting to some of those more emotional moments. After “Wig in a Box,” and certainly post-”Exquisite Corpse,” he really shines and we get there.
His “Midnight Radio” felt almost as though we were watching Euan, and not Hedwig. I wonder what his interpretation is for WLTR into MR because it felt very much like I was watching the actor rather than the character. He dropped Hedwig’s accent, too. The performance still made me emotional, but I wonder about the interpretation. (Note: we did get silence after WLTR--my favorite thing!)
For “Sugar Daddy,” Euan did the carwash, he sprawled on someone’s lap, and then did the kiss. No glasses licking or face licking. He asked the guy he kissed if he’d gone to the show with the guy sitting next to him, and he said yes. Hedwig then asked, “in a special way?” And again, the guys said yes. Hedwig was disappointed because she wanted to get with the kissee and now she felt she couldn’t. It was cute.
Generally, Euan was good at improvising with the audience. He also added “fuck” a lot. Like all the time. Might have been the most “fucks” I’ve heard improvised in the show.
I would also be remiss to not mention Hannah Corneau as Yitzhak, who absolutely kills it. She utilizes two distinct vocal flavors for the show: her more “feminine” register is sweet, high, and legato. She has that “Disney princess” sound. Her more “masculine” sound is rough and belty and sounds fantastic. I really enjoyed her performance.
Also, random info: I happened to be sitting in front of a group of folks who are friends with Matt Duncan and they said that everyone in Tits of Clay really loves Euan and thinks he’s the funniest of the Hedwigs. Apparently, they break character a lot and start laughing onstage.
Also, Jonathan Groff was in the audience. I didn’t go and talk to him, but I overheard him speaking with a friend, and he said he really really loves the show. Hrm....Jon Groff as Hedwig sometime maybe please?
That’s all I have for now, but if you have questions, send them to my box and I will try to answer!
nickonesko: When your best bud is also Hedwig and you get to see it front row center. And also get to makeout with him. Thank you, @masonalexanderpark for truly a life changing experience. Your brilliance and genius still freak me out; I'm just happy to be along for the ride. Congrats, my love. 💜👄💁🏼 #hedwigandtheangryinch #hedwigtour #groupie
paul_mcgill_: @masonalexanderpark is breaking records right and left: first understudy in this production, youngest Hedwig in history, got the quick change in one try. Not to mention the wit of a 45 year old woman... THE WIT! Watch and learn, people!! We are so lucky.
