Character Bio's
Hedwig:
Hedwig is the main character in John Cameron Mitchell's "Hedwig and the Angry Inch". Shes an East Berlin transgendered woman, living and performing with her punk rock band "The angry inch". Throughout the play/film we follow her on her quest for identity, learning about her past, and how she grew up in East Berlin during the time of the Berlin wall with her atheist mother who still found Hitler to be her one true source for inspiration. The reason behind her bands name "The angry inch" comes from her very own "angry inch" of sorts. This is a reference to the botched sex-change operation she received months prior to the fall of the berlin wall, in order to try to get away with leaving the country. Her plan was to marry Luther her "sugar daddy" in order to legally leave Berlin. There was one problem, she was still physically a male, despite the fact that she had been dressing and identifying as a female for many years. Her mothers quote "To be free, one must give up a part of one's self" explains exactly what Hedwig went through in order to marry Luther and try to leave. Much to Hedwig's despair, after receiving her botched sex-change operation that left her with a "barbie-doll crotch", the Berlin wall fell and Luther left her for another man. This gives much meaning to the saying "Hindsight is 20/20". Hedwig leaves all of that behind her and moves on to America.
Hedwig meets Tommy Gnosis while babysitting one day and introduces him into her band. They begin to fall in love, She sees tommy as her "other half", the one who will complete her as predetermined in Plato's Symposium. Until one day, in a passionate embrace, Tommy discovers that Hedwig isn't a female at all. He leaves her, steals all of her songs and becomes famous. Hedwig decides to Tour the country with the Angry inch, singing all of her original songs despite the fact that Tommy Gnosis is now a major rockstar who is touring the country with her stolen songs. We follow Hedwig on a journey of self discovery, she wants to know why we still crave the presence of another person in our lives despite all of the rejection and heartbreak we experience throughout life. Her song"The Origin of Love" is born, and she takes that song as her own religion. She believes we are all on a constant journey searching for our other halves and we will not be happy until we find them.
Hedwig meets Tommy Gnosis while babysitting one day and introduces him into her band. They begin to fall in love, She sees tommy as her "other half", the one who will complete her as predetermined in Plato's Symposium. Until one day, in a passionate embrace, Tommy discovers that Hedwig isn't a female at all. He leaves her, steals all of her songs and becomes famous. Hedwig decides to Tour the country with the Angry inch, singing all of her original songs despite the fact that Tommy Gnosis is now a major rockstar who is touring the country with her stolen songs. We follow Hedwig on a journey of self discovery, she wants to know why we still crave the presence of another person in our lives despite all of the rejection and heartbreak we experience throughout life. Her song"The Origin of Love" is born, and she takes that song as her own religion. She believes we are all on a constant journey searching for our other halves and we will not be happy until we find them.
Tommy Speck/Gnosis:
When we are first introduced to this character he is known as Tommy speck, a small town son of a commander of a near-by army fort. Tommy is a rebellious boy, a self described "Jesus freak" who despite being a devout christian, has much trouble grasping the concept of organized religion. Tommy seeks refuge in Hegwig after they randomly meet as Hedwig babysits for his family. She teaches him what it is to be a rockstar, what its like to be free and in doing this she also seeks refuge in him. Tommy becomes Hedwigs world and she believes he is the other half shes been searching for. The topic of the old testament comes up one day as Tommy is trying himself, to understand the meaning of love. He explains how Eve comes from the rib of Adam and becomes her own person, yet she always feels as if part of her is still within Adam. The tree of knowledge bears the forbidden apple and one day Eve gives Adam the give of knowledge by letting him bite the apple. Hedwig's version of giving Tommy a bite of the apple is to give him his new name "Tommy Gnosis", meaning "knowledge" in Latin. At this point she paints a silver cross on his forehead which Tommy then uses as a symbol for the rest of his career. Tommy eventually leaves Hedwig in a tragic sort of way, he takes all of the knowledge she has given him and creates a new life for himself as a rockstar. He serves his purpose, Hedwig learns from her mistakes and becomes a free person because of him.
"Eve just wanted to know shit. She took a bite of the apple,and she found out what was good and what was evil. Then she gave it to Adam, so he would know, because they were in love"
- Tommy Gnosis "Hedwig and the Angry Inch"
"Eve just wanted to know shit. She took a bite of the apple,and she found out what was good and what was evil. Then she gave it to Adam, so he would know, because they were in love"
- Tommy Gnosis "Hedwig and the Angry Inch"
The Angry Inch
Hedwigs band comprised of herself, Tommy Gnosis and 4 other gender bending misfits. Together they play venues, shocking everyone they come in contact with. Helping other people who feel as if they have no real place in this world, feel like that belong to something. They are moreso a movement than a rockband and Hedwig makes sure everyone knows it. After Tommy Gnosis leaves the band, they stay together touring the country playing small venues on a Trail Tommy Gnosis has left for them trying to get the acknowledgment and recognition they deserve.
