Hedwig and The Angry Inch presented by Haven Chicago at The Den Theatre

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...It’s a riotously fun time, and Smith in particular—a celebrated writer-director-performer in their own right—works the crowd with devil-may-care insouciance and quick improvisational chops, occasionally dropping in references to institutions of queer Chicago life like Steamworks."

Chicago Theatre Review - Recommended

"...Haven Chicago has announced that it will cease production after Hedwig closes. Hedwig and the Angry Inch also happens to be the first show they produced when they opened ten years ago. While it’s always sad when a local theater company closes, I can’t think of a more fitting curtain call than this story about the power of art to help us survive anything."

Buzz Center Stage - Highly Recommended

"...Hedwig and the Angry Inch, a sometimes raunchy, sometimes heartbreaking rock-and-roll musical now playing with Haven at the Den Theatre in the heart of Wicker Park, is so much more. At its core, Hedwig is an inspirational search for identity, for acceptance, and ultimately, for finding one’s own voice."

Third Coast Review - Somewhat Recommended

"...Centered on Hedwig's experience as the subject of botched gender-reassignment surgery, the themes of the show go beyond gender to examine the human search for identity and wholeness—our shared quest for recognition, love and acceptance. Through its humor, heartbreak and rock-and-roll spirit, this production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch perhaps resonates even more today than when it was first produced 30 years ago."

Chicago On Stage - Recommended

"...Haven came in with Hedwig and goes out with Hedwig, and if anything the play’s themes—self-discovery, identity, and (of course) love—are even more important today than eleven years ago. Today’s world, fueled by hatred and lack of compassion, is not the same one we had in 2013. Even with the main character’s self-loathing, Hedwig and the Angry Inch confronts those societal evils head-on. The confrontation changes both Hedwig and Yitzhak, and it ends with a plea to “lift up your hands” to celebrate the duality of life and its capacity for healing. Zeus may have violently separated us, but everyone has the potential to find love and self."

NewCity Chicago - Recommended

"...Essentially, “Hedwig” is a rock opera, centering Hedwig Schmidt (Smith), who underwent a botched sex-change operation before immigrating to the United States from Germany. After a falling out with her musical partner, Hedwig tours alone with her songs. That’s where we meet the Germanic icon, on stage in a building near her now-rockstar ex-boyfriend’s mega concert."