Hedwig and the Angry Inch musical comes to Hong Kong with a modern Cantonese update

The musical, which follows scarred genderqueer singer Hedwig on tour, has dropped the original glam rock and will be in Cantonese

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Jordan Cheng (left), translator and lead performer for the Hong Kong adaptation of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, sings with Kira Chang, who plays his husband, in the genderqueer musical at a prelude event in April. Photo: Kent Foran/West Kowloon Cultural District Authority

Published: 3:15pm, 22 Apr 2025Updated: 6:51pm, 23 Apr 2025

Corrected [6:54pm, 22 Apr, 2025]

[6:54pm, 22 Apr, 2025]
A previous version of this story incorrectly identified Vivian Chan Wai-lui.
[6:50pm, 23 Apr, 2025]
The post-show party ends at 10pm, not 11pm.

In 1998, the American composer and lyricist Stephen Trask paired up with writer and actor John Cameron Mitchell to come up with a groundbreaking rock musical loosely inspired by a German babysitter and prostitute who worked in a small city in the US state of Kansas.

The multi-award winning Hedwig and the Angry Inch has since toured the world, with its genderqueer protagonist winning over fans with her story of longing, trauma, departed identities and self-discovery.

Born “Hansel” in communist East Berlin, Hedwig is full of scars, both figurative (traumatised by past abusive lovers) and literal (a botched sex-change operation that gave her a one-inch flesh mound between her legs).

The story follows Hedwig on tour as she stalks her ex-lover and nemesis – a much more successful musician who was disgusted by Hedwig’s “inch”.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch’s creative director Ivanhoe Lam (left), and lead actor and script translator Jordan Cheng. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Now, a Cantonese version of Hedwig is coming to Hong Kong, and its creators promise to stay true to the original’s spirit while giving the American tale a local context.