Catch Hedwig and the Angry Inch at The American (update: Piccolo performances announced)

Image by Wikipedia Here's the Hedwig movie trailer which will give you a better idea of what you're in for this weekend.

Update May 5: Hedwig and The Angry Inch returns for a triumphant Piccolo Spoleto 2011 run with Brian Porter (named Charleston's 'Most Drool-worthy Thespian' in City Paper's Best of 2010 issue) reprising his role as Hedwig, everyone's favorite transgendered, washed up rock 'n roll queen.

Joining the cast this summer is Charleston stage favorite Beth Curley (The 39 Steps, Bad Dates) as sidekick/roadie Yitzhak and of course The Angry Inch band led by What If? Music Director Alex Hennessey, also personal accompanist to Broadway legend Patti LuPone. The show is again directed by What If? Artistic Director Kyle Barnette (Bash, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee).

Tickets are on sale now for shows on May 28 and June 3 at 10 p.m. as well as May 31, June 6, 7 and 8 at 8 p.m. All performances will take place at The American Theatre.

Update August 13: The Charleston City Paper has posted a nice profile on What If? Productions, the brand new Charleston-based production company behind Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

Looking for a way to make a splash on the Charleston theater scene, Kyle Barnette and actor Brian Porter spearheaded What If? Productions and are super excited about their debut performance tonight at The American Theatre.

First reporting: Hedwig & the Angry Inch, the cult classic glam rock-musical with a heart, descends upon Charleston this weekend with two live performances at The American Theatre on August 13th and 14th.

The story centers around Hedwig, a transexual punk rock girl from East Berlin tours the US with her rock band as she tells her life story and follows the ex-boyfriend/bandmate, Tommy Gnosis, who stole her songs and rose to stardom.

The musical originally opened Off-Broadway in 1998 and has been performed throughout the world in hundreds of stage productions. The musical was made into a film in 2001 and won the Best Director and Audience Awards at the Sundance Film Festival, Best Directorial Debut from the National Board of Review, the Gotham Awards, and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.

Live performances feature a live rock band, a seriously awesome score, outrageous costumes, tons of laughs and a whole lot of heart.

General admission tickets are on sale now for $20 ($24 at the door) and $100 for VIP tickets that include a cocktail table for 4 with exclusive seating. A cash bar available to all patrons in the theater throughout the show.

For more information, click here.