Hedwig and the Angry Inch starring Seann Miley Moore opens with unapologetic pride at Adelaide Festival

Seann Miley Moore had to discard everything they had learned about live performance to embrace their latest role. A seasoned performer, they have starred in musicals such as "The King and I" and "Miss Saigon," graced the stages of small bars, and appeared on reality shows including the UK's X Factor, The Voice Australia, and Eurovision - Australia Decides.

Now, they are set to play Hedwig in the rock musical "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" at this year's Adelaide Festival, before the show tours to Melbourne and Sydney. Over the past decade, Moore has cultivated a distinct stage presence. The role of Hedwig offers an opportunity for transformation.

"It's so good to shed everything," they said. "It's about honoring the text and honoring Hedwig." The award-winning musical, which premiered Off-Broadway in 1998, tells the story of Hedwig, a rock singer who flees East Berlin for the United States in the late 80s, only to be forced into a surgery that leaves them without their reproductive organs. Determined to find their soulmate, Hedwig ultimately learns to love themself during the performance.

This new production, co-directed by Dino Dimitriadis and Shane Anthony ("The Inheritance"), and starring non-binary actor and singer Adam Noviello, features an entirely queer creative team. It marks the first Australian revival of the show since 2008, after a planned 2020 production, starring cisgender actor Hugh Sheridan ("Packed to the Rafters"), was canceled following backlash.

That controversy ignited a deeper conversation, one that has been rippling through the arts industry, about the need for authentic casting. "We need more queer stories… we have a lot to say," Moore said. "We are full of love, full of soul. I have a powerful voice. I'm here, baby."

For Dimitriadis, the cultural landscape has shifted dramatically since the controversy that canceled the 2020 production, including in terms of trans visibility. "To be able to stage 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch' in 2025 and tell this story is amazing," they said. "The way we've approached casting and the team reflects the world now." "It really celebrates the two extraordinary performers we have, who happen to be genderqueer, but are also exceptional artists, and have the opportunity to take on this story."

Moore was introduced to John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask's "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" by drag queen Gingzilla, who showed them the song "The Origin of Love," which draws on Plato's Symposium and the idea that early humans were split in two and are forever searching for their other half.

Moore recalled, "I wanted to fall in love. I needed that person to complete me." They said, "I realized you have to love yourself. Once you work on loving yourself, people see you're comfortable and then the love comes." Dimitriadis recalled being "shaken" by the 2001 film adaptation, written, directed, and starring the show's creator.

"At its heart is an incredible story about a person trying to find their place in the world and trying to reinvent themselves," Dimitriadis said. "I just love the character because they go through a life… they persevere." "And, Hedwig is so talented. They're a star. That's part of the story that people can connect to, that you have all the ambition, but you're also just trying to get through each day."

The story of Hedwig learning how to love themself is what Dimitriadis connected with and what spurred them to want to bring the story to Australian stages. The show fits into the kind of stories the director has been trying to tell throughout their nearly 20-year career, those that advocate for queer and gender-diverse representation. Perhaps the best example of their efforts is "Overflow," which in 2022 became the first mainstage production in Australia to be made by an all-trans and gender-diverse creative team.

"I want to put representation on stage, so that people with lived experience can actually see themselves reflected in our art," they said. "It's about creating pathways for voices that have historically been excluded from our storytelling."

The Australian premiere of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" comes at a time when transgender rights are under threat around the world. Since President Donald Trump's return to power in the US in January, he has signed a series of executive orders relating to transgender people, including banning transgender people from serving in the military, blocking transgender girls and women from participating in women's sports, and only recognizing two genders, male and female, which cannot be changed.

He has also ended federal funding for gender-affirming healthcare for people under the age of 19. Queensland also announced a pause on state funding for gender-affirming healthcare for people under the age of 18 last month. "We've been here before," Dimitriadis said. "When things get unstable, those trying to hold onto power attack those in our community who are easy to make a threat."

"We know how to survive. We can look back at history and see how this cycles." They see bringing "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" to the mainstage as an opportunity for audiences to connect – not just with the character, but with each other. "We live in a time where we've become so disconnected from each other," Dimitriadis said. "I think we're yearning to come together with people we may not know and feel deep emotions, like unbridled joy."

"That's very different from just debating opinions online or debating people's identities as categories. Identity labels don't allow people to sit side by side and have a conversation." "In this moment, we need to yearn for connection and community." Moore is excited to have the opportunity to "shock the masses" by bringing the bold story of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" into a traditional theater setting.

"These stories need to be told in this most colorful, rock 'n' roll, blonde, punk, powerful way that is in your face and unapologetic," they said. "This show is a beacon of queer liberation, queer celebration, and queer spirit." "It's about reclaiming your story with all your might and pride and becoming who you're meant to be."