The character of Hedwig was inspired by a German divorced U.S. Army wife who was Mitchell's family babysitter and moonlighted as a prostitute at her trailer park home in Junction City, Kansas.

The music is steeped in the androgynous 1970s glam rock style of David Bowie (who co-produced the Los Angeles production of the show), as well as the work of John Lennon and early punk performers Lou Reed and Iggy Pop.

The setlists of Hedwig's first gigs included many covers with lyrics rewritten by Mitchell to tell Hedwig's story: Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well"; Television's "See No Evil"; Wreckless Eric's "Whole Wide World"; Yoko Ono's "Death of Samantha"; Pere Ubu's "Non-Alignment Pact"; Cher's "Half Breed"; David Bowie's "Boys Keep Swinging"; Mott the Hoople's "All the Young Dudes"; and the Velvet Underground's "Femme Fatale."

It was for this occasion that Mike Potter first designed Hedwig's trademark wig, which was initially constructed from toilet paper rolls wrapped with synthetic blond hair.

[5] Mitchell, Trask, and the band Cheater (Jack Steeb, Chris Wielding, Dave McKinley, and Scott Bilbrey) continued to workshop material at venues such as Fez Nightclub and Westbeth Theater Center for four years before premiering the completed musical Off-Broadway in 1998.

"[9] The concept of the stage production is that the audience is watching genderqueer rock singer Hedwig Robinson's musical act as she follows rockstar Tommy Gnosis' (much more successful) tour around the country.

Raised by an emotionally distant single mother after her father, an American soldier, abandoned the family, Hansel takes solace in her love of western rock music.

However, the operation is botched, and Hansel's surgically constructed vagina heals closed, leaving Hedwig with a dysfunctional one-inch mound of flesh between her legs, "with a scar running down it like a sideways grimace on an eyeless face" ("Angry Inch").

Hedwig recovers from the separation by creating a more glamorous, feminine identity for herself ("Wig in a Box") and forming a rock band she calls The Angry Inch.

Hedwig befriends the brother of a child she babysits, shy and misunderstood Christian teenager Tommy Speck, who is fascinated by a song she writes with him in mind ("Wicked Little Town").

Parodying The Hurt Locker Hedwig explains that a musical version of the story only ran for a single night before closing during intermission, and that she has convinced a producer to let her perform in what would otherwise be an empty stage.

Actors who played Hedwig in this Off-Broadway production included Michael Cerveris, Donovan Leitch, Ally Sheedy, Kevin Cahoon, Asa Somers,[12] and Matt McGrath.

[citation needed] The show was also performed at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2015 at Greenside @ Royal Terrace by young company A Wicked Little Town with a positive reception.

[20] In April 2022 a revival starring Divina de Campo as Hedwig and Elijah Ferreira as Yitzhak, directed by Jamie Fletcher opened at the Leeds Playhouse before transferring to HOME, Manchester.

The same production reopened in São Paulo on August 26, 2011, and ran until October 16, 2011, for a total of 25 performances, now with actors Pierre Baitelli and Felipe Carvalhido playing Hedwig.

Winner of Best Actor (Pierre Baitelli and nominated for Best Production (Oz), Best Director (Evandro Mesquita), and Best Actress (Eline Porto) at the Prêmio Arte Qualidade Brasil.

In March 2023 it was announced by the actor Gustavo Essbich that he will be playing on a limited run the titular role of Hedwig and Tuany Aveline as Yitzhak.

In Vancouver, Hoarse Raven Theatre's production, directed by Michael Fera, opened April 4 featuring Greg Armstrong-Morris as Hedwig and Meghan Gardiner as Yitzhak, and was held over until June 7.

A new production premiered in Bremen on June 19, 2014 Cologne[28][29] Berlin Hamburg Frankfurt Bremen Sven Ratzke brought the Berlin production to The Netherlands in 2014 and in 2022 for a tour In May 2020, Hedwig and the Angry Inch was planned to make its Israeli premiere at the Cinema City Theatre, in Hebrew and with Roi Dolev as Hedwig, and featuring wigs by original Broadway wig designer Mike Potter.

[46] The production then went on tour in Israel in the summer of 2021, followed by an official opening night on June 8, 2022, at the Cinema City Theater,[47] and moved to Beit Hahayal in 2023.

[53] After 3 years, in 2012, Hedwig got a new opportunity, starting September 28, at Zepp DiverCity Tokyo, with Mirai Moriyama in the lead, and the lyrics translated by Shikao Suga.

[citation needed] The Turkish premiere was in 2016 in Istanbul featuring Yilmaz Sutcu as Hedwig and Ayse Gunyuz as Yitzhak, with direction by Baris Arman at Kazan Dairesi.

[61] Directed by Peter Askin and starring Kevin Cahoon as Hedwig and Cory Waletzko as Yitzhak, the show's official opening date was September 28, 1999.

[67] A San Francisco production at Boxcar Theatre in summer 2012 featured twelve actors, male and female and of multiple ethnicities, portraying Hedwig in each show.

After a successful 2013 run and a New Year's Eve performance, Roxy Theatricals presented the production from January 17 to February 1, 2014, at The Legacy Theatre in Springfield, IL.

This production starred Clark Destin Jones as Hedwig; the role of Yitzhak was played by Anne Terze-Schwartz and Emma Rebecca Maxfield during different segements of the run.

[86][87] A national tour of the 2014 Broadway production began at San Francisco's Golden Gate Theatre on October 4, 2016, starring Darren Criss as Hedwig and Lena Hall as Yitzhak respectively.

In addition to songs from Hedwig, the show also includes numbers from Mitchell's musical podcast Anthem: Homunculus, their film How to Talk to Girls at Parties, and covers from artists such as David Bowie.

[97] Instead of a conventional transgender narrative that looks at an individual's account of gender dysphoria, Hedwig and the Angry Inch focuses on the main character's journey of finding love "by looking within.

"Follow My Voice: With the Music of Hedwig", a documentary about the making of the "Wig in a Box" benefit cd, profiled students from the Harvey Milk School.