As beloved as Hedwig and the Angry Inch has become since it debuted off-Broadway in 1998, John Cameron Mitchell's story is not without its issues. In the program notes for ArtsWest's current production of the show, director Eddie DeHais mentions many of them, writing, "Stories like Hedwig were largely responsible for keeping me closeted. And surgery? Forget it. Trans bodies were horrifying and surgery was an atrocity, a perversion, a mutilation, and, most importantly, destined to fail." So why did DeHais—who medically transitioned at the same age the fictional Hedwig did—agree to direct ArtsWest's run of the show? They credit star Nicholas Japaul Bernard. And after catching a weekend matinee recently, it's easy to understand why. Bernard's performance is electrifying. His Hedwig—who is Black, queer, and disabled—is complicated, contradictive, and unlikable at times (be nicer to Yitzhak!). But you'll cheer for him all the while, as his powerful vulnerability balances the bitterness. And speaking of Yitzhak, at ArtsWest Bernard is joined by the immensely talented Kataka Corn (who played a perfect Dorothy in the 5th Avenue Theater's production of The Wiz last year, btw). Your entire body will tingle with goosebumps when they appear during the "Midnight Radio" finale. by Megan Seling