Hedwig and the Angry Inch Mitchell/Trask  | Jungle Theater - 2008  | Photos: Michal Daniel & Ann Marsden

Hedwig’s Heart     - City Pages

“Usually when theater tries to take on rock, it tends not to (rock, that is), and when rock is infused with theater the result typically lacks the breadth and sophistication needed to tell a compelling story and generate real emotion.  This Hedwig, under Joel Sass’ direction, doesn’t succumb to either pitfall.  It’s brimming with focus and confidence and it plays on these strengths to give us a peek into the chaotic grandeur of the wide-open heart...The result is sexy, twisted, and moving... As Hedwig, Jairus Abts is magnetic from the start, in full makeup and aggressive blonde wig.  His Hedwig is in a reflective mood, with means all manner of inappropriate asides, flashes of cold clarity, and a deep, prevailing sadness that Abts allows in brief, opaque glimpses...”               

Hedwig rocks the Jungle         - Southwest Journal

“Director-designer Sass triumphs again!...Hedwig rocks the Jungle theater, which Sass has transformed into the ‘Red Fez Grill’, complete with “well hung” animal heads,neon beer signs, and an on-stage refrigerator for the generously flowing libations that lube up the band...”

Give her an inch       - St. Paul Pioneer Press

“A gender-bending, moody 90 minutes of screaming guitars, flying beer bottles and black velvet paintings...you can almost smell the cigarette smoke... If you go to the Jungle for scrupulously realized sets and close-up acting, you won’t be disappointed by Hedwig, a daring and welcome addition to the theater’s aesthetic... Director and set designer Joel Sass converts the Lyndale Avenue jewel box into the grimy Red Fez Grill, complete with Schlitz lamps, stuffed deer heads, and an antiquated jukebox that moans out tunes like ‘Big John’ and ‘Stand By Your Man’...  ”

Jungle wigs out in beautifully made Hedwig        - Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Director Joel Sass oversees a beautifully made production of the glam-rock powerhouse... His stage sense illuminates the story and its affecting climax...”