<P> Hedwig and the Angry Inch premiered Off - Broadway at the Jane Street Theatre on February 14, 1998, and closed on April 9, 2000, after 857 performances . Direction was by Peter Askin and musical staging by Jerry Mitchell, with Hedwig initially played by John Cameron Mitchell and Yitzhak played by Miriam Shor . The theater was located in the ballroom of the Hotel Riverview, which once housed the surviving crew of the Titanic (a fact which figured in the original production). </P> <P> Actors who played Hedwig in this Off - Broadway production included Michael Cerveris, Donovan Leitch, Ally Sheedy, Kevin Cahoon, Asa Somers, and Matt McGrath . </P> <P> This production won the Obie Award, 1998 Special Citations for Stephen Trask and the casts and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off - Broadway Musical . </P> <P> Hedwig opened in the West End at the Playhouse Theatre on Sept. 19, 2000 and closed on November 4, 2000, with Michael Cerveris . </P>

When does hedwig and the angry inch take place