Lena Hall
Through October 30 - Hedwig and the Angry Inch at the Golden Gate. 15 years after I saw the movie version of Hedwig I knew I finally wanted to see it on stage, and I knew I wanted to see it on one of the handful of nights that the extraordinary Lena Hall steps into Hedwig's high-heel boots (normally she plays Yitzhak, the role she won the Tony for). What I didn't plan for is that the night I would buy my ticket for would be the same as the third and final presidential debate, that I would go straight to the show after watching Clinton kick major ass against a certain walking turd emoji, and that I would be in tears at the end of Hedwig as Hall strips down to nothing more than a pair of leather shorts in a moment of transcendent vulnerability and power. Seeing a cis woman as genderqueer Hedwig, a role created by John Cameron Mitchell and traditionally played by a man, has its moments of cognitive dissonance for someone as familiar with the script and story as I am, but Hall is such a consummate professional and so completely embodies the part that ultimately I was able to enjoy the confusion. After all Hedwig is no straightforward character, pun absolutely intended. The story still pushes boundaries these many decades after it was initially written, though it's gratifying to note some of the major ways the world has caught up to Hedwig. We'll see where we're at in another 15 years.