Casting is everything in Bowtie Productions’ ambitious stab at John Cameron Mitchell’s iconic rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch. It’s a deceptively difficult piece, the smallness of its two-actor/one-act structure placing immense pressure on the performers who have to carry exceptionally dense material with relentless energy and barely a few moments, if any, offstage. In full drag (how high are those heels? Too high to measure), to say nothing of Stephen Trask’s wild score and the belted high notes it demands. Ambition is sort of Bowtie’s whole thing but, still, Hedwig is a brazen programming move and the company should be able to dine out for years on how well they’ve pulled it off.

Staged in Theatre Passe Muraille’s mainspace with echoey sound that unfortunately swallows some of Mitchell’s cutting jokes and key exposition, Bowtie’s Hedwig is raucous and cathartic. Director Meredith Shedden overcomplicates a little by adding an unnecessary second set, and the lost exposition and very difficult accents don’t do any favours to the clarity of the detailed backstory and nuanced interpersonal dynamics. But, even if not every word of Mitchell’s spectacular script is decipherable, the heart of the piece is in excellent hands.

Jessie James’ performance in the title role is dazzling and acerbic but never distant, their superb upper register sending the rock star’s biggest notes soaring and letting the quieter moments simmer in beautiful sadness. Luca McPhee, quickly becoming one of my favourite performers in Toronto, is the perfect complement to James as put-upon husband Yitzhak. McPhee’s quiet sincerity in the supporting role gives James a ton of space centre stage and their star power in the eleven o’clock number throws that dynamic into heart-wrenching question as the audience confronts the oppressive side of James’ hurt and hurting Hedwig.

Shedden’s production doesn’t shy away from the text’s contradictions and frustrations, allowing the audience a clear view of the goodness and badness in everyone and everything, the essential messiness that makes Hedwig such an enthralling and challenging piece. Music director Ethan Rotenberg and the band (Michael Ippolito, Steven John Dale, Nazariy Zymbovych) strike the right balance of rock intensity and ‘Hedwig tells this story Every Night’ indifference and they sound great on Trask’s hardcore score. Niall Durcan’s light and Parker Merlihan’s sound designs are overwhelming in an effective way, except for the annoying reverb that swallows so many lines; the addition of projections (designed by Alex Grozdanis) adds visual interest and helpful detail but could be taken much further.

All in all, Bowtie’s Hedwig is a winner. It’s the kind of programming you can only pull off with the right talent on board and it seems that Bowtie’s got a great eye for stars. Every theatre company with staying power has that key trait in common so I’m excited to watch as this still-young group continues to come into their own.