The long-running, Off-Broadway hit, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which had its UK premiere last month, has announced an early closure. The musical, about a transsexual rock singer, opened at the West End's Playhouse Theatre on Sept. 19, following previews from Sept. 8. It had been booking to January 2001 but will now close on Nov. 4.

Hedwig is the third high-profile closure announced in the West End in the past week. The revival of The Seven Year Itch, starring Daryl Hannah at the Queen's Theatre, will close on Dec. 9 after nine weeks, while The Guardsman, starring Greta Scacchi and Michael Pennington at the Albery, will close on Oct. 28, just two weeks after its opening night.

Hedwig tells the darkly comic life story of the tortured and obscure performer Hedwig, as she performs a concert with her band, The Angry Inch. The show opened to rave reviews at New York's Jane Street Theatre in February 1998 and went on to win two Obie Awards and an Outer Critics Circle Award. At the beginning of this year, it looked as though the musical's time had expired when closing notices were posted for January. Remarkably, it received a new lease of life after a critic's eulogy published in the New York Times. It finally closed in New York on April 9 after 12 previews, 857 performances and more than two years.

The musical has a book by John Cameron Mitchell and music and lyrics by Stephen Trask. The West End production is directed by Peter Askin and stars Michael Cerveris. Cerveris' Broadway credits include Titanic and The Who's Tommy. He has also played Hedwig in both New York and Los Angeles. Other Hedwigs have included co-author Mitchell, who originated the role, and film star Ally Sheedy, who was the first woman to play the part.

No other production is yet scheduled for the Playhouse Theatre. For further information, contact the Playhouse box office on 011-44-20-7316 4747. -- By Terri Paddock
What's On Stage, London