"There’s no heels in the show and I don’t have to tuck, so I’ve got my angry inch,” says Seth Drabinsky of how easily he transforms for his lead role in Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

Pre-Hedwig, Drabinsky was earning his bachelor of music in opera performance, and before that he was “a musical- theatre geek in high school in Winnipeg. I used to go to HMV and peruse the musicals section. I was still in the closet and saw this CD with a drag queen on the cover. I fell in love with the songs but didn’t know much about the show. But I knew I wanted to do it.”

Drabinsky was persuaded to star in a Vancouver production. “At first I was reluctant because opera and Hedwig are so far apart, except for the diva part.” The show was a hit, a hit again at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival, and Drabinsky has now been channelling the role for four years in a rock ’n’ roll–style tour. “It’s a rock concert during which you get the story,” he explains. “Until the end, with the crucifixion and resurrection. There’s no fourth wall. It’s great where I can reach out and touch them. Once I have the makeup, wig and costume, it’s pretty well there. And when you throw in an audience . . . The songs are some of the best you can ask for.”

Drabinsky refuses to see Hedwig as a “tranny on the stage” show; he believes the theme resonates with everyone. “It’s about the search for love. You have to love yourself for who you are. Love is not within someone else; it’s in you. And once you find that you’ll become whole.”

Hedwig and the Angry Inch runs Wed, Jan 9–Sun, Jan 27 at the Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St W. breathefeellove.com

Review of Hedwig and the Angry Inch