Monday, November 24, 2003 marked the fourth annual benefit for Nevada Theatre Company at House of Blues. In past years, Nevada Theatre Company has showcased "Circus Freaks", a side venture performed by various talent from the Las Vegas Strip shows- most of them from Cirque du Soliel. Circus Freaks was created by Christopher Childers, a dance coach for "O" and Mystere.

This year, Nevada Theatre Company changed things up a bit. The benefit, dubbed "The Girlie Boys and the 3 Ring Cabaret" featured a stunning performance of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, starring Marcus Weiss of Blue Man Group, Amy Carelli of Jupiter Shifter, and local band Pilot to Orion as "The Angry Inch". The 3 Ring Cabaret was an amazing musical display of talent put on by Uberschall, featuring musicians from Blue Man Group, as well as performers from some major strip production shows such as Les Foiles Bergere, Mystere, Jubilee, "O", and Celine Dione's show, A New Day.

The audience at House of Blues this night was not a full capacity crowd- but the enthusiasm of those that attended more than made up for that. There were all types in attendance. Audience members dressed in everything from business suits to feather boas, even a couple of girls sporting elaborate showgirl feather head-dresses.

When the doors opened at 10:30, music was being provided by the fabulous DJ Love. Hypnotic dance beats filled the club as people began to arrive. The show started sometime around 11:30 pm when Pilot to Orion took the stage, performing several songs. Their performance was punctuated by a very lively song and dance routine by keyboardist Joe Brailsford.

Pilot to Orion then remained onstage, announcing, "Ok.. Now we are The Angry Inch." The audience applauded wildly as the flamboyant Marcus Weiss, aka Hedwig, made his way through the crowd and onto the stage, wrapped in a full length acid-washed denim cape. "Don't you know me baby?", he cried. "I'm the new Berlin Wall. Try and tear ME Down!" The crowd roared, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch launched into a powerful rendition of "Tear Me Down."



To those not familiar with Hedwig and The Angry Inch, the story takes you on a musical journey through the life of Hedwig Schmidt, once a girlie boy from communist East Berlin, who suffered a botched sex change operation, leaving him with a one inch mound of flesh- the angry inch. Hedwig sets out to find his "other half". As well as love, acceptance and inner peace.

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