Arts & Entertainment

Genius No More

By Alan Scherstuhl 

A correction to every other piece you're likely to read about Steven Eubank, the young director, choreographer, actor and all-around musical-theater life force: He's not a wunderkind anymore. Or a prodigy. Or a child genius. Sure, he mustered his production of Rocky Horror just seconds after sperm met egg. But he's well into his 20s now, for God's sake, usually working multiple jobs at multiple theaters, mounting show after show that, unlike most independently staged musicals in this town, stay mounted once mounted. Unlike typical junior showoffs Brody Buster or Haley Joel Littlepants, Eubank has managed to keep the dream alive in adult life. As the novelty falls away, he achieves more. The latest achievement is this 10th-anniversary production of John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask's fan-fucking-tastic glam-trash musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, a welcome return to seediness for Eubank following last month's fun but wholesome I Love You, Your Perfect, Now Change. It's a strong brew of rock and drama and a sharp, half-clothed Eubank cast. This time, the ensemble is headed by multitalented heartthrob Justin Van Pelt. He stars, as he damn well should, as the transgendered lead — an Easter European rock singer who, Mitchell claims, was inspired by a prostitute he knew as a teenager in Junction City, Kansas. Discover the origin of love tonight through March 23 at the Off Center Theatre on the third floor of Crown Center (2450 Grand, 816-842-9999). Off Center Theatre
Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Mon., March 10, 8 p.m.; Mon., March 17, 8 p.m. Starts: Feb. 29. Continues through March 23, 2008