For the consummate rock 'n' roll bands, playing music live is a matter of theatrics. Whether it's the frontman's purposeful strut, the personality clashes between members that drive the group to work twice as hard, or even things falling apart because they've soaked up too much of their backstage stash pre-show, memorable acts make their performances more dazzling than just a note-for-note rendition of their recordings. The biggest spark in Hedwig and the Angry Inch's burner is that the John Cameron Mitchell-penned musical makes theater into rock 'n' roll. And by that I mean it's one of the few plays that can drag the asses of rockers into the seats, by touching on a history of great, theatrical glam rock (most obviously acts like Bowie, Brian Eno, and the New York Dolls) that they can easily relate to. It's one of the first (and few) musicals I've ever liked because it feels a lot like a rock show--when I first saw it years ago in L.A., I remembered more about the awesome glittery costumes and spectacular rock numbers than much about the plot. (Around the same time I saw Hedwig, I saw what's probably my favorite piece of rock theater ever, a hilarious story loosely based on Guns N' Roses called White Trash Wins Lotto. I wish that disappeared gem would get revived.)

Although this isn't its first run in Seattle, I implore all you rock 'n' roll types to check out our local Hedwig, going on now at Re-bar (where you can grab a drink during the performance, just like at rock shows). Running Thursdays through Saturdays and starting at 8:00 p.m. --so you can even catch another rock show later that same night--the play casts Nick Garrison as Hedwig, the sparkling German diva with a botched crotch. His backing band of "Eastern Block rockers" includes members of a couple different local groups--Downpilot's Paul Hiraga and Ruston Mire's John Hollis, among others, as well as the wicked voice of Bhama Roget, whose petite frame belies her gigantic voice. The star of the show, though, is of course Garrison, a former jazz singer/music student who has been embodying Hedwig in three different cities--San Francisco, Chicago, and Seattle--for the past four years. "This production is more rock-oriented than other productions I've been in," he told me over the phone, after taking a minute to finish shaving his legs. "It's still a theater piece but it's much more about the music. And because of where it is, being in Re-bar and having more of a rock-club feel, it can appeal to [more music] people." If you call yourself a lover of theatrical rock in its myriad forms, Hedwig is a little stack of Sunset Strip dynamite right here in Seattle.

And one quick plug for Live Eye TV. The new cable-access show featuring cool local and national acts alike premiers Wednesday, June 16, at 8:30 p.m. on SCAN TV channels 77 and 29 (www.liveeyetv.org).

jennifer@thestranger.com