Cooper LaMontagne, a UF musical theater junior with fire in his veins, didn't wait for permission or a big budget or someone else's stage. He built it himself. At twenty, he founded The Mountain Productions in 2024, turned it into a legit 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and launched it officially with this production in late February 2026. His ambition is clear and fierce: give young artists, students, and emerging talent the real space to create, to take risks, to lead on bold, meaningful stories without gatekeepers holding them back. He wants to elevate the local scene, champion diverse voices, produce professional-level work right here in Gainesville, and keep pushing the arts forward with more shows coming. This isn't some side project. This is a mission to make high-quality, accessible theatre happen, to let the next generation own the stage. And with Hedwig, he and his team didn't just meet that goal. They blew past it.
The show ran February 26 through 28 at The How Bazar, that intimate downtown spot holding just over 100 people, turned into a site-specific invented theatre that felt custom-made for this rock musical gut-punch. I had the first row with (and thanks for the invite) renowned, undeniable creative theatre artists Lauren Warhol Caldwell and Sara Morsey, who insisted THIS was one not to miss. As usual, they know things; they weren't kidding. I left a puddle of grateful, happy tears in that fairly comfortable plastic chair.
From the second you walked in, you're not in Hogtowne anymore. Jaylon Chiara as Yitzhak was already in it, never left character, pitch perfect from the moment I arrived. That commitment pulled you straight into the world. No half-measures. Then Ethan Garrepy took the stage as Hedwig. The Cosmos above straightened her glam and set a super-powered massive black hole-fueled quasar on fire. In practical terms, we call that a spotlight, lighting up a performance that was searing, precise, and emotionally wrenching in ways that stay with you. Ethan had incredible command of the character and the voice, owning every beat, every lyric, every raw nerve. Ethan didn't just play Hedwig, they lived her, embodying the anger, the humor, the heartbreak, the glamour, the defiance. There was this moment, that line about 'love the front of me too', and when Garrepy delivered it, the room went still, and frankly, it broke me. Completely gutted the place. I turned to survey the audience here; it was a sea of wet-eyed diamonds.
I've seen a lot of theatre. Wrecked me like nothing in years. The band was unreal. Outstanding doesn't cover it. Solid, real musicianship and genuine camaraderie. They could have walked off that stage and gotten a contract with any record company, no question. The sound of the band was magic, and that's almost an impossible thing to do in a space like that. You could hear everything, crystal clear, every guitar riff cutting through, every drum hit landing (and solid and tasteful and powerful, it was), every vocal soaring without mud or feedback or loss. The mix was perfect, balanced, powerful, intimate, all at once. Light design matched it, inventive and spot-on, using the site-specific setup to make the tiny venue feel massive and immersive. Shadows, strobes, colors that hit like emotional punches. The whole production used that room to its absolute advantage, turning closeness into intensity, making every glance, every tear, every shout feel personal. No distance. No escape. Just you and Hedwig's story, right there, where it matters.
The commitment to the material was as good as any show I've seen here, or frankly, Off-Broadway in NYC. No exaggeration. The spirit of Hedwig was alive and palpable, pulsing through every second. John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask's text and songs got treated with reverence and fire, never watered down, never phoned in. The humor landed sharp, the pain landed deeper, the anthems lifted the roof. It was queer storytelling at its most urgent, unapologetic, celebratory, resilient. Self-love wrapped in glam rock and hard truths.
In Gainesville, in this little sweet creative downtown collective spot, it felt revolutionary!
How Bazar support made this possible, opening their space to let a student-led nonprofit take big swings. Shout-out to them for believing in the vision. Even the smallest details shone. The printing of the program was brilliant, clean design, thoughtful layout. The supporting materials, posters, social graphics, the free mini-Sugar Daddy Tootsie Pop all carried real artistry, professional without being stuffy. Everything aligned. Hell, there was even the notable shout-out in the lyrics of Midnight Radio to Yoko Ono. I strangely never noticed this in previous productions, or even the film. A small note in a big symphony, but it seemed like this crew was aware in this small detail of Yoko's inspiration. I had to shout out during the applause, "Yes!" Yoko's as punk, courageous, provocative, and introspective as our species gets--no less than everything about this production, from inception to delivery, to the echoes beyond.
This production set a new bar for theatre in this town. Full stop. Young artists handling licensing, design, direction, performance, band, everything, and delivering at this level? It's rare. It's inspiring. It's what the scene needs. And now, nothing less will do. The Mountain Productions debut wasn't just successful. It was a statement. Cooper LaMontagne's ambition isn't abstract. It's happening. And Hedwig proved it can work here, at the highest standard.
Best theatre I've seen in the last decade. Hands down. If you missed it, you missed something special. But more is coming from this company, and Gainesville had better pay attention. This is how you elevate the stage. This is how you elevate the story. This is how theatre rises together. Thank you, Cooper, Ethan, Jaylon, the band, the actors, the bartenders!!! The whole production team, How Bazar, contributors, sponsors, and supporters. You didn't just put on a show. You changed the game. I suspect, forever.
https://www.alligator.org/article/2026/02/hedwig-and-the-angry-inch























































































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