I debated in my mind about this post - it seemed silly given that the play had left Toronto the day after we saw it. However, I note that the tour heads to Boston, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington, and Chicago over the next four months so I thought 'what the heck'. Besides - it was quite the play.
First up - this isn't your grandmother's musical. There are no cheerful choral songs sung in the South Pacific, kings falling in love with the school marm or seven brothers falling for seven sisters. This is a hard hitting, in-your-face slice of reality.
I can only imagine what the response must have been with the producers first pitched the idea . . . 'I'd like to take a obscure German play set in the 1890s. There are a lot of social 'taboos' in the play. Abortion, rape, teenage sexuality, masturbation, homosexuality, religion, generational strife, education, nudity, child abuse, death, suicide, crime . . . Oh . . . did I say I'd like to make it a musical?'
Improbably this musical hit Broadway in 2006 to overwhelming acclaim and cleaned up at the Tony awards the next year, winning 11.
Happily we knew what to expect so we weren't shock by it . . . too much! LOL
This is a brilliant show that has you on the edge of your seats. Spring Awakening, based on a play by Frank Wedekind, was so unlike anything else I'd seen that previously. It was just thrilling to watch. I loved the rock 'n' roll score by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater. The characters and story were memorable, I know I wasn't alone as many in the audience were moved to tears. I left the theatre feeling drained and exhilarated.
As the story unfolds one comes to appreciate the challenges faced by Melchior, Moritz and Wendla. Throughout the musical, these teenagers and their classmates explore their sexuality and face pressures both at home and at school in brilliant but brutal reality.
In a compelling story where nothing goes right for the characters, this is a musical staging where few things goes wrong. Sharp vocals combined with stunning choreography gives the production vast audience appeal. All of which takes place on an exquisitely minimalistic set design draped with a rock concert style lighting strategy.
Altogether, Spring Awakening is a refreshing piece of musical theatre for our time. Perhaps, like the characters in which it portrays, it's finally coming of age.
This sanitized clip from the Tony Awards gives you a sense of the heard hitting energy of the show:
What did Paul think? His first comment was 'I'd like to see it again!"
Sadly, by the time we were home the touring cast had started packing up for the next stop on the tour!
Wow -- this sounds fantastic!
I've wanted to see Spring Awakening, and now, I REALLY want to see it! The music is wonderful.
Posted by: sandrac | April 28, 2009 at 09:54 PM
You won't go wrong Sandra - it was a shame that we didn't see it earlier in the run because we sure would have liked to have returned!
Posted by: Jerry | May 01, 2009 at 05:35 AM