Based on a once banned Frank Wedekind play, you’d hardly expect Spring Awakening to have received such great acclaim but it deserves every positive accolade it has been given. Steven Slater’s brutally honest and sometimes daring lyrics (Totally F***** is the title of one song) combined with the heart wrenching pop-rock songs of Duncan Sheik wonderfully create a sense of youthful angst and longing. The sexual awakening and frustration of adolescence are enhanced by Bill T. Jones’ dramatic choreography.
An over arching theme of the musical is freedom of speech and challenging the status quo, displayed through the gritty rock ballads and also explicitly through the character of Melchior: “with all respect sir, are you suggesting there is no further room for critical thought or interpretation?”
It was refreshing to see an audience drawn in, not by big names, but by a young cast of incredibly talented unknowns.
The caricatured adults helped emphasise the realness of the youth. The romantic leads were faultless – Aneurin Barnard brilliantly portrayed the juxtaposition of aggravated rebel and sensitive writer while Charlotte Wakefield’s Wendla beautifully depicted the gentleness and naivety of youth.
Iwan Rheon captivated the audience with Moritz’s rocky internal monologues, giving any indie front man a run for his money while revealing the raw emotion and torment of a confused teenage boy. ‘Don’t Do Sadness’ epitomised Moritz’s kick ass, gritty attitude yet ironically exposed his deep rooted sadness which culminates in his untimely suicide.
The stage elements helped emphasise the shocking theatre –audience members on stage helped reflect the awkwardness of the characters and the harsh lights which often flooded into the rest of the audience successfully made us feel a little uncomfortable. The raised platform added to the embarrassment of the risqué sex scene while capturing the romantic microcosm of youthful love.
The visible microphones helped detach the audience and ponder instead the musical’s content in true Brechtian style but they were somewhat off-putting. I think that it would have been sufficient to use them solely in the rockier group numbers as face expressions in the slower songs were somewhat masked by the microphones.
This modern day rock musical beautifully combines the comedic elements of adolescence and teenage torture – wet dreams and youthful homosexuality sit alongside abortion and gay rape. With no jazz hands in sight, even non-musical lovers are guaranteed to enjoy Spring Awakening. Be prepared to laugh, cry, gasp, squirm in your seat but most of all be overwhelmed by some phenomenal young talent.
This article was originally published in Notes From The Underground Magazine in 2008
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