Advertisement
Stay in the Loop
BSR publishes on a weekly schedule, with an email newsletter every Wednesday and Thursday morning. There’s no paywall, and subscribing is always free.
The difficult years
"Spring Awakening' in Norristown
Steve Cohen
I've harbored reservations about the Broadway musical version of Spring Awakening since its debut in 2006. Frank Wedekind's original 1891 non-musical tragedy about repressed adolescents in Germany is more haunting, as EgoPo's 2007 Philadelphia production revealed. (Click here.) On Broadway and on a national tour in 2009, we saw a rock concert with annoying handheld microphones and a peripatetic bandleader hogging the stage. (Click here.)
Unnecessary noise distracted from the gripping story of adolescents coping with a repressive society and unsupportive parents. The early days of rock 'n' roll in the 1950s, of course, provided similar issues, so marrying the Wedekind story to rock music made sense. But the self-pity of songs like "The Bitch of Living" and "Totally Fucked" was a case of wretched excess.
In Theatre Horizon's new production of the musical, director Matt Decker greatly improved the show by placing the band at the back of the stage, almost out of view, and slightly muting the band to bring out the guitar, cello and violins. Instead he redirected our attention to the singer-actors, enabling us to see them as perplexed schoolchildren, rather than preening vocalists fronting a band.
Wedekind's plays portray sex, flagellation, homosexuality, abortion and suicide with an intensity rarely seen in the 19th Century. In Spring Awakening, the independent-minded adolescent Melchior (Ben Michael) hungers for knowledge but is expelled from school after he shares his unconventional thoughts with his friend. The awkward and anxious Moritz (Corey Regensburg), unable to cope with the demands of his educators, fails his exams and, rather than face his parents, commits suicide. The innocent Wendla (Grace Tarves) wonders where babies come from. Her obstinately prudish mother avoids telling her and eventually sends Wendla to an abortionist and to her death.
These players and the rest of the 14-member cast were excellent, although Michaels's voice was perhaps a bit too seasoned for a supposed 14-year-old. Jenn Rose provided exuberant choreographic stage movements.
Unnecessary noise distracted from the gripping story of adolescents coping with a repressive society and unsupportive parents. The early days of rock 'n' roll in the 1950s, of course, provided similar issues, so marrying the Wedekind story to rock music made sense. But the self-pity of songs like "The Bitch of Living" and "Totally Fucked" was a case of wretched excess.
In Theatre Horizon's new production of the musical, director Matt Decker greatly improved the show by placing the band at the back of the stage, almost out of view, and slightly muting the band to bring out the guitar, cello and violins. Instead he redirected our attention to the singer-actors, enabling us to see them as perplexed schoolchildren, rather than preening vocalists fronting a band.
Wedekind's plays portray sex, flagellation, homosexuality, abortion and suicide with an intensity rarely seen in the 19th Century. In Spring Awakening, the independent-minded adolescent Melchior (Ben Michael) hungers for knowledge but is expelled from school after he shares his unconventional thoughts with his friend. The awkward and anxious Moritz (Corey Regensburg), unable to cope with the demands of his educators, fails his exams and, rather than face his parents, commits suicide. The innocent Wendla (Grace Tarves) wonders where babies come from. Her obstinately prudish mother avoids telling her and eventually sends Wendla to an abortionist and to her death.
These players and the rest of the 14-member cast were excellent, although Michaels's voice was perhaps a bit too seasoned for a supposed 14-year-old. Jenn Rose provided exuberant choreographic stage movements.
What, When, Where
Spring Awakening. Book and lyrics by Steven Sater; music by Duncan Sheik; Matthew Decker directed. Through June 9, 2013 at Theatre Horizon, 401 DeKalb St., Norristown, Pa. (610) 283-2230 or www.TheatreHorizon.org.
Sign up for our newsletter
All of the week's new articles, all in one place. Sign up for the free weekly BSR newsletters, and don't miss a conversation.
