What I've Watched: Spring Awakening

I snagged tickets to go see Spring Awakening when the national tour rolled through the Kennedy Center. I will first admit that I paid little attention to the show when it was first released back in 2006. I think some of this was because much of what I read during this time was about how it was a down time on Broadway for creative work. Instead of rolling out truly original, inspiring performances, these works were taking a backseat to retreads of old revivals and Disney-fied shows like Tarzan that just missed the mark creatively and musically.

So when I went to the Kennedy Center, I my expectations for this play were low. The play is actually a revival of a play written in 1890 in Germany. Instead of being a straight dramatic play (as it was written then), it's been now turned into a musical. This had me a little tripped out, since a play written in 1890 about sexual tension, freedom and puberty in teenagers seemed a bit strange to be turned into a musical. Even more trippy to me was that the music was written by Duncan Sheik, whose music I was no fan of.

By the time the show ended, and after subsequent listenings to the music, I dig what the show accomplishes and tries to get across in its messages and staging. Child rape, virginity, the teachings of religion, the power of authority in schools and parenting, there are a lot of themes going on in this 2-hour show. Not all of them are handled particularly successfully, in my opinion, but I appreciate the attempts. One of the more important accomplishments of the show is how they have seating on the stage for audience members. It's a refreshing take on Broadway to see young theatergoers there on the stage and in a small way be part of the show.

Songs like The Dark I Know Well, Bitch of a Living, Touch Me, The Guilty Ones and Totally Fucked are songs which sound well but also have meaning behind them and don't come off just as pop-theater music. In the end, I'm just more surprised at how Frank Wedekind could write a play like this in 1890s Germany. No surprise, the governments of European nations banned it not long after its release, but to think that more than a century ago this guy wrote about things that are still very much prevalent today is pretty wild to consider.

Anyway, don't hesitate to check this musical out if it comes your way. It's not fluffy Cats bullshit. This is some modern Broadway that is very palatable for everyone.