Rock and Roll Operetta makes Broadway Racy
Pubescent German school children explore their budding sexuality and the hardships of dealing with adult problems in the musical production of Spring Awakening. The combination of teenage angst, sexual curiosity, and misplaced desires put on a provocative and at the same time evocative show.
The plot revolves around a group of German youth in their early teen years. They are at the peak of puberty and are making the transition from childhood to adulthood. Main character Wendla wants to stay a young girl even though her female friends are ready to make the inevitable transition into womanhood. She would stay a girl forever if she could. Similarly, school boy Mortiz is nervous about the erotic dreams he is having at night. In contrast, his friend Melchior is ready and almost excited to explain to him the biological basis behind such thoughts. Learning these facts only intensifies Moritz’s dreams. The story continues to center around the struggles of growing up for these teenagers. Not only do they have to deal with their changing bodies, they still have to deal with hassling adults who do not seem to understand their angst. School teachers seem to be out to harm and not help them, such as in the case of the headmaster plotting to have Moritz flunk out of school. The frustration that Wendla and Melchior feel culminates in Melchior raping Wendla in a hayloft. This forced and untimely sexual experience caused an unexpected pregnancy for Wendla. Her horrified parents attempt to amend the situation by giving her an abortion, but that ends up botched. Moritz also meets his downfall and commits suicide when the pressure of failing out of school overwhelms him. All the innocence has been seemingly sucked out of these young individuals during a time that should be the prime of their adolescent lives.
The production of Spring Awakening was entertaining, captivating, and moving. Its rock and roll music provided a nice shift from the more classic type of music found in a Broadway show like Les Miserables. The subject matter is something that most can relate to. The transition from childhood to adolescence can be difficult and terrifying. The social interactions can be awkward at this phase, and things can be even more difficult when adults deny youth of the answers to questions concerning these pressing issues of bodily change. Some of the scenes were a bit risqué in nature and caught the viewer off guard, but they helped shift the focus to the emotions the characters were experiencing. Although a bit extreme, I think that the ending of the plot demonstrates the potential hazard of keeping these answers a secret from curious teenagers.
Overall quality of the Spring Awakening experience was heightened by the performances of the talented cast. One complaint might be that they were all a bit old to be portraying naïve school children, but they played the characters well despite the age incongruity. The actress who portrayed Wendla had such an innocence in her demeanor, and sang with a beautiful melancholy in her voice. Similarly, the actor who played Moritz seemed very restless and easily excitable during some scenes, but exuded angst at the appropriate times. The production was well cast; the actors and actresses seemed to have the right chemistry and amount of emotional interaction with one another. Each member had his or her own star quality.
Photograph by: Joan Marcus