'Awakening' rock musical jumpstarts the genre
"Spring Awakening" is a breath of fresh air.
Coming three years after the zestful musical by writer/lyricist Steven Sater and composer Duncan Sheik rocketed from cult hit to Tony Award winner, that pronouncement sounds somewhat cliched.
Inspired by Frank Wedekind's once controversial 1891 play, "Spring Awakening" looks at adolescents' response to those first sexual, emotional and philosophical stirrings, and the anxiety and desperation that accompany them. To a lesser extent, it also addresses prudish parents, whose response to their children's urges is to repress, shame or ignore them.
The topic is not just familiar, it's timeless, a fact underscored by pairing Wedekind's 19th century setting with Sater's 21st century patois. But it's the execution that makes this arresting show work as well as it does.
It's not perfect. The tenuously drawn characters don't arouse much emotional investment, although standouts Blake Bashoff, affecting as the endearingly awkward, academically challenged Moritz, and "Canadian Idol" finalist Steffi D, as the outcast Ilse, give substance to their characters. Bashoff, who played the role on Broadway, is especially impressive. Andy Mientus also deserves mention as the sinisterly seductive Hanschen, an Aryan libertine who doesn't buck the system but bends it to his will. Jake Epstein (Melchior, the handsome rebel) and Christy Altomare (as sweet, curious Wendla) have vocal chops and a winsome demeanor, but lack Bashoff's fire.
The by-the-numbers ending left me cold. And just as a neighborhood rock club provides a more satisfying musical experience than a stadium, a smaller venue would have been more conducive: The impact would have been greater in a more intimate setting.
That said, "Spring Awakening" is truly a delight. What a treat it is to watch a musical that isn't a retread of a hit film or a jukebox tuner cobbled together from an aging pop star's greatest hits.
Michael Mayer's bold, innovative direction deftly straddles the rock and theater divide. The fitful, idiosyncratic choreography by Bill T. Jones is absolutely inspired in the way it physicalizes adolescent anguish. But what propels this show is Sheik's score juxtaposing moody, melodic ballads with rousing alternative-rock anthems and Sater's yearning, irreverent and provocative lyrics. The haunting "The Word of Your Body" - a simple acknowledgment of the wounds lovers both inflict and receive - may be the most honest love song ever written for a musical.
"Spring Awakening"
Rating: 3 stars
Location: Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St., Chicago
Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sundays through Aug. 16. Also 2 p.m. Aug. 12. No 7:30 p.m. show Aug. 16
Running time: About two hours, 15 minutes with intermission
Tickets: $25-$95
Parking: Paid lots nearby
Box office: (312) 902-1400 or broadwayinchicago.com
Rating: For adults, contains nudity, sexual content, strong language
<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Video</h2> <ul class="video"> <li><a href="/multimedia/?category=1&type=video&item=251">Clip from 'Spring Awakening' </a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>