REVIEW: SPRING AWAKENING — Steel City Reviews

Spring Awakening, the contemporary rock musical, is a bold and risky venture to stage. It takes a great deal of care to cast, stage and examine the uncomfortable (and necessary) themes within its poetic, dreamy lyrics and anachronistic rock energy. Set in a provincial German town dominated by cheerless Lutheranism, the story of Spring Awakening revolves around adolescents dealing with sexual desire, sexuality, abuse, trauma and tragedy. Their teen angst was originally set to song by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater, partly sparked by the aftermath of the Columbine shootings, and became a Tony Award winner on Broadway in 2006.

Director Nupi Gokhale, no stranger to staging difficult subject matter, has another success on her hands with Theatre Ancaster’s vision for the show and despite frequent sound mixing issues, the devoted and fiercely energetic cast excels at exploring the themes of the show and captivates the audience throughout.

The show begins with a beautiful string introduction and stages Giselle Magie as Wendla Bergman, our lead female protagonist who portrays her naivety about the world with sweetness but a growing need to understand. Magie’s opening number feels restrained at first but builds in confidence, much like her character. When joined by the stunning female ensemble, the tone changes from sweet to salty as the teenagers reflect on their ignorance influenced by the adults who refuse to engage in any kind of conversation to help them navigate these emotional and physical changes. This is showcased, in particular, through the incredible talent of Laura Almeida who plays several of the matronly roles. Almeida continues to excel in her strong acting prowess as she did last year with her portrayal of Frau Schneider in Cabaret. Bravo.

The set then changes to reveal the all-boys school and a domineeringly cruel instructor. Here we are introduced to Melchior Gabor (a jaw-droppingly powerful performance by Christopher Martel-Fauteux) and the deeply troubled, anxiety ridden Moritz Stiefel (portrayed by the incredibly haunting Gage Minard who channels The Cure’s Robert Smith and the original Moritz, John Gallagher Jr, in equal measure). The male ensemble are strong overall and their moments together are a highlight of the production, particularily Devin France as Georg, whose riffing and belts in The Bitch of Living and Touch Me soar through the enormous theatre. As much as this show is melancholy and provocative, there are also several comedic moments which reflect the awkwardness of the teenagers. This is handled especially well by Minard, France and Neill-Erine Palmaria as Hänschen and allows the audience some much needed levity.

As the show progresses, the use of period piece costumes and set mixed with pulling out hand-held microphones and contemporary score allow the audience to engage with the narrative as it speaks to any generation at any time. The show may be set in the early 1900’s but the themes are still shockingly relevant to this day. This helps break down the barriers that the story has within it: often rushing plot points and lack of character development which impedes the narrative flow. The first half feels episodic with songs that strive towards musical inner monologues, but which only conveys a generic sense of these characters. It has the audience wanting to know more about the characters beyond our focused trio of Melchior, Moritz and Wendla and we are, unfortunately, denied this opportunity. That being said, the solos from the ensemble are extremely well sung, performed with high-energy and rich emotion. The amount of talent on that stage is truly breathtaking and everyone deserves praise for handling the subject matter with equal parts vulnerability and believability.

The staging has some beautiful moments throughout with purposeful isolation of characters like Wendla, the foreboding graveyard scene and almost ethereal interpretative dances from the ensemble. Some of the more technical design choices feel over-utilized and distracting at times. There’s often screen use overtop the set design which is difficult to see and read. The sound mixing was also problematic, especially in the first half with mics not functioning and the cast being drowned out by the powerful band. The cast, ever professional, pushed through and remained unphased and these issues, thankfully, seem to have been resolved by the second half allowing for the songs and performances to have their intended impact.

Spring Awakening is full of anthems for any generation. It combines haunting melodies and moments of fierce anarchy as a representation of the teenage experience. The message which implores parents and educators to engage in difficult conversations with their children/students remains an integral part of our society. This is not a past issue. It remains very present, especially in our current political climate. Watching Spring Awakening from the teenager’s perspective reflects how adults have a responsibility to understand how their behaviours and actions have consequences. Ignorance is not bliss and Theatre Ancaster’s Spring Awakening profoundly confirms this through phenomenal vocals, acting, and choreography.

Theatre Ancaster took a risk in staging this incredibly intimate and thought-provoking musical and it paid off. The stellar casting and captivating performances from this young and inspiring company makes this production a must-see this August. Go and sing a song of Purple Summer… you will not be disappointed.

SPRING AWAKENING TICKETS