By David Gordon
When “Spring Awakening” opened on Broadway in 2006, it was hailed as a revolutionary breath of theatrical fresh air. Not since “Rent” had a piece managed to touch so many people, young and old, experienced theatergoers, critics and people seeing their first shows, alike.
Duncan Sheik and Stephen Sater’s Tony Award winning musical is based loosely on an 1890 German play of the same title, though subtitled “A Children’s Tragedy,” by Frank Wedekind. The story focuses on idealistic teenage philosopher Melchior Gabor and his interactions with Wendla Bergmann, a girl busy discovering her fourteen-year-old body, and his nervous best friend, Moritz Stiefel, driven to suicide after learning he won’t be promoted in school.
I saw the show with the original cast in November 2006, right after they had moved uptown from the distinctly downtown digs of the Atlantic Theatre Company. There were some problems I had, most of which stemmed from Sater’s romanticizing the plot. Still, I regarded the piece as a very good representation of the future of musical theater. The score, a blend of rock, pop, artsy folk and indie, especially stood out. The show virtually paved the way for other recent musicals like “In the Heights,” and “Passing Strange.”
Wedekind’s play was banned from performance for a significant amount of time due to its frank depiction of sex, rape, homosexuality and abortion, all involving young teenagers. The current cast members of the musical are aged from 16 to twenty-something, though look to be around the age Wedekind had intended for his characters (14), and this really adds an uncomfortable nature to the piece which works distinctly in its favor. This was virtually absent from all the original cast members, many of whom seemed a bit too old for their parts.
The company is now led by “Weeds,” star Hunter Parrish as Melchior and Alexandra Socha as Wendla, with Gerard Canonico as Moritz. Socha and Canonico joined the cast early in its run and moved up through the ranks to now play the leads. Virtually the entire ensemble is new, as well.
Parrish perfectly captures the idealism of Melchior, and his stage presence makes you able to look past the fact that his singing isn’t the strongest. Socha, a vast improvement over her predecessor, not only sings prettily but acts the part well, too. Their chemistry is palpable, and their various disturbing scenes, where he beats her with a switch, etc., make you squirm instead of chuckle.
Canonico is quirky enough, but doesn’t have the presence of his predecessor, and the result has the role fading into the background. Emma Hunton is a standout as Ilse, the young lady who ran off to an artist’s colony. Bringing great comedy to their roles are Glenn Fleshler and Frances Mercanti-Anthony (standing in for Christine Estabrook at the performance I attended) as the dreaded Adults.
In the 1800s, German composer Richard Wagner proposed to the world the idea of “total artwork.” In theater, it would be an amalgam of music, staging, design and acting. Playwright Bertolt Brecht expanded this to break the fourth wall and include the audience. Director Michael Mayer furthers these ideas by inviting audience members to join in on the action and sit on stage.
Choreographer Bill T. Jones adds intricate modern choreography to an already visually stunning produciton, from Christine Jones’ set which opens up the entire stage proscenium to Kevin Adams’ neon-infused lighting. Total artwork is alive and well and living at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre.