Musical Monday: Spring Awakening

(Originally posted on Minnesota Theater Love)

Where to start? The show is based on the 1891 play Spring Awakening written by Frank Wedekind. Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater recreated the play as a musical. The show was in workshop for a few years before opening Off-Broadway, then moved to Broadway in 2006. It is considered a rock musical, but not in the way of Jesus Christ Superstar, or even Rent. It was nominated for 11 Tony awards and walked away with eight of them.

Here is my history with the show. I was (and am) a fan of Duncan Sheik. Being a huge fan of Broadway, I knew of the show and was looking forward to seeing portions of it on the Tony Awards. What I saw...well, it didn't do much for me. I was really excited to see the choreography of Bill T. Jones but was truly disappointed with what was shown on the awards show. Considering it was going against the choreography of Matthew Bourne (the man behind the all male Swan Lake, and the amazing Car Man), Spring Awakening's dances did nothing for me. To clarify, I am only basing my impression from what I saw on the Tony Award telecast. If you want to see what I saw, there are pages and pages of video from the original cast found on Playbill. 

So, why am I writing about it when it seems like it isn't really my sort of show? The story is a teenage story of coming of age, learning about sexuality, being repressed by adults, and some other challenging topics. It tweaked my interest and I listened to the cast recording once or twice. This all changed when I was taken to see the Theater Latte Da production. This production was a life changer for me. It was my introduction to some amazing local actors who I have seen in numerous other shows - David Darrow, Cat Brindisi, Grant Sorenson, Tyler Michaels. Clearly a very talented cast. Add the choreography of Black Label Movement to this cast and the result was exciting and incredible. This is a show that I had to see twice and couldn't stop talking about it. And looking at the reviews, the local critics couldn't get enough either.

Even now, when I listen to the original cast recording (the only one available from what I see), I see the choreography from the Latte Da production. And what about the music? I think the album works well as an album. If you have seen a production, or know the show - the album is fantastic. The performances of Lea Michele, John Gallagher, Jr., and Jonathan Groff are great. In fact, this cast recording has some great names on it besides the three already mentioned - Skylar Astin, Lauren Pritchard, Krysta Rodriguez and Stephen Spinella to name a few. Songs that stick with you? Of course!! "I Believe" is a great chorus number, "Totally F*****" is a fantastic song with a lot of energy, and the final song haunts me often - "The Song of Purple Summer."  (This link may not be the best quality but it shows how the song grows from a solo, to a few cast members, to finally a full cast - one of my favorite things ever.)

Take some time to watch some of the videos on Playbill, or even videos from the Latte Da production. The more you hear the music, the more you will understand why this is a great show, and a must have album. And if you get a chance to see the show live, go. Personally I can't wait to see it again...and I hope that this new production tours, or does something so I can see it.