This rock/pop musical certainly rocked Broadway upon its debut, winning eight Tony Awards and creating a stir of controversy. Now the national tour is making the rounds, with Milwaukee as one of its many stops. This musical involves a group of teenagers, hormones ranging, trying to make sense of their budding sexuality in an oppressive environment (1890s Germany).
Although nearly a dozen young characters adorn the stage, the musical focuses mainly on a particular foursome: two boys and two girls. They recall happy memories of their childhood days, when they played pirates or sat together in a wigwam. (It seems even teenagers get nostalgic.) Today, things have become much more complicated and confusing. One of the teens, Moritz (Taylor Trensch), becomes infuriated at the unwanted sexual dreams that haunt his thoughts. His longtime friend, Melchior (Jake Epstein), writes an extensive, illustrated essay on the facts of life for Moritz.
Melchior is the teacher's pet who aces every class, and Moritz is seen as an unpromising dunce. Melchior's haircut separates him from the other boys, who either sport punk hairdos or part their short hair down the middle. Melchior is blessed with an abundance of thick, gleaming curls. Although he spends much of his free time dreaming of his future, he is not unaware that another of his old childhood pals, Wendla (Christy Altomare), has blossomed into a woman. Again, while the other girls are forced to braid their long hair, Wendla is permitted to wear it loose. The attraction between them is palpable, and they eventually "hook up."
Sadly, the intriguing story of Ilse (Steffi D) is less developed than the rest of the foursome. She finds freedom by running off to an artists' colony.
Thee characters' various scenarios can easily be grasped by today's teens, especially since the show's lyrics use the current vernacular. For instance, the village girls lament that they can't keep adults out of "Their Junk." At another point, a schoolboy says, angrily, "my whole life is a test." But wait - there's much more to Spring Awakening. The show includes nudity, incest, masturbation and homosexuality, all of which are introduced in abrupt, unconventional ways. When it's time for a song, the teens pull microphones out of their coat pockets or drag them across the stage (The best song also has the most profane title: "Totally Fucked.") While the big production numbers are often shouted in rage, some of the ballads are hauntingly beautiful.
The contemporary choreography by Bill T. Jones is hit or miss. It starts out strong, but then drifts off in repetitive movements that add neither excitement nor meaning to the show. The exceptionally young cast do such a good job of playing themselves teenagers that the audience is likely to miss out on cues from the much-admired stage lighting and set. (Or perhaps these production elements have been toned down for the tour?)
In any case, the actors who portray Wendla and Melchior have the necessary chemistry between them. They move quickly from awkward innocence to lust and longing. Since their sexual feelings rankle the older generation, they are punished and made to feel shameful for their "sins." Melchior, the only self-proclaimed atheist, is unfazed by the condemnation.
Steffi D, a former Canadian "American Idol" winner, adds a lot of pizzazz to a part that doesn't get much opportunity to shine. As Moritz, Taylor Trensch is so wound up, he seems ready to explode at any moment. The show's deliberate disconnect between a story set in the 1890s and contemporary songs and movements somehow works. Audiences may not care much about the characters, but they can't ignore the artistry that offers something vastly different in a Broadway show.
