Spring Awakening
5th Avenue Theatre
Through June 30, 2024
This is the third time I have seen Spring Awakening
on stage. I saw the initial Broadway touring show in 2007, an iconic and much
better (than the touring show) version by Balagan Theatre in 2012 that is
remembered for a compelling performance by Jinkx Monsoon (just before
she became Jinkx Monsoon) and included cast members Diana Huey and Solea
Pfeiffer, and now this one at the 5th.
The best part of this musical is the songs and this cast has
killer pipes! The harmonies are sweet and there are some standout performers
among a pretty cool cast. Two singers new to me are Ciara Alyse Harris
and Lauren Drake, both of whom I would love to see/hear more of.
Awakening sexuality (the “Spring” part) in young teens is
the focus of this rock opera about repressed German students. It’s explicitly
about how a lack of information can even go so far as to kill you. Both Frank
Wedekind’s 19th century play and the musical also touch on child
abuse, incest, hetero- or homosexual preference or confusion, and how the
hormones can so preoccupy youth that they can barely think straight.
5th Avenue Theatre
Through June 30, 2024
(Mark Kitaoka) |
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