Spring Awakening

By Angie Bedford

Spring Awakening

It goes without saying that a great deal of hype surrounded the Melbourne Premiere of Spring Awakening. The musical first hit Broadway in 2006, and went onto win the Tony Award for Best Musical, among others. Those who have heard the original cast recording will appreciate the contemporary pop rock nature of the music, the first since RENT to really make a big splash on the World stage.

Whilst the original production never reached Australian shores, Sydneysiders were treated to a production by the STC last year. As for Melbournians, it is in the hands of The Young Australian Broadway Chorus (YABC), and they deliver an enjoyable production.

It is obvious why Spring Awakening appealed to this youth company – the story delves into more teen issues than Neighbours would dare to – sexuality, abortion and suicide to name only a few, but set in a provincial German town in the 19th century. It is unsurprising that the original 1891 play by Frank Wedekind was deemed controversial by audiences just about everywhere it performed.

There are some clear advantages to this young cast tackling the piece, in that some of Wedekind’s most intense twists become so much more confronting, such as Wendla’s pregnancy as portrayed by 17-year-old Shannen Chin-Quan, who looked barely fourteen. Similarly, the awkwardness of young male teens coming to terms with masturbation was humorous.

Fans of Wedekind’s work will glimpse traces of the original here, however a great deal of his text is reimagined by Steven Sater’s more accessible lyrics. Wedekind’s sentiment is still the same, remarkably demonstrated in songs like “Totally Fucked” and “My Junk”. 

The main disappointment in the adaptation is the use of Hanschen and Ernst’s homosexual relationship as comic relief to the tragic events, as it borders on farcical. Similarly, the imbalance between dialogue and music might make the show a little difficult to follow for the Spring Awakening uninitiated, particularly as there is no synopsis or song list in YABC’s programme.  

The young cast were treated to very professional design and production values. Claude Marcos’ set consisted of a large pine double story building, functioning as numerous locations including a hayloft and a reformatory. Although I would have preferred a more rustic colouring to the bare pine, it did create a stark and rigid effect that complemented the tone of the production. 

Linda Hum’s lighting design effectively enhanced the starkness where necessary, but suitably changed to a more free and colourful palette in tune with the performances. Jennifer McKenzie’s costumes were suitably era specific; the male youths’ uniforms were particularly well detailed.

Robert Coates’ direction stayed fairly true to the original, with use of minimal sets and properties and most of the action taking place in a small stage area. There were a couple of occasions where I felt the dialogue could be slowed down in order to allow the audience time to digest, particularly as the songs are frequent and delivered with massive gusto and impact. Otherwise the production was incredibly well paced, and it was clear that the cast had perfected all the scene changes. 

I do question the decision to stage Moritz’s climatic downfall so far downstage, as it made the next transition awkward. The direction was particularly strong in the intimate hayloft scene, with clever use of candles and lighting to develop the mood in this confronting scene.

Musical Director Mathew Frank assembled a glorious band who we had the pleasure of seeing onstage. They really did justice to Duncan Sheik’s tremendous score. The music was complemented by Stephen Agisilaou’s contemporary choreography which contrasted free flowing sensual movements with rigid and staccato movement, depending on the course of the narrative. 

Although a truly ensemble production, there were a number of performers who deserve a mention. Shannen Chin-Quan as Wendla and Aleksa Kurbalija as Melchior were ideally cast, singing the challenging songs well, with Chin-Quan particularly strong in “Whispering”. The pair developed a believable relationship, handling the sensitive issues well. 

Liam Maguire’s Moritz was suitably distressed, although I felt it was a too much too soon, and I encourage him to allow Moritz’s angst to build progressively. He was a vocal highlight in “Where I Go” and “Those You’ve Known”. Nicholas Kyriacou as Georg was a standout, demonstrating a fantastic dramatic and vocal range. Georgia Treu’s Martha cut a tragic but defiant figure, and with Berni Harrison-Goudge’s Ilse sang “The Dark I know Well” with their distinctive raw voices.

The highlight of the show was “Totally Fucked”, which suited Kurbalija’s voice perfectly, featuring fantastic movement and vocals by the entire cast. It really captured the youths’ teen spirit.

It is refreshing to see what youth performers can achieve when given a production that resonates so strongly with key themes of adolescence. Whilst not a show for the prudish, those who go with an open mind will be delighted by the glorious music and design, and admiration for the teen cast who give it their all.

Spring Awakening is now playing at the National Theatre, St. Kilda, until February 5. www.ticketek.com.au