Cast: Kyle Riabko (Melchior), Blake Bashoff (Moritz), Christy Altomare (Wendla), Steffi D (Ilse), Sarah Hunt (Martha), Kimio Glenn (Thea), Gabrielle Garza (Anna), Anthony Lee Medina (Otto), Andy Mientus (Hanschen), Matt Shingledecker (Georg)
For complete information on the tour, see the official Spring Awakening site.
Spring Awakening has been one of my favorite shows since the first time I saw it on Broadway last year. I saw it three times in four days (2 of the tickets were purchased at TKTS) and have since seen it from the stage on Broadway and on tour twice (counting this time in LA). Clearly, I'm a HUGE fan of the show. I've enjoyed going with people who haven't seen the show yet out here in California. Not everyone can make it to New York once a year.
The touring cast of Spring Awakening is still mostly wonderful and they did just as amazing a job with the sets, lighting, sound, costumes, etc. I think most of the cast was better this time than when I saw them in San Diego a couple months ago. They seem to have come together more as a cast and the show is really working well. The only exception to this (and I heard another audience member talking to one of her friends about the same thing) is that Christy Altomare (Wendla)'s performance seemed to get worse. She's not horrible, but she's definitely the worst Wendla I've seen by a large margin (having seen Lea Michele & Alexandra Socha play Wendla on Broadway). Whispering was so flat that it was painful. I don't know if she was just tired (again) and I caught her on another bad night, but the next time the Spring Awakening tour comes to town, I hope Christy has moved on to do another show so I can see the next Wendla.
The friend I encouraged to go see Spring Awakening rarely attends the theatre, but he's a big fan of Spring Awakening now. He did a lot of research on the story and read a lot about it after seeing the show, needed the music right away, etc. He's also planning to see Spring Awakening again the next time it's in town, which is quite the endorsement from someone who couldn't remember the last time he'd really attended the theatre. :-)
I clearly still wouldn't suggest one see Spring Awakening if you can't handle sexual themes and brief (tasteful) nudity.
The music is amazing and I think the story (originally a 19th century German play) is timeless. The fact that the aspects of Spring Awakening that are shocking audiences today were in the original play is proof of that, it seems. I clearly still wouldn't recommend the show if you can't handle nudity & sexual themes, but if you can, Spring Awakening is wonderful!
If you enjoy musicals and are okay with sexual themes & a bit of nudity, you should definitely see Spring Awakening!
Grade: A+
Labels: 2008, Best Musical, drama, Duncan Sheik, musical, tour
Reviewed by Kat at the 6:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Hunter Parrish (Melchior), Gerard Canonico (Moritz), Alexandra Socha (Wendla), Emma Hunt (Ilse), Amanda Castanos (Martha), Caitlin Kinnunen (Thea), Emily Kinney (Anna), Gabriel Violett (Otto), Matt Doyle (Hanschen), Andrew Durand (Georg)
For complete info, see the official Spring Awakening site.
I love Spring Awakening! It's a very close second favorite to Rent. For my earlier review, check out last year's Spring Awakening review.
Seeing Spring Awakening from stage is something I'd recommend to anyone who loves it, but those who haven't seen it before should definitely see it from the regular audience first. James and I both loved seeing Spring Awakening from the different perspective. Getting to see things one can't normally see from the audience (like the audience reactions, the cast looking away from the audience, etc.) was very interesting. I enjoyed seeing the show I love so much up close and getting to enjoy the unique view.
The sound quality isn't very good, since you're on stage, but it's great to sit next to ensemble members and (from time to time) members of the rest of the cast.
The current Broadway cast of Spring Awakening is wonderful and I highly recommend seeing it before it leaves Broadway in January. The economy must be killing it, I thought it would run for years and years, as Rent did.
A couple of the cast members didn't really fit the type I see in that part, but since the only member of the Original Broadway Cast I didn't see in the show three times was the original Ernst (Gideon Glick, who had left the show before I got to see it), I have their pictures in my head for the characters. The current Ilse's hair is just a bit too controlled, but she has a wonderful voice, so I was able to look past that. I also think one of the girls picking Moritz over Melchi was more believable with the original cast where both the guys are fairly evenly matched in appearance. I can't see anyone picking the current Moritz over Hunter Parrish's Melchior - especially when you see those beautiful blue eyes up close.
If you can't get to Broadway to see Spring Awakening before it closes in January, it's currently touring around the country, so catch it when it comes to theatre near you. The touring cast is also wonderful!
Grade: A+
Labels: Best Musical, Broadway, drama, Duncan Sheik, musical
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Kyle Riabko (Melchior), Blake Bashoff (Moritz), Christy Altomare (Wendla), Steffi D (Ilse), Sarah Hunt (Martha), Kimio Glenn (Thea), Gabrielle Garza (Anna), Anthony Lee Medina (Otto), Andy Mientus (Hanschen), Matt Shingledecker (Georg)
For complete information on the tour, see the official Spring Awakening site.
Spring Awakening has been one of my favorite shows since the first time I saw it on Broadway (about a year ago). I saw it three times in four days (2 of the tickets were purchased at TKTS), so clearly I love the show. When I saw that Spring Awakening was going on tour, I was very excited. Now, my friends who don't go to New York can all see it! I took my aunt to see it in San Diego, where the tour started. It was great to see the Balboa Theatre restored, too. They did a wonderful job with the theatre and I'd see another show there in a heartbeat. The staff was wonderful and very friendly, too.
The touring cast of Spring Awakening is wonderful and they did just as amazing a job with the sets, lighting, sound, costumes, etc. I highly recommend checking out Spring Awakening when it's on tour. I'll definitely see it again with friends when it's in LA. At times Christy Altomare (Wendla) left a little to be desired, but I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt and assume we just caught her on a bad day.
I don't agree with calling it the Rent of this generation, since 11 years is hardly enough time for a whole generation, but it is a lot like Rent. I clearly still wouldn't suggest one see Spring Awakening if you can't handle sexual themes and brief (tasteful) nudity.
The music is amazing and I think the story (originally a 19th century German play) is timeless. The fact that the aspects of Spring Awakening that are shocking audiences today were in the original play is proof of that, it seems.
If you enjoy musicals and are okay with sexual themes & a bit of nudity, you should definitely see Spring Awakening!
Grade: A+
Labels: 2008, Best Musical, drama, Duncan Sheik, musical, tour
Reviewed by Kat at the 2:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Jonathan Groff (Melchior), John Gallagher, Jr. (Moritz), Lea Michele (Wendla), Lauren Pritchard (Ilse), Lilli Cooper (Martha), Remy Zaken (Thea), Phoebe Strole (Anna), Brian Charles Johnson (Otto), Jonathan B. Wright (Hanschen), Skylar Astin (Georg)
For complete info on this amazing cast, see the official Spring Awakening page.
I really can't say enough good things about Spring Awakening. Gideon Glick isn't in it at the moment, which was a bummer, but Blake Daniel and Matt Doyle both did a great job as Ernst in the three times I saw Spring Awakening.
If you haven't seen Spring Awakening yet, definitely check it out when you're in New York. It deserved all 8 Tony Awards it won (Musical, Book of a Musical, Original Score, Featured Actor in a Musical, Choreography, Direction, Orchestrations, & Lighting) and a few it didn't (Actor, Featured Actress, Scenic Design, etc.). Having seen both David Hyde Pierce's performance and Jonathan Groff's, I'd say Jonathan was robbed, not Raul Esparaza, who was expected to win. I also think that Lea Michele and Lauren Pritchard both deserved nominations for Featured Actress, if not the award itself.
The lighting of Spring Awakening is truly amazing. It's something you have to see to believe. The music is wonderful. The choreography/direction and movement is so well done. The young cast is fabulous. I think the only reason Jonathan Groff didn't win the Tony for Best Actor is that Spring Awakening is such an ensemble piece, where everyone in the cast is amazing and most of the cast is on stage for almost all of the show (even if they're sitting with the audience on stage in parts). I would love to sit on stage sometime and enjoy it from a completely different point of view. Perhaps next year...
I actually saw Spring Awakening three times in one week, something I've never done with any other show. Granted, the first time I saw Rent I would have done the same given the circumstances. I can't believe that the musical that deservedly won the Best Musical Tony Award this year was actually at TKTS for discount tickets already, but I definitely took full advantage of the situation. Since I normally only get back to New York once a year, I have to squeeze everything in to the short time I get in the city.
If you have a chance to see Spring Awakening before the original cast leaves, do it! Previews started last November, so you should have a bit of time, but don't delay. Of course, if you miss them, I'm sure the new cast will be wonderful, too. I just can't recommend this cast more.
The only bad thing about the show is that it's playing at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre, which has almost no slope to the orchestra section and isn't staggered well row to row, making it very difficult to see portions of the show. I spent the first time I saw Spring Awakening constantly moving and trying to see around the heads in front of me. I was close to the stage, which was very good for the first time I saw it, but there was a lot I missed. I caught a lot more the second time, but honestly, the best seat I had for Spring Awakening was the third time I saw it - in the next to last row, in the far corner of the orchestra section. The last two rows are elevated, so I could actually see the whole show. It was wonderful! In a couple places (where the cast is seated on the stage), I would have to watch a portion of the stage at a time, but I could actually see everything on stage with little adjustment on my part. It was great to see some of the portions I had missed the first two times I saw the show.
I don't want to say too much about the show, since I think you should see it for yourself. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who has problems with brief (very tasteful) nudity or sexual content. However, I think everyone else will love Spring Awakening. It's an amazing show! The audiences I enjoyed the show with ranged in ages from teenagers to fairly old and (unlike the audience of Rent, which has been there for over 11 years, you'd think people would know what it's about by now), I didn't see anyone not return for the second act of Spring Awakening. I'm not sure if that says something about the show or the audiences, but I was happy to see that everyone stayed each night. I couldn't believe that I saw people leave Rent all these years after it opened on Broadway. The fact that there are still people in this world who can't handle the simple subject matter of love (no matter who is involved) bothers me, but at least everyone could handle Spring Awakening, which is definitely a good thing.
Grade: A+
Labels: 2007, Best Musical, Broadway, drama, Duncan Sheik, John Gallagher Jr., Jonathan Groff, Lauren Pritchard, Lea Michele, musical, original
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:00 PM show | 0 screams