Hot on the heels of the startling revelation that, in addition to watching TV, I actually read, comes one of my other passions in life: live theatre. You'd think I wouldn't have time for such things with my viewing schedule being what it is, but Saturdays need love too. I actually see a pretty ridiculous
number of plays and musicals throughout the year, not to mention my newfound love of ballet. I think what this all really means is that I need to quit my job so that I can focus on what truly matters... Sigh...Anyway, as referenced prior the inevitable tangent, I saw Spring Awakening this weekend as part of Broadway Across America's current slate of traveling productions. I had no real intention of writing about it, but I had an absolute blast at the show and can't keep my stupid mouth (er, fingers?) shut. Could I point out problems with the show if I had to? Certainly. But in the end, I was having way too much fun to care.
Had I gone to the production intent on reviewing it, I don't think I would have loved it as much. In retrospect, there certainly were some faults with the show, which, had I been viewing with a critical eye, probably would have tarnished the experience. If you're looking for flaws, there are certainly a few, but I think this is an instance of the sum being greater than its parts. I'm guessing this is at least somewhat true of most critics, but it's a lot harder for me to simply allow a show wash over me when I have to take mental notes about the pluses and minuses.
It's weird looking back at Spring Awakening in hindsight. It's a coming of age story about a group of sheltered students who begin to embrace their burgeoning sexuality in clear defiance of their parents, teachers, religious morality, and societal norms. Sooo... not exactly pushing the envelope in terms of basic themes, but in execution, the show is pretty far from what the average musical lover is used to. On poster just outside the theatre, in big bold letters (sans serif, so you know they're serious), it warned that the production contained: partial nudity, sexual content, and strong language. In other words, three of my top reasons for attending. My other reasons were far more pedestrian. I had seen a performance at the Tonys, which piqued my interest, and also, this is the show that Lea Michele and Johnathan Groff appeared in before Glee took over the planet. It would have been interesting to have seen the two off them perform in this capacity, but alas. It was a remarkably sexy show than ran the gamut from the simple exhilaration of a kiss to unabashed simulated sex between the show's leads (very salt-worthy, indeed). It may have been a bit over the top, but for a show like this, I'm honestly not sure such a distinction even exists. It was entirely organic to the story and the actors did a fine job pulling it off (among other things).
It's hard to look at Spring Awakening in terms of your standard musical, because is simply isn't. Having much more the vibe of a rock concert than The Sound of Music, Spring
Awakening didn't conform to many of the standard musical components, which for me, was a nice change of pace. With a minimalist set and basic, innate themes, the show seemed more focused on musical expression than anything else. The characters would regularly sing into the microphone and completely rock out, quite contrary to conventional norms. They seemed almost as aware of the fact that they were in a musical as the audience was, which gave it all palpable sense of immediacy. Hell, some of the audience was actually onstage for the duration, so for them, that sensation was compounded. The format blurred the fourth wall and made me feel much more involved with the show than I generally do with a production. What's more, the show was surprisingly funny, with sexual innuendo, bawdy undertones, and flat-out ribaldry seeping into nearly every exchange. It felt like there was an inside joke (inside the gutter, at times) that we were all in on. Nearly every scene elicited a smirk, a chuckle, or even a blush. Except for, of course, the show's more somber notes, during which you hear a phone on vibrate (the modern equivalent of a pin dropping). It had a wealth of narrative rises and falls, and while not every shift was as graceful as I would expect, maybe this wasn't supposed to be a graceful experience.In attending the production purely as a viewer, I just soaked it all in and enjoyed it. I really loved the show as a whole, but can't say it was perfect by any stretch. If I were being objective, and brutally honest, I'd say the narrative was uneven and predictable, with far too much of it falling into the category of pure pathos. Several individual storylines seemed a little too convenient and weren't paid due attention. The minor storylines were often abrupt, barely given enough time to having a beginning, middle, and an end, thereby diminishing the emotional impact of what was happening. Too boot, the acting for several characters could have been a lot stronger. Although it was clear that they were all fully committed to their roles, the sometimes stilted dialogue fell flat at times. In spite of all these irksome aspects of the show, I absolutely loved it. Go figure.
In the show's defense, when it comes to a musical (especially one with this format), I'd rather have a straight-forward story that's concerned with themes more so than details. Citing precedent, I'd rather have a simple, melodramatic story with exhilarating music than a story that's so overly complicated that you can barely follow it. I'm looking in your direction, musical adaption of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations. It was much more your standard musical, and suffered because of it. They simply tried to fit too much story into too restrictive a format. Cramming 600 pages of narrative and lengthy musical numbers into 3 hours is nigh-impossible. Clearly. Seriously, I shouldn't have to dig out long-suppressed memories of 10th grade English to follow the story. Even having actually read the book (one of the few Dickens' tomes to bear such a distinction), I still spent half the show trying to nail down who that guy was and why he did what he did to... that other guy... and why the hell it all matters for Pip. Kati and I had a sporting chance, source material in tow, but poor Annie just had to struggle through. Had the musical numbers been better, it all would have been more forgivable, but even the music was lackluster.
In spite of Spring Awakening's flaws, the actors were fully invested in their roles and gave 100% from start to finish. That makes up for a lot with me, and compensates for acting inefficiencies
to a high degree. They seemed to be having as much fun performing as I was watching. There's nothing worse than watching a production where the actors would clearly prefer to be attached to a different production. I recently saw a stage production of Dracula that should have been excellent, but which had a cast that seemed utterly bored... which in turn made me bored. It's one of only two productions during which I bailed at intermission. I have to assume the actors wished they'd had the same option. You know, call in the understudy for second half...Whatever bizarre alchemy made all these components come together, I'll never understand. The show seems to have had as many foibles as triumphs bit by bit, but altogether, it really worked. It was sexy and funny and dark and anti-establishment, often all at the same time. The music took what is ostensibly a so-so story and completely electrified it (ofttimes, quite literally). I'm confident that this isn't the kind of show that everyone will love, which actually makes me love it about 20% more. They took a lot of chances here, and I appreciated it. Not every element worked entirely on its own, but as a whole, it kicked ass. I've been stuck on the songs since I left the theatre and can't get them out of my head (in a good way).
Most problematic song to get stuck in your head (and start singing to yourself) while at work? Yeah, that would be Totally Fucked. Which, I don't know if you've met work, but it's a song that has a tendency to spring to mind...
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