Spring Awakening

Stockwell Playhouse

Reviewed – 16th August 2018

★★★★

“these young actors never fall behind as they steer the piece through its minefield of rock ‘n’ roll angst”

When it first woke up Broadway, with a shake of the shoulders, over a decade ago, “Spring Awakening” deflowered the musical theatre form and won eight Tony awards. It was a breath of fresh air and although based on Frank Wedekind’s play from 1891, with its rock infused score it brings Wedekind’s indictment of how kids are mistreated and ignored into the twenty-first century. The British Theatre Academy’s revival at the Stockwell Playhouse, maintains this tradition and is an obvious choice to showcase the talent of these young actors.

It is Germany in the 1890s, a world where the adults hold all the cards, and the classroom of pubescent teenagers are confused, excited, and anxious. The beautiful young Wendla (Charlotte Coe) explores the mysteries of her body, wondering where babies come from while blaming her tight-lipped mother for her ignorance. Meanwhile the fearless and free-thinking Melchior (Max Harwood) placates his buddy, Moritz (James Knudsen), traumatised by puberty in the face of the elders’ repressive morals. The children’s latent sexual feelings all emerge in a haywire hotchpotch of sadomasochistic confusion and, without the guidance they desperately need, there’s tears before bedtime – to say the least. The subject matter doesn’t shy away from controversy. As late as 1965, Wedekind’s original treatment of teenage sex, abortion, parental abuse, depression and suicide was heavily censored and described as “one of the most loathsome and depraved plays I have ever read” by an assessor in the Lord Chamberlain’s office.

Because the themes are still relevant today there is always going to be a distinctly modern feel to this piece. Although here it is also down to the energy and sparkling spirit of the twenty-one strong cast. Supported by a full sounding five-piece band they handle the material with a maturity that belies the teen-rebel lyrics. Admittedly they are given a head start with Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik’s thrillingly anachronistic score, that mixes seductive melancholy with pop-punk grittiness, but these young actors never fall behind as they steer the piece through its minefield of rock ‘n’ roll angst.

At the helm are Harwood’s Melchior and Coe’s Wendla, their voices rising above the turmoil as they grapple with their anxious souls and unschooled seductions. They are kept aloft by the shining ensemble, from which some voices definitely stand out, particularly the underused James Dodd as Ernst (who’s crying out for more of the libretto) and Jamie Heward as the cross-dressing Hänschen.

It is a feast for the ears, but we never really feel the force of the emotional punch. Inevitably much of the subtlety and the shading of Wedekind’s original text are going to be sacrificed while making room for the musical numbers. Nevertheless, we’re not looking for an intricate insight into the character’s psychology here. Wedekind’s play will provide that. Although I would have liked to have felt more moved by these disparate and desperate individuals as they tread their doom-laden path. The impact is musical, not dramatic, but we leave the space re-awakened to the power of song, thanks to this dedicated and gifted cast.

Reviewed by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Eliza Wilmot

 Spring Awakening

Stockwell Playhouse until 18th August

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