Angsty rock musical speaks to the times in a sharp production by CSU
What combines punk rock, 19th-century Germany and adolescent angst? Why it’s every theatre kid’s wet dream: Spring Awakening! This coming-of-age story features teens exploring their sexualities and forever losing their innocence.
This is the first production at Colorado State University’s (CSU) School of Music, Theatre and Dance performed by their auditioned musical concertation program (read my story for OnStage Colorado about the development of the program). CSU’s performance of Spring Awakening serves as a powerful showcase for the school’s skilled performers.
About Spring Awakening
Spring Awakening is an adaptation of Frank Wedekind’s 1891 play. It follows Wendla Bergmann (Avery Rudman), whose family fails to teach her about sex. Wendla is thrown into a world she is unprepared for, and she develops feelings for Melchoir Gabor (Tiernan Troyer), the intelligent, bad boy in her town. The pair connects throughout the play and they eventually act on their desires. After this, their lives will never be the same. Adult themes, such as sexual situations, coarse language, and scenes of violence and suicide, are present in Spring Awakening.
The musical went through many workshops and rewrites in the 1990s before its Broadway debut in 2006. The original cast included Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele. The production won eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Direction, Book, Score and Featured Actor while the original cast album received a Grammy Award. This is a hugely popular musical — and if you don’t believe me, just go ask any theatre kid their opinion on this show.
CSU’s Direction & Design
Director Noah Racey’s staging is practical and makes clever use of the production’s circular setting. The scenic design by Bo Burkhardt is really special. Burkhardt designs book-covered pillars that are stationed at the theatre’s entrances. Books are strung in five directions on lines that converge upwards toward the center of the theatre. The audience was seated on all sides of the stage, and the orchestra was nestled underneath the stage.
There are occasionally moments when, due to the height of the pillars, certain components of the show are difficult to see clearly. Though sightlines are not seriously hindered by these set pieces, it is challenging to see the actors when they are directed to stand on blocks on the sides of the stage. Yet, the vast majority of the show is staged efficiently with a minimalistic flair. Racey’s direction places the show’s emphasis on his students’ performances and lets the story speak for itself.
Tiernan Troyer sings as the cast dance around him
Racey’s choreography uses the full ensemble to great effect. The ensemble is onstage for much of the show and Racey artfully stages them around the action; sometimes to accent beats or simply to witness moments from the outskirts of the stage.
Acting Showcase
Rudman and Troyer are earnest leads whose transfixing performances solidly anchor the musical. Rudman’s naïve charm is matched by a powerful set of pipes that she uses effectively throughout the show. Troyer’s rebellious energy is charismatic and incredibly likable. His rendition of “Totally Fucked” in the second act was quite strong and perfectly encapsulated the show’s distinctive blend of comedic and dramatic elements.
Both Rudman and Troyer handle the transition from childlike wonder about the world to utter horror at the incompetence of their authority figures effectively. The couple’s intimate scenes were well-directed; both actors appeared at ease and confident in the sensitive scenes involving BDSM and penetration.
Avery Rudman in CSU’s production of “Spring Awakening”
Peter Young plays Moritz, Melchoir’s friend who is picked on by the school teachers and flunked out of school. Young is charming as this misfit who just can’t seem to do anything right. Young and Troyer have a nice back-and-forth with each other, and it was fun to watch the boys joke around as friends. When things turn serious, the boys have each other’s back but find themselves helpless to save each other from the authority figures around them.
The Adult Woman and Adult Man characters in the musical are played by Debbie Swann and Dan Tschirhart. It was very cool to see these performers portray an array of characters — like parents, teachers, a piano teacher and members of the community — with smart costume changes, coordinated by Maddie Engeman, and strong character work by Swann and Tschirhart. Engeman does a nice job with the 19th-century period costumes and creates an impressive number of unique styles for the 17-person cast.
Cast throws papers in the area in an act of rebellion at school while Tiernan Troyer stands triumphantly above them
Political & Timely Musical Theatre
While the musical’s story is occasionally difficult — for god’s sake, the second act features a botched abortion, which feels even more politically charged than when the musical premiered in the wake of the Supreme Court Dobbs decision — the musical’s rocking score powers the show through some dark material. The music is provided by an eight-person band under the direction of Victor Walters. Duncan Sheik’s score sounds great when played by musicians, and the cast has strong rock vocals.
I’ll admit that I’ve never been a big fan of the musical Spring Awakening; the story is a little too gloomy and dark for this critic’s lighthearted theatrical sensibility. While the show’s script is still depressing and the musical drags a little in the first act, CSU’s sleek production sells the bleak material thanks to the dedicated work of the department’s strong cast and Racey’s tight direction.
The cast of “Spring Awakening” fights the incompetent authority figures in their small town
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