You probably shouldn’t walk in blind to see Spring Awakening. Otherwise, you may be shocked as the rock musical delves into the tumultuous world of teenage sexuality.
On the other hand, perhaps the greatest thing about Spring Awakening is its openness and refusal to make an audience feel comfortable. Although the show is set in 19th-century Germany, its counterculture themes remain prevalent in a contemporary era — particularly as the show questions adult decisions and their impact on youth.
In Elevator Theatre Company’s production, which ran at LabO Theatre from Sept. 18 to 29, a team helmed by director Josh Rigo waters down the material’s shock factor, opting for potent performances to propel a deeper story of coming of age amidst adversity.
But what growth can stem when the root of the issue runs deep? In Spring Awakening (with music by Duncan Sheik and a book and lyrics by Steven Sater), adolescents lament a lack of guidance and preparation for adulthood from authoritative figures in their lives.
One student, Melchior Gabor, played by a brilliant Yan Simon, is determined to shatter conformity. In “All That’s Known,” Simon mourned the stifling thinking enforced by his school in velvety and unwavering timbre. When circumstances turn against Melchior in the juggernaut “Totally Fucked,” Simon’s voice gave way to grit and passion as he flailed with intensity, breaking free from schoolboy obedience.
Less willing to fall out of line, Noah Pacheco’s Moritz Stiefel was as endearing as his story is tragic. From Moritz’s benevolent innocence about the sexually explicit dreams he doesn’t understand, to “And Then There Were None,” when he nears his breaking point and threatens to flee to America, Pacheco embodied youthful purity with every waver in his voice and skittish manoeuvre.
The contrast between Melchior and Moritz is stark. Melchior is confident, commandeering and determined to make a scene. Moritz fears disappointment and growing up without amounting to his parents’ expectations.
Somewhere in between is the curious Wendla Bergmann, played by Josée Sovinsky, who sang a haunting “Mama Who Bore Me” to open the show. Sovinsky channeled Wendla’s initial innocence with vocal trepidation laced in her trembles in “The Word of Your Body,” then transitioned to Wendla’s period of introspection in “The Guilty Ones” in crisp harmony with Simon.
What brings Spring Awakening’s characters together is their generational naiveté to the world around them. As such, the cast often shone brightest together. “My Junk” was both achingly vulnerable and rife with fervent harmonies while the cast executed Rigo’s fluid choreography with ease.
The characters’ communal sheltered upbringing came out in expressive movements as the actors performed in the round. While sometimes playing to the specific corners of the theatre devoid of audience members, the actors’ movements with cubic blocks as props utilized multiple levels and filled up the otherwise barren space.
Exhilaration exuded from performers during the thrilling “The Bitch of Living,” then emotion poured during “Touch Me” as everyone yearned for intimacy under Sun Myung Claire Yoon’s band that transitioned from raw, adrenaline-fueled guitar and drum beats to smooth, gentle viola.
Rigo’s production evokes stirring depictions of heavy themes, while still encapsulating a glimmer of hope for change. And when everyone comes to the stage for “The Song of Purple Summer” to show a new, enlightened younger generation, we’re left in the glory of the cast’s blossoming harmonies, and the lingering sense of possibility.
Featured image provided by Laura Collins/Elevator Theatre Company.
