A million thanks to Jam for burning me a copy of Spring Awakening! My laptop's probably going to conk out soon from the constant replay of the DVD, but it's so worth it. I love the show, and you're right, they really should stage it here. I don't know a lot about Philippine theater actors, but I think my theater crush Felix Rivera would make a brilliant Moritz or Ernst!
In keeping with what I like to call The Floy Quintos Mission, I've decided to review every play and musical I watch, starting with this one. (Stay tuned for Dogeaters, Fiddler on the Roof, and Avenue Q!) Reading brilliant reviews from the New York Post and the New York Times has temporarily hampered my full-length-review-writing mojo, though, so I will cut my review into short, snappy (and snippy?) pieces.
Overview (more here): Based on a controversial 1891 play by Frank Wedekind about teenage sexuality, Spring Awakening came to life off-Broadway in May 2006 and was subsequently moved to the Great White Way in a matter of months. It won eight Tony Awards in 2007, including Best Musical and Best Performance for a Featured Actor in a Musical for John Gallagher, Jr.
The pitch: Another publication described it as "The History Boysdiscover sex," which is close, although I would beg to differ -- the History Boys already knew about sex (and I love Dakin for coming on to that sexy, bookish Mr. Irwin). I'd say Spring Awakening was more similar to Dead Poets Society, but with more emphasis on sexuality.
Warnings: It's a racy show. Partial nudity. Underage sex. Masturbation, tee-hee. Possible rape, though that depends on the viewer, implied incest and child abuse. Suicide. Abortion. One brief scene on sadomasochism, or just morbid curiosity -- again, it's left to your judgment.
Favorite characters: Moritz Stiefel (John Gallagher, Jr.), sweetie, you had me at "Oh God, give me consumption and take these sticky dreams away from me!" Rarely can a character be both charmingly inept and tragic (and, okay, emo) at the same time, but you pulled it off. Hanschen Rilow (Jonathan B. Wright), you fucking rule. You sick, twisted, creepy, unfairly hot bastard. I doubt you could ever charm the pants off of anyone, but you sure know how to seduce them. Marry me, and let's make dysfunctional, misanthropic babies together!
This side of "meh": Melchior Gabor (Jonathan Groff) is just a little too perfect and Gary Stu-ish for my tastes (the smartest, the sexiest, and the most altruistic? Bitch, please), but he makes up for it by showing his equally perfect ass. Oh, Groff. Rowrr.
Logic go boom: When Wendla Bergmann (Lea Michele) pleaded with Melchior to beat her so she would know what it feels like, it was startling, but also (surprisingly) believable. In addition, it provided an opening for a genuine character flaw -- thank God -- for Melchior. As great a scene as it was, though, it still didn't stop me from going, "Fuck the what? Is that S and M?"
I laughed my ass off (while watching you jerk off): Hanschen whacking it to the fantasy of murdering Desdemona ("Darling, why, why do you press your knees together, even on the brink of eternity?") while being surrounded by young girls dancing and bursting into a bubbly chorus is the most hilariously fucked up scene I've ever had the joy of witnessing. "My Junk," indeed.
Most touching scene: The conversation between Moritz and Ilse (Lauren Pritchard) towards the end of the play takes the cake. I love that it's glaringly obvious how lonely they both are, without either of them even having to say it out loud, or let out so much as a sigh. When Ilse left, and Moritz cried "For the love of God, all I had to do was say yes," I swore I heard my heart break.
Screw the Tonys, man, you totally win at life: Jonathan B. Wright is a fucking god for managing to keep a straight face throughout all those side-splitting scenes. He makes Hanschen so beautifully vacuous that if they ever make another film adaptation of a Bret Easton Ellis novel, I'd totally kick some asses to get him cast in it.
Duncan Sheik owns my soul: When I heard that the most excellent Mr. Sheik wrote the score, I expected something truly fantastic, and he did not disappoint. As I've said before, I've never come across a Duncan Sheik song I didn't like, and I've never come across a Spring Awakening song I didn't like, either. My favorite songs include "All That's Known," "Touch Me," "The Mirror-Blue Night," and "The Bitch of Living" (below).
Verdict: Despite a treacly ending ("The Song of Purple Summer"), Spring Awakening truly does deserve to be called "the best new musical in a generation" (John Heilpern, The New York Observer). It's the perfect marriage of century-old theater and modern rock sensibilities, which is why I'm starting a petition to get The White Stripes to help me write a musical about orange, human-eating bunnies on a quest to find a giant Xeroxed cotton ball. It'll be the best thing that could ever happen to Broadway! Now, who's with me?
Currently on hiatus, since I'm posting on Multiply and LJ, but look out for a comeback around August 2008 (i.e. when I start college). :D
ETA 10.29.07: Back from the dead!
