BWW Reviews: The Eklektix Theatre Company's SPRING AWAKENING - IN CONCERT is Zesty and Raw

The Eklektix Theatre Company is celebrating a year of producing theatre in Houston with a concert production of Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater's SPRING AWAKENING. A fully staged version of the musical was their inaugural venture in Houston, so this production which only runs for two performances is a big celebration of themselves and all forms of independent theatre in the greater Houston area. In fact, following the performance Executive Artistic Director, Bryan-Keyth Wilson made a curtain speech imploring the audience to support his colleagues and peers at Bayou City Theatrics, Stark Naked Theatre Company, and others.

Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater's SPRING AWAKENING is based on Frank Wedekind's controversial and oft banned turn-of-the-century play FRÜLINGS ERWACHEN. Both iterations of the tale explore the problems of sexually repressed societies, confronting the audience with themes that explore the necessity for sex education in addition to teenagers coming of age, suicide, abortion, and rape. Bryan-Keyth Wilson's goal for the Eklektic Theatre Company is to use the art and medium of quality theatre to affect social change, and SPRING AWAKENING serves as good foray into that territory.

Direction by Bryan-Keyth Wilson captures the youthful energy of the show. He has coached his cast to viscerally portray the convoluted confusion of being a teenager. The show kicks off with vibrant strength; however, I missed the plaintive innocence of youth that filled the opening scenes of SPRING AWAKENING's Broadway and First National Tour productions. Vulnerability and emotional levels were mostly missing in the first act, with staging and musical choices going more for the concert vibe than a show ambience. Yet, the second act is more in tune with the story's themes, and had considerable amounts of exposed heart and depth.

Choreography by Bryan-Keyth Wilson is intriguing and exciting. He creates some spectacular visual images in "Touch Me," and his "Totally F***ed" is entertainingly sporadic. The only choreographic missteps were that the dance for "The Mirror-Blue Night" seemed too athletic for the song and the dance for "I Believe" doesn't really hint at the important plot point that occurs during that song, which may make the story hard to follow for those unfamiliar with the show.

Music Direction by Eduardo Guzman is fresh and intriguing. He rearranges some of the vocals and underscore to be more soulful than what was present in the Broadway and National Tour productions. At first, this was a disconcerting surprise, but the choice pays off well and makes this production unique. Likewise, some tempo choices are unexpected as well, such as a sped up "The Bitch of Living" and "Those You've Known."

Michael Lovette's interpretation of Melchior, with smooth R&B infused vocals, is fascinating and delightful. He richly embodies Melchior's brilliant mind and his "radical" thought process. His takes on "All That's Known," "The Mirror-Blue Night," "Left Behind," "Totally F***ed," and "Those You've Known" let those familiar with the tunes hear the songs in a new way.

Wendla is well acted and sung by Devin Whitten. Wendla's startling naivety is mesmerizing in her hands, especially when she utters, "My entire life, I've never felt anything." She shows incredible range and talent on "Whispering," which made that particular performance one of the evening's best.

Jacob Kirchoff portrays the troubled Moritz with tangible angst and clarity. His performance on "Don't Do Sadness" is his strongest and one of the most memorable of the evening.

Ilse, sung and acted by Sarah Paterson, is wonderfully heartbroken and bereft, existing on the fringes of society. Her voice soars on "Blue Wind" and "Song of Purple Summer."

MaryAnn Williams' Martha deeply moves the audience as she discusses the abuse she suffers at her father's hands. Her rendition of "The Dark I Know Well" is stirring and evocative.

Brian Kay's Otto and Kyle Crawford's Georg are strong and effective. Each handles their roles well. Likewise, Josh Ocha's Hanschen is delightfully conceited, while John Forgy's Ernst is timid and confused. Both pairs (Brian Kay with Kyle Crawford and Josh Ocha with John Forgy) are spectacular on their respective reprises of "The Word of Your Body."

Rounding out the cast, Laurel Smalley as Anna, Melissa Brown as Thea, Stephen Little as Adult Males, Libby Hart as Adult Females, Robert Pimentel, and Jake Bevill all do excellent jobs with the roles they are assigned.

Sarah Patterson's Set Design is minimalistic and well thought out. She uses blocky wooden school chairs for the boy characters and cleverly seats the women around the boys.

Tomas Torres' Light Design uses color palettes to heighten mood and ambience. He expertly uses an upstage cyclorama to compliment the show, the songs, and the mood. My only complaint would be the strobing flashes of lights during "Don't Do Sadness," which seem unnecessary.

Brandie Fyre's Costume Design uses an interesting mix of 90s pop-punk and school uniforms. While, the fishnets on Libby Hart didn't seem appropriate for the characters she plays, they did fit the overall visual aesthetic of the design. Presenting the musical in concert fashion, allows for such leeway and it worked.

As the Barnevelder Movement Arts Complex was designed for dance performances, fitting a functional Sound Design into the venue must be a true challenge. Both productions that I have seen here have had distracting sound issues. SPRING AWAKENING - IN CONCERT uses amplification well; however, there are times where the band and ensemble are louder than the solo lines/phrases. Also, some performers seemed not to truly need their microphones in their performances for this production.

The Eklektix Theatre Company's zesty and raw production of SPRING AWAKENING - IN CONCERT is not a flawless production. Some pitches were missed, I found myself missing the vulnerability of naivety in the show's opening scenes, and the omitted book scenes. Also, there were problems with the amplification of the voice; however, the tangible and infectious amounts of sheer fun and charismatic energy pouring off the stage kept me riveted and compelled. The cast is clearly having the time of their lives celebrating The Ekleltix Theatre's anniversary and rejoicing life in general.

The Eklektix Theatre Company's production of SPRING AWAKENING - IN CONCERT runs again tonight at Barnevelder Movement Arts Complex at 2201 Preston Street, Houston. For tickets or more information, please visit http://www.eklektixtheatre.org or call (713) 876 - 3222. Also, be sure to catch their Rocked Out Summer Stock Series, featuring fully-staged productions of Richard O'Brien's THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW from June 28 - July 7, 2013 and Jonathan Larson's RENT from August 2 - 11, 2013.

Photo courtesy of The Eklektix Theatre Company.

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