Review: SPRING AWAKENING at Actors Theatre Of Little Rock

If you haven’t discovered Actors Theatre of Little Rock yet, you are missing out! Their talent pool is just a small reflection of their potential. Founder/Producing Artistic Director Mark Burbank and Cofounder Dariane Lyjoi Mull have created a community that is free to express themselves in a safe environment, and I am loving it. Their mission statement reads: Actors Theatre of Little Rock is an artistic ecosystem that engages our community by pursuing creative excellence,  boundary-breaking theatre, and substantial community partnerships. We believe theatre is for all. Their newest production SPRING AWAKENING, which is at the Quapaw United Methodist Church basement in Little Rock, runs through March 23, and you don’t want to miss it. However, they do go all out, so don’t bring the kids.  

SPRING AWAKENING, Book and Lyrics by Steven Sater and Music by Duncan Sheik, is a coming-of-age rock musical set in late 19th-century Germany. The musical tells the story of teenagers discovering their sexuality and learning what all comes with that. Though this is mainly an ensemble piece, the story does spotlight a few pairings. Wendla (Finley Daniel) asks her mother where babies come from, and her mother gives her the ‘when mommies and daddies love each other very much’ speech. She is thoroughly confused, but soon runs into Melchior (Leo Martinez), who is a bit more knowledgeable. They have a few meetings, an interaction that involves a switch due to Martha (Destaney Duguid) talking about her father abusing her, and by the end of Act I, Wendla and Melchior have sex (complete with his naked booty to end the scene). Mixed into this is Moritz (Peyton Greenwood), who is confused about his erotic dreams. He has Melchior write out descriptions along with illustrations, which makes his dreams even more erotic. Also, he is failing out of school. Moritz doesn’t handle any of this very well at all.   

In Act II, so many things go down, including a scene with Hänschen (Tyler Mann) and Ernst (Tylen Loring) where they kiss, Ilse (Leah Stewart) tries to get Moritz to go away with her to the arts colony, and deaths happen. It’s emotional, it’s bold, it’s amazing! Go check this out! 

With Direction by Caelon Colbert (insert my starry heart eyes), this cast put their heart and soul into this show. They come at you with so much passion and drama infused energy. I fell in love with them all. The girls in the show did an amazing job, but those boys!!!! Wow! I was not prepared. I’m not giving it away, but when I say they went for it, that is an understatement....ehem....Tyler Mann, Tylen Loring, Quinton Sanders, Micah Patterson, Simon Marie.....they all had no fear!! 

I am a Finley Daniel’s fan. She always has the best expressions on her face. I love watching her. She speaks with her eyes and draws you into her character. Also, this was the first time I was able to hear her sing, which was amazing (but I’m not surprised!). Daniel and Leo Martinez meshed well together. Martinez did a great job navigating through the angsty cast with a kind and gentle demeanor. Peyton Greenwood gave us all the emotions of someone losing control of their life. The frustration could be felt emitting from them and broke our hearts at the end. It was super cool to see Ben Barham and Verda Davenport-Booher play all of the adult parts. Without being familiar with the story, I was confused at first, but both were great at separating each character that it didn’t take me long to catch on to what they were doing.  

Staging was creative. First off, being down in the basement of a historic church is the coolest idea ever. For each show, they have been very versatile with how they arrange the stage and seating. Sometimes, it is traditional. Sometimes, it is Blackbox-esque. This time they had seating on two sides with the performance area in the middle, with the live band on the actual stage. Have I mentioned how much I love a live band? Maybe I have a few times. Also, I am in love with immersive theatre. If you sit in the front (which I do), the performers are coming at you in all sorts of directions. Personal space? What personal space? Ha! So, I may have been slightly jumpy but loved every minute of it.  

The SPRING AWAKENING band rocked! With Music Direction by Angela Kay Collier, they kept the youthful feeling of teenage lust alive throughout the whole show. Band members included are Christian Waldron-Conductor/Piano, Jake Wyatt- Drums/Percussion, Liz Cohen-Bass, Logan Smith-Guitar, Max Carter-Viola, Kenneth Yu-Cellist, and Dustin Yoder-Violin. 

Another super cool thing ATLR has going for them is that they team up with Loblolly Creamery to get show themed ice cream. This time it was Honey Lavender and Very Berry Sorbet. We tried both. Honey Lavender was smooth, and Very Berry Sorbet was...well...berry. Both were delicious. Get both!

Coming up next is an all female cast of Romeo & Juliet. For more information, visit their website at https://actorstheatrelr.org. 

Broadway World would like to thank Matthew Sewell of Matthew Sewell Photography for the use of these beautiful photos. Everyone should have an updated headshot, and he is the master at it. Check him out at https://www.msewellphotography.com. 

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