Review: SPRING AWAKENING at Revolution Stage Company

If you check out the history of the musical, Spring Awakening, you will find that it is origins are in a German play titled The Awakening of Spring; underneath that, “A Tragedy of Childhood.” It was so controversial, it make it to stage for 15 years after it was written in 1891.

You might think that these kids dealt with long-gone issues of yore, or maybe that it wouldn’t translate to today’s youth, but sadly, for the things that confound those reaching  puberty, knowledge of sexuality and questions of faith are handled with strangled knowledge, or even worse, none at all. And critical thinking, so important to our emotional development, is something punishable.

The musical version, Spring Awakening, deals with all the same issues: sexuality, pregnancy, rape, incest, S&M (yep) and suicide - that’s  a heavy load for a musical. But this is rock, and rock was born to rough and tumble. It’s in the name.

While the subject matters are heartbreaking, the music is hard hitting in different ways starting with the plaintive Mama Who Bore Me sung by Wendla (Candace Coe) begging her mother to help her understand these feelings she’s having, her teen angst, her body changes, her heart and other parts feeling strange new things. She begs her mother to tell her all the truths about how babies are conceived but her mother (Christine Michele) is too embarrassed to tell her the truth. 

Coe, who straight-up sounds like a Disney princess, sings the opening, and it’s lovely, but what really makes you sit up in your chair is the Reprise, when all the girls join together on stage in a finely choreographed number, and the sound! The sound from their combined voices comes at you with such intensity I think my hair blew back. I’m not saying it’s loud, I’m saying their need for knowledge comes through in their performance. I knew right then that we were in for a ride, I just didn’t know all of the dark places we were going. 

Our protagonist is Melchior (Joseph Portoles) who seems to hold the book of knowledge (a how-to on sex with illustrations) that he copies and shares with his best pal Moritz (Carlos Garcia). He’s already worldly for his age, he’s the guy who challenges the norm by reading banned books, and has even declared himself an atheist. If this were the 1960s America, he would have been that kid that does beat poetry in college, went to protests, and would grow up to be a hip professor or maybe just a hippie. 

I’ve told you the subject matters, but how it all comes together, or unfolds will be up to you to find out. But I will tell you about the cast. The entire ensemble is terrific, and while their solo numbers are lovely, it is when they perform together that the excitement level in the house reaches a fervor. Certainly they did on opening night, it was at winning touchdown sound level - all good by me, I love an enthusiastic crowd. They feed the performances, and this one was well fed.

The three main male characters are played by regulars Portoles, Garcia, and Sam Moffat. Moffat always manages to bring something special to his roles - big or small. This time is not exception. We know exactly who he is, what he wants, and he charms us too. We’ve seen Imani De Leon give us song and sass as Ronnette recently in Revolution's terrific Little Shop of Horrors; Koby Queenan in Company, and playing Orin in Little Shop, and Coe has taken the lead in quite a few of their productions. They’re all incredibly talented, and I’m not complaining. But it is always nice to be introduced to new talent. Arthur Buenaventura and Steffon Martindale both have nice solo moments in this show, and Joyanne Tracy gives a pro performance, and Megan Lawson is lovely as poor Martha. Nathan Wilson makes a very scary German as Herr.

Although the entire ensemble is terrific, I’d like to call out newcomer Lelani Baldwin. I did not expect that voice out of her. It’s powerful, sweet, but a little dirty too - “Disney After Dark” if you will. Hoping we get to see more of what she can do.  

Thumbs up to Kelly Newhouse’s costumes. The school boys were dressed in jodhpurs and suspenders, the girls mostly in white with drab schmattes thrown over them. It worked well with the overall production - minimalist and stark like the set, leaving the heavy work up to the actors, the music, and the lights, which Mariah Pryor delivers with a perfect design, creating vignettes and highlighting the play’s intensity.

Kudo’s to Nathan Wilson for his choreography. Bitch of a Living felt like Fight Club meets Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation video: precise, mechanical, and banging, and Nathan Cox's projections were creative and added just the right flavor to the production.

Director Trevor Biship-Gillespie did a great job with tone and pacing, and the cast gave terrific performances under his direction. Although there was a large cast, the stage never felt crowded even when they were all present and accounted for. My only issue is the sightline. When actors are directed to sit downstage, unless you are in the first two rows, or at the two tops in back, you can’t see the action. Other than that, this was a rocking success.

I should probably tell you that while there is no nudity, there are a few sexual situations. I’d say don’t bring the teens, but that kinda misses the whole point of the musical. 

Spring Awakening at Revolution Stage Company

611 S. Palm Canyon Drive 

Through January 30, 2025

Tickets

Spring Awakening, Book & lyrics by Steven Sater; music by Duncan Sheik - based on the play by Frank Wedekind.

Director Trevor Biship-Gillespie

Musical Director Stephen Hulsey

Cast

Ilsa: Leilani Baldwin

Ernst: Arthur Buenaventura

Wendla: Candace Coe

Thea: Imani De Leon

Moritz: Carlos Garcia

Martha: Megan Lawson

Otto: Steffon Martindale

Frau: Christine Michele

Hanschen: Samuel Moffatt

Melchior: Joseph Portoles

Georg: Kobe Queenen

Anna: Joyanne Tracy

Herr: Nathan Wilson

Production Design:

Set: Christopher Scott-Murillo

Lights: Mariah Pryor

Sound: Kelly McGuire

Costumes: Kelly Newhouse

Choreography: Nathan Wilson

Projections: Nathan Cox

Crew:

Stage Manager: Mariah Pryor

Asst Stage Manager: Corin Frost

Intimacy Coordinator: Emily Rogge Tzucker

Set Construction: Miguel Lauro, Joyanne Tracy

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