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Sunday, November 13, 2011

REVIEW: “SPRING AWAKENING” @ KEAN STAGE

SPRINGAWAKENING_GS[1]Spring awakening. The phrase conjures up images of the earth coming to life after a long winter, bringing feelings of hope and promise (no wonder it's the season of Passover and Easter). But German playwright Frank Wedekind had a different kind of spring awakening in mind when, in 1891, he penned a play by the same name, a play not about the natural world awakening but about the physical, psychological and sexual awaking of German youth, a play that was considered so scandalous that it was not produced in English for over 100 years after his death.

Fast forward to 2007, when the play, now set to an alternative rock music score by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater, runs for 900 performances on Broadway and is nominated for 11 Tony Awards (winning eight). Not too shabby for a play that frankly portrays issues of abortion, homosexuality, rape, child abuse and suicide.

With its exploration of burgeoning adolescent sexuality and the frustration felt by the young from the oppression of the adults in their lives, Spring Awakening is an appropriate undertaking for the students in the Theatre Department of Kean University (Kean Stage). Performed by students not much older than the characters they portray, this superb production is a testament to the talent being nurtured in that department. Indeed, the entire production speaks volumes about the level of theater education and talent on the Union campus.

Before I comment on the performances, let me say a word about the production values of Kean Stage's Spring Awakening. Not much scenery is really needed for this play, but Nadine Charlsent and her set design team have beautifully integrated the scenery with the plot and setting. Along with actual motifs from German Expressionism (most notably Wassily Kandinsky's geometric paintings) on the edges of the multi-level stage, Charlsent has incorporated modern technology in the form of computer projections on the stage's back wall—realistic scenes for the 1891 adult world and Kandinsky-inspired images when the characters enter the world of the adolescent. Amanda Levie's lighting is quite atmospheric (although there was too much use of fog/smoke) and appropriate to the events unfolding onstage. Costumes by Karen Lee Hart are of the period yet with a modern touch: the boys wear schoolboy shorts with high socks and the girls are attired in demure, almost filmy, dresses encased in rigid bustiers to provide the visuals of an oppressive society. And having the musicians (directed by Mike Murray with flair and energy) performing 21st century rock music and visible to the side of the stage reminds us that these problems are not peculiar to the late 19th century.

awake 1Professor Holly Logue's taut direction is evident as the large (18) cast moves smoothly  around the stage as the scenes dissolve one into another almost cinematically. There isn't a misstep or false note in the entire production, complicated as the blocking may be. Lauren Sodono (with Brandon Elia, left) is a radiant Wendla, oozing innocence but stymied when her mother refuses to tell her how babies are made, even though Wendla's body is "in bloom." She has a lovely, albeit strong, voice and great stage presence; it's hard to keep your Spring Brandon Eliaeyes off her whenever she appears onstage, and the emotions she espouses are natural and convincing. As the man/boy Melchior Gabor, radical nonbeliever, Brandon Elia (right) is so tightly wound that he appears about to explode, as he does when he decries "The Bitch of Living, along with his male schoolmates, declaring, "Nothing is okay unless it is scripted in their bible." Elia communicates Melchior's tender side very well too, especially in the penultimate number recalling his departed schoolmates. Spring Greg ScaleraGreg Scalera (left) is equally as brilliant as Melchior's friend Moritz, the lower class student whose failure (engineered by the adults who don't want him) crushes his parents and eventually himself. The energy and passion of his performance is palpable and very touching.

Of the teenage characters, Sammie Mellina as Martha (below, back row center) and Cara Ganski (below, center left, with Sodono) as Ilsa deserve special mention. As the sexually abused Martha, Mellina is heartbreaking; Ganski's Ilse glows despite the hardships physical and emotional her character has endured. In the opening number, I found my eyes turning to Ganski repeatedly. Her subsequent performance did not disappoint!

spring cast 2Playing the multiple adult roles (often with a change of collar, cloak or hat, and accent), Katelyn Morgan (second from left in back row) and Anthony Mowatt (back row, center) turn in stellar performances. Morgan is at turns dismissive, terrifying, but never kind. Mowatt is the typical straight-laced, pompous German teacher/father/doctor—take your pick. Popping in and out of the action, he's an accomplished actor able to morph easily from one character to another in the blink of an eye. Ditto for Morgan.

With its frank and dark themes, Spring Awakening may not be every theatergoers cup of tea. But I promise you an electrifying, energetic, passionate production that will give you hope for the future of American musical theater. Both the actual play itself and the wondrous performances by talented theater students are astounding. Even though I am many decades removed from these students and their concerns, I found myself involved and entranced by the production. I think you will be, too.

Note: This production is not suitable for children under the age of 15.

Spring Awakening will be performed at the Wilkins Theatre on the Kean University campus, 1000 Morris Avenue in Union through November 19, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM, Saturday and Sundays at 2 PM and Thursday, November 17, at 5 PM. For information and tickets, call Kean Stage Box Office at 908.737.SHOW (7469), visit online at www.keanstage.com, or in person at Kean University’s Wilkins Theater Box Office.