Spring Awakening

Spring Awakening is a challenging production on so many levels. This is a show beloved by so many people, and it stands to reason that an amateur production of a show with such cult status will be warily met by its fans.   

 

 

The question of whether the production will simply emulate the original Broadway show, or whether it will creatively branch out into a new style of interpretation is actually a bit of a 'Catch-22'; so often, you’re damned if you do and you’re damned if you don’t. Fab Nobs have made their version of Spring Awakening unique, presenting a production that is a true exploration of the show’s themes.

 

Spring Awakening is the epitome of incongruity; it pits an edgy modern score against the backdrop of conservative late nineteenth century Germany. This concept might grate on many, but the thematic considerations of the piece are truly universal. The story follows a group of teenagers who have reached the highly charged, emotional period of adolescence. Melchior, Wendla, Moritz and the rest are subject to the same desires and experiences of teenagers everywhere: love, lust, resentment, anger, and above all, a desire to break free and truly understand the world around them.

 

With this in mind, directors Karl McNamara and James Cutler used three major visual motifs throughout the show. Books, being the ‘keepers of knowledge’ and ‘hidden truths’, were used superbly. The stage was flanked floor to ceiling by bookshelves. All stage 'furniture' was represented by stacks of books. The entrances to the wings were framed by large, precariously stacked mountains of books. Pages of text were projected onto the backdrop. This brilliantly personified the set – you could feel the pressure of institutionalised knowledge breathing down the necks of these teenagers, who are so anxious to gain true knowledge of the world.  

 

Similarly, blindfolds and hand held lights were used throughout the show, representing the characters’ blindness to the ways of the world, and their subsequent illumination as they are initiated into the challenges of life. The blindfolds were used sparingly, and were therefore effective. The lights, held and manipulated by the cast, had moments of brilliance – Moritz’s "And Then There Were None" was a great example. However, many scenes were darkened to a point where the action and emotions were missed. Melchior’s graveyard scene and "The Bitch of Living" were two moments that might have benefited from more light, if only for the sake of the audience. The consistency in presentation of such motifs is important, and its execution was good – just over-used.

 

The themes of repression and naivety were also explored in the choreography. The ‘hand choreography’ (I don’t know what else to call it!) was well performed and utterly moving. However, I felt that some of the other choreography, which was reminiscent of the original Broadway production’s movement, oscillated between awesomely intense and a little awkward. Some members of the cast seemed to find it a little difficult to gauge how ‘full on’ they wanted to present it. Having said that, the cast created many formations and physical shapes that highlighted their tightness as a group. This clear connection was at its most powerful in the singing. With musical director Tyson Legg at the helm, and with the backing of a small but nicely balanced orchestra, the cast harmonies were a highlight – particularly in the show’s final number. It was obvious through the vocal power of the group how emotionally invested the performers were in telling the story.

 

The lighting design, by Jason Lord, gave the whole production a sepia warmth that tied in nicely with the set, and added (literal) dashes of neon colours which complimented the modernity of the music. Lord’s use of side lighting from within the bookcases created some wonderful shadows, and the design in general effectively married the contradiction of historical context to modern style. Sound, by Nathan Aveling, was generally well balanced and only suffered a few times from opening night patchiness. Costume design by Nicholas Kong was era specific, with fine attention to detail – particularly for the multiple costumes that the adult characters wore. The boys were suitably uniformed, yet each one slightly individual and reflective of his character. While the girls' dresses were lovely, I felt that some of the colour choices didn’t quite sit right with the overall palette of the piece.

 

Mark Kenny exuded the kind of boyish confidence needed from Melchior. His acting was naturalistic and his singing commendable. As Wendla, Luisa Tascone was innocent and endearing, but seemed to waver vocally; she was clearly more comfortable with the higher notes. As Ilse, Alana Kiely’s vocals were just sublime, yet it was her presence that impressed me more. Prowling the stage for the entire first act as ‘the silent narrator’, Kiely managed to strike a great balance between being inconspicuous and gently pulling focus. I really enjoyed the way her character was developed in this piece.

 

As Moritz, David Delmenico had a bit of a tough gig. Moritz is the kind of character whose neuroticism can easily become whiny and I felt that Delmenico was able to present his angst more truthfully through song. He is a compelling singer, and it was in this way that he shone. Playing a variety of parents, teachers and authority figures, David Gardette and Lou Endicott worked hard to bring individuality to every role they played and are both to be commended. They are both clearly competent actors, with a variety of accents, physicalities and facial expressions at their disposal. 

 

The topic of accents is one I am hesitant to touch. McNamara and Cutler chose to use a natural Australian accent for their Spring Awakening and considering how universal the themes of this piece are, I can understand their choice. My personal preference would be for a kind of global accent, as used by Gardette, but that is one person’s opinion only. The use of Australian accents only really entered my consciousness when some of the cast tended towards the ‘okka’ end of the accent spectrum from time to time, and it was this inconsistency that I would prefer to comment on as opposed to the use of the accent itself.

 

I’m always excited by directors who desire to explore and present a story beyond what is written on the page, and I am heartened by a performance where the actors and production team are a cohesive group, united by their love for and belief in the show. Regardless of how people respond to the interpretation they see on the stage, it is these more intangible offerings of creativity and belief that make Fab Nobs' Spring Awakening well worth seeing.