The “Spring Awakening” that “Spring Awakening” is Based On

“Spring Awakening” is a musical that has been lauded for its relevance to modern audiences and for its unabashed sexuality. This coming-of-age rock opera about repressed teenagers in 1880s Germany has achieved commercial success and widespread popularity since it opened in 2006.  But this most widely-known version of “Spring Awakening”— the Broadway musical — is not the original. It is based on the 1891 play by German playwright Frank Wedekind. It is this original version that Boston University’s Wandering Minds is bringing to the stage this weekend.

Wandering Minds is one of BU’s lesser-known theater groups on campus, but the range of shows it puts on is impressively wide. Earlier this semester, it presented a modern play, “The Women and Wallace.” Last year, its shows included Eugene O’Neill’s “The Iceman Cometh” and an interpretation of Joss Whedon’s internet sensation, “Doctor Horrible’s Sing-a-Long Blog.”

Promotional Poster for Spring Awakening, courtesy of Producer Jennie Davidow

Spring Awakening is a more serious undertaking. It has elements of tragedy, and deals with heavy themes. And as the play was written over a century before the musical, the two are quite different.

Student director Sabrina Maynard admits that the play was chosen, at least partially, because of the recent success of the musical. But Maynard was impressed by the script of the play as well, and thought it was good in its own right. “I really do think the play is more authentic,” she told the Quad on Wednesday. “The musical is oversexualized.”

That is not to say that the play is stiff and stodgy — it is modern and relevant in ways that don’t involve rock music. The characters discuss issues like faith, sexuality, homework, homosexuality, gender roles, censorship, pornography, and abuse.

The play is brought to life by the performances. Kaylyn Bancroft plays Wendella with a believable sweetness and naïveté. Thomas Nadovich channels Moritz’s anxiety in a frenzy of nervous energy, with trembling hands and a voice quavering on the bring of panic. Rebekkah Vega Romero brings a lightness to the heavier moments as Ilse, the show’s only free spirit — she flits about the stage like a bird, captivating the characters onstage and the audience.

The play takes place in a variety of settings; this is depicted onstage by the fact that the flats rotate to reveal either indoor or outdoor conditions. Other set-pieces are carried on to add to atmosphere—trees indicate the forest, a loft is a barn, and different arrangements of furniture show the interiors of different buildings.

The complexity of the set change between scenes is effective, but adds length to an already-long play: it runs a bit over two and a half hours. The script also lags in the middle of the second act: the beginning of the act is poignant, emotional and gripping, but changes course rather than building upon emotion.

Still, the end of the play retrieves this emotion; the finished product is fulfilling in the end. In the first act, Eliot Reineger’s Melchior says. “You’d think the whole world revolves around penis and vagina.” The characters’ attempt to find out whether or not this is true is ultimately realistic, and haunting.

“Spring Awakening,” presented by Wandering Minds, is at the BU Student Theater at Agganis Arena this weekend only. There will be shows Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 8pm. There is also a Saturday matinee at 2pm. Tickets are $6 and can be purchased at the door or the GSU Link.

About Kelly Dickinson

Kelly is a CAS/COM senior double-majoring in Psychology and Film. She was the editor-in-chief last year, but she ceded to Ingrid in a mostly-bloodless coup. Right now, she's Producing on QuadCast, checking off her BU bucket-list and hunting for one of those "job" things.

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