When the controversial German playwright Frank Wedekind wrote Spring Awakening in 1891, he subtitled it A Children’s Tragedy. The shocking work was widely criticized for indicating that adolescent characters were frequently mistreated sexually and otherwise by their parents and teachers.
In Wedekind’s original play, mothers kept their daughters in ignorance of how babies were made, thus sometimes ruining their lives. Now, more than a 100 years later, a renowned musical adaptation by the much lauded writers/composers, Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater, has been successfully playing in various productions around the world.
In 2007 it was awarded eight Tony awards for the 2006 Broadway production, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Direction of a Musical, Best Featured Actor in a Musical, Best Choreography, Best Orchestrations and Best Lighting Design of a Musical. This is extremely rare!
And now Eugene’s Oregon Contemporary Theatre has its own exceptional production directed by Craig Willis, which runs through Sept. 27. It’s quite likely that this is the most disturbing and emotionally stunning play you will see in a local production for a considerable time to come. It may also be the musical that speaks to you with unforgettable coherence.
However, it is probably not for all ages, and OCT has a content advisory suggesting this information: Spring Awakening explores the tumultuous journey of adolescence, touching on themes of sexual awakening, rebellion and the struggles of growing up. It includes strong language, depictions of consensual sexual acts, violence and discussions of incest, abortion and suicide. Because of its mature themes and strong content, Spring Awakening is recommended for audiences ages 14 and older.”
The cast of 13 actors is large for the intimate stage at OCT, but the set design includes an exclusive level dedicated to a small orchestra, topped with an overhead walkway where the actors can perform, as well as on the main floor. Most of the characters are adolescents but two of the actors, Vanessa Greenway and Douglas Killingtree, play all the adult roles, primarily parents and teachers. Sometimes it’s a little hard to distinguish who is who among the adults, but it hardly matters because the adolescents consider the adults to be interchangeable enemies.
Everyone in this show can sing beautifully, and the songs are gorgeous and informative. It’s almost as if the characters are living in 1891 and 2026 at the same time. The actors use large microphones for their musical solos, but there hardly seems any need for them. I’d be curious to see how the songs sound without amplification.
Leading the girls in their search for sexual information is lovely Wendla, played by multi-talented Zoe Pence. Wendla falls in love with Melchior, played by Cadence Schuerger, as a dedicated popular student whose talents place him head and shoulders above the other boys.
Melchior’s good friend Moritz, in an outstanding performance by Brody Sitton, sings sadly about his misfortunes. Lauren Carroll as Ilse is splendid as an equally deprived girl. Other irresistible girls are Kelly Finch as Martha, Sydney Therrell as Anna and Otter Justman as Thea.
The other boys, all full of exuberance, are Cameron Jones as Otto, Ezra Dahl as Georg, Trevor Tarantino as Hanschen, and Gavin Blackwell as Ernst.
The Spring Awakening collaborative production team working with Willis includes Logan Love (assistant director and dramaturg), Amy Dunn (scenic design), Kai Uddin (audio engineer), Jake Wright (properties design), L’Via Rodriguez (lighting design), Laura Tuffli (costume design), Jae Unker (choreographer), Kevin Inouye (fight director) and Inga Wilson (intimacy director).
The show features live music by five Orchestra Next musicians, Robert Bohall (keyboard), Jake Jeringan (guitar), Cam Whitehead (bass), Casey Bedney (drums) and Andrea Sullivan (cello). Music direction for this show is by Robert Bohall and Brian McWhorter is executive director of Orchestra Next. The production stage manager is Chantell Martinez-Casey.
Spring Awakening is now playing at Oregon Contemporary Theatre through Sept. 27, including Sunday matinees at 2 pm on Sept. 20 and 27. Call 541-465-1506, or visit OCTheatre.org for tickets and information.