Topics such as abortion, suicide and masturbation are hard for today's media to convey without sounding too offensive, too PC or too oh no they didn't. Frank Wedekind's 117-year-old play Spring Awakening tackles those taboos and more, and Ohio University's School of Theater executes the play wonderfully.
Set in late 19th-century Germany, Spring Awakening follows the lives of a group of 14-year-olds in the midst of their coming of age and sexual angst. From relationships to sexuality to religious morality, the awkwardness of the teen years shines through the play.
And the theater department pulls off this play with expert precision. The most obvious aspect of the characters is the fact that 14-year-olds are played by college students. But besides some of the 'male teens' voices (they're a bit deep for a pre-pubescent boy), the actors and actresses accurately recreate the years no one ever wants to revisit.
Senior Matt Cleaver, who plays Moritz, is one of the most convincing of the college-aged teens. His youthful looks and nervous body language make it hard to believe he's far beyond his coming-of-age years. One of the most complicated characters of the play, Moritz is stuck in the middle of morality and sexual frustration, and Cleaver's incredible interpretation of the character verbally and physically exerts this struggle.
Wendla, played by Anwen Dick, is cute, sheltered and giddy, and Dick executes this marvelously. Her young face and cutesy voice make it hard to believe she's a college senior. She and Tyler Rollinson, who plays Melchior, play together wonderfully. Although Rollinson's acting is a bit weak at times, the final scene of the production makes up for lapses here and there.
Many of the scenes in Spring Awakening are disturbing and uncomfortable. Simply said, Spring Awakening isn't light material. But the actors play the characters comfortably and naturally, from the prepubescent teenage boy to the worrisome mother. Graduate student Tom Morin, playing Reinhold, presents an outstanding monologue about his character's sexual frustrations, which begins with an on-stage masturbation and continues with his grinding on pole-dancing teenage girls. But as awkward and uncomforting as the scene sounds, Morin overcomes this in one of the most intense, powerful and moving scenes of the play.
The soundtrack adds to the intensity of Spring Awakening. Director Heather Keith chose to incorporate songs from Pink Floyd into this seemingly old-fashioned story. It adds a contemporary feel, and the powerful guitar chords and crescendos fit perfectly with some of the most passionate moments, making the content more relatable to modern-day situations.
The makeup is impressive for a college production. It's hard to decipher whether the plump middle-aged man with a moustache is really middle-aged or a 20-something. Wendla's and Melchior's mothers look old and weathered, at least twice their college ages. Brandon Kirkham's costume designs fit the period extremely well, with bustle dresses and long suit coats. And extra large costumes for larger-than-life adult puppets match the style of the human-sized ones perfectly.
Although the play received a lot of criticism in its early days ' it closed in New York City in 1917 after just one night ' Spring Awakening is a powerful story that details the extremities teens face during their most vulnerable years. It's a hard play to tackle, but the OU School of Theater deserves a standing ovation for its moving interpretation.
17 Archives
Caitlin Price
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Moritz (foreground), played by Matt Cleaver, and Melchior, played by Tyler Rollinson, discuss their lives and relax during a beautiful day outdoors during the first act of [i]Spring Awakening[/i]. The School of Theater will continue performing the show to
