Spring Awakening
The national tour of Spring Awakening is onstage at San Francisco’s Curran Theatre through October 12th. Lucky bay area audiences therefore have a mere five weeks to get there and enjoy the Tony AwardŽ winner with a cast that far outshines its Broadway predecessor. "Spring Awakening" blends a haunting story with an irreverent in- your-face rock soundtrack, and infuses it all with a joie de vivre that will have you singing the songs long after you’ve left the theater.
The show, capturing the innocence and irreverence of youth, follows boys and girls learning about sex the hard way. Though difficult to imagine in our freethinking era, there was once a time when young people were completely ignorant of sex, puberty, and the changes affecting their bodies, and that is the focus of the play. When you first hear about "Spring Awakening" you don’t know what to expect: A musical based on a play set in Germany in the 1890s with songs written by 1990s pop songwriter Duncan Sheik ("Barely Breathing"). The rock soundtrack expresses the kids’ feelings, and though obviously anachronistic for a German setting at the turn of the last century, it is filled with the kind of heart that transcends time. For this production, it is happily no longer accompanied with the rather ridiculous choreography that marred the original.
For me, this touring production far outshines the Broadway version. For one thing the cast is demonstrably younger and more convincing in its portrayal of horny oppressed teenagers facing exploitation, molestation, and a dangerous future owing to their parents’ silence.
Christy Altomare (Wendla) captures the innocence, desire, and occasional ignorance of youth without appearing ridiculous or overacted. Lead actor Kyle Riabko is enormously gifted and capable of charming the audience right along with his love interest. Angela Reed exploits her exceptional range by playing all the adult women, switching on a dime from comical to poignant and back again. Besides successfully portraying life in a society where sexual topics are taboo and repressed feelings are the basis of social interaction, the cast is able to seamlessly transition into belting out powerful rock songs that sound more like what you hear on your radio now rather than in a play set in the 1890’s.
Spring Awakening is a must-see event for San Francisco natives and visitors alike. Being able to enjoy an award winning hit musical with this level of performance is a golden opportunity.
Spring Awakening is playing at the Curran Theatre at 445 Geary St, San Francisco from September 10th through October 12th. For further info and tickets, see the SHN website.
