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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">Mesmerizing
SPRING AWAKENING at Beck</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">Roy Berko</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Palatino;color:black">(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">On the way
out of SPRING AWAKENING at Beck Center, my 16-year old grandson, known as the
kid reviewer, said, “That was awesome.<span style>
</span>The singing, the acting, the music, the choreography, the staging, were
all great!”<span style> </span>Yes, Alex, you just
experienced one of the finest theatrical works you may ever see.<span style> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">SPRING
AWAKENING, the Steven Sater (book and lyrics)-Duncan Sheik (music), folk-infused
rock music drama, is based on a 1892 play by Frank Wedekind of Germany.<span style> </span>The subject matter, which centers on
teenagers on the road to self-discovery, portrays abortion, homosexuality,
rape, child abuse and suicide.<span style> </span>It
was so controversial that its original source was banned for public view for
over one hundred years.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">The play is a
powerful indictment against late 19<sup>th</sup> century Germany, where strict rules
regarding right and wrong, and wide-spread hypocrisy were rampant.<span style> </span>Sex wasn’t discussed, the reasons for
actions weren’t revealed, and adults held strict control.<span style> </span>It is relevant<span style> </span>to modern day American where the
religious right sometimes parallels the machinations of the adults in
Wedekind’s script.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">The play consists
mainly of spoken and sung dialogues among the children, with an interspersing
of voices of the adults.<span style> </span>Wedekind
has given the voices the ability to open our eyes, in gripping ways, to the
joys and sorrows, hopes and despair, and struggles and the resulting
tragedies.<span style> </span>Tragedies in which the
most promising children are sacrificed due a lack of appreciation and
understanding from their teachers and parents.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">We meet
Melchior, intelligent, handsome and charismatic, who sees the corruption around
him, but is powerless to change the events.<span style> </span>There is Moritz, physically stronger but psychologically
frail.<span style> </span>He’s the product of a harsh
father, and is pushed to near insanity when he fails an exam and eventually is
led to suicide.<span style> </span>Wendla is in love
with Melchior, and naively becomes pregnant by him.<span style> </span>Her fall from grace is based on her lack of knowledge about
human sexuality, and still believing that “children are brought by
storks.”<span style> </span>She, too, becomes a
tragic product of her culture’s rules.<span style> </span>We also view Ilse, who runs away from a sexually
abusive home, another product of the rules of the game of life.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">We are left
at the end of the epic with Melchior, his friends all destroyed, needing to
find a reason to go on with his life.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">This is a
relevant play that has already, and should open additional eyes of the
hypocritically blind to the need for sex education, understanding of the
teenage mind and the hypocrisy of developing illogical and unbending rules for
the sake of tradition.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">The Broadway
production won eight Tony Awards in 2007.<span style>
</span>The Baldwin Wallace-Beck Center collaboration, under the keen eye of
Victoria Bussert, is as good as the professional shows I saw on Broadway and
on-tour.<span style> </span>This is Bussert at her
best!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">The staging
is creative, encompassing, focused.<span style>
</span>The pacing is fine…slow when necessary, fast when appropriate.<span style> </span>Ryan Fielding Garrett’s band, which is
on stage during the entire production, expertly backs up, rather than drowning
out the singers, the vocal blends are excellent, and even though several of the
cast don’t have superb singing voices…they so well interpret the words of the
songs, that it matters naught.<span style> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">Zach Adkins,
a young Brad Pitt look-alike, is compelling as Melchior.<span style> </span>He displays a complete understanding of
the mental and emotional workings of the role.<span style> </span>As we see him standing alone at the end of the play we can
only feel strong emotional bonding with the real person Adkins has
created.<span style> </span>His song <i style>All That’s Known</i> is appealing, while <i style>Left Behind</i> is emotionally revealing.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">James Penca
is spot-on as the conflicted Moritz.<span style>
</span>He develops a young man unable to fight off the power of his father and
members of the school staff, who demand what Moritz is unable to give.<span style> </span>His <i style>The
Bitch of Living</i> is a show highlight, as is <i style>Don’t Do Sadness</i>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">Pretty Kyra
Kennedy makes for a perfect Wendla.<span style>
</span>She creates a complete character who displays appropriate naivety and
passion.<span style> </span>Her <i style>Mama Who Bore Me </i>was a strong curtain raiser and <i style>Those You’ve Known</i>, a trio with Adkins
and Penca, was tear-inducing.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">The chorus
was excellent, weaving in an out of the scenes with clarity and concentration.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">Gregory
Daniel’s choreography, Jeff Herrmann’s set and light designs, Richard
Ingraham’s sound design, and Alison Garrigan’s costumes all make SPRING
AWAKENING a special evening of theatre. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">The show is
advertised as 17 and older.<span style> </span>When I
asked Alex if he was uncomfortable, especially in the presence of his
grandparents, he gave a, “no way” response.<span style> </span>You have to know your teen, but the lessons to be learned
from this script are great.<span style> </span>In
fact, if the characters in this play had known what they could have learned
from being exposed to this material, there would have been no need for Wedekind
to write the play. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-autospace:none"><i style><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">CAPSULE JUDGEMENT:<span style> </span>SPRING AWAKENING is an emotionally
stirring, relevant, and well staged production.<span style> </span>This is not a should see, it’s a must see presentation.<span style> </span>Bravo!<span style> </span>Bravo!<span style> </span>Bravo!</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">SPRING
AWAKENING is scheduled to run through March 4 at Beck Center for the Arts.<span style> </span>For tickets and information on the
possibility of the run being extended, call 216-521-2540.<span style> <br></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"><span style></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#0080ff" face="'lucida console', sans-serif" size="1">Roy
Berko's commentaries and reviews appear on <a href="http://coolcleveland.com">coolcleveland.com</a>,
<a href="http://neohiopal.com">neohiopal.com</a>,<a href="http://artsamerica.com">artsamerica.com</a>,<a href="http://broadwaynews.com">broadwaynews.com</a>, and The Times
Newspapers. His blog is: <a href="http://www.royberko.info">www.royberko.info</a></font></p>