Review: SPRING AWAKENING at Volksoper

Spring Awakening, the rock musical based on the 1891 play by Frank Wedekind, with music by Duncan Sheik and book and lyrics by Steven Sater, is now part of this season's repertoire of the Wiener Volksoper.

The musical premiered on Broadway in 2006, starring Jonathan Groff, Lea Michele, and John Gallagher Jr., and went on to win several Tony Awards.

Set in late 19th-century Germany, the story follows a group of teenagers as they struggle to grow up in a strict, repressive society.  Melchior (Paul Aschenwald), an intelligent and questioning boy; Moritz(Til Ormeloh), his anxious and troubled best friend; and Wendla (fantastic, Paula Nocker), a curious and innocent girl. Because the adults (a stunning Peter Lesiak, accompanied by Martina Dorak) in their lives refuse to talk openly about sexuality and personal development, the teenagers are left confused and alone with their fears and desires.

As Melchior and Wendla begin to explore their feelings for each other, Moritz becomes increasingly overwhelmed by academic pressure and his own inner conflicts. The lack of understanding and support from parents and teachers leads to tragic consequences.

The show deals with themes such as sexual awakening, repression, mental health, and the struggle for self-expression, showing audiences the painful transition from adolescence to adulthood.

Director Frédéric Buhr, responsible for tick, tick,... BOOM! at the Volksoper (click here to read the review) created a rather different and darker space than Broadway has in the critically acclaimed 2006 production, which also found its way to Vienna back in 2009, translated into German for a far too limited run. (The show opened on March 21st and closed on May 29th, the same year) While the show's success was limited, it brought us aspiring artists like Dominik Hees, Rasmus Borkowski, and Jeannine Wacker, among others.

Buhr’s cast, a talented bunch of young artists, is furious and powerful, filling the dignified house with pure energy whilst struggling with their teenage lives. It’s honestly brutal and devastating. Growing up has never been easy and never will be. Every century has its challenges for its teenagers, which is why Spring Awakening is an important and even more relevant piece of Musical Theatre.

The Set-Design (Agnes Hasun) with the band set into the center, surrounded by a beautiful bouquet of flowers, and all the bars reminded of a parcours, recently seen in another house not far away.

The Volksopers Spring Awakening brought a different kind of Musical to Lotte de Beer's house, apart from all the beloved classics we have seen so often. A well-appreciated artistic decision, with hopefully more to come.

Spring Awakening is vibrant, intense, brutal, and teaching; in other words, powerful. Musical far away from a shallow glitter, kick-lined, dreary story. Thank you, Cast and Crew, for reminding me how lucky I am that this chapter in my life is far behind me.

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