Spring Awakening

[Yostertag]

Ok. I will be strongly opposed on what I'm about to say, but I want to be enlightened.

In my opinion, Spring Awakening has nothing going for it but shock value. The story is sad, but if thats all it takes to win a tony for best musical, anyone can produce a hit broadway show.

Now admitedly I have not seen the show, but I have heard the music and read a detailed synopsis. I have also read the broadway abridged version of the show(www.broadwayabridged.com), and I whole heartedly believe that there is nothing special about this musical.

So tell me, my fellow posters, why is Spring Awakening so great?

[neddyfrank2]

What is Spring Awakening?

[Sarah8]

Great acting, fantastic singing and songs. What more can you ask for? It doesn't matter what you've read until you've seen it you can't really form a valid opinion.
Go see it and if you still have the same feeling then that's up to you. I enjoyed it. It did have shock value for me, but I'm still listening to the songs a month later so it has something going for it.

[tazber]

It's awesome b/c it has everything a musical should have. Big production numbers, lots of comedy and a happy ending.

[StageManager2]

You haven't seen it, therefore your opinion is moot.

[MerMaggieGalinda]

Exactly.

[tazber]

you're so wrong SM! You can develop an informed opinion based on the advertisements. I see people do it all the time so it must be ok.

[gymdudeva]

This reminds me of the guy on the *other* board who went on a huge rant about SA, based on....its website. Yes, he had only seen the website and went ballistic about what crap it was.

[Yostertag]

Yes I believe that it does have something going for it, that something being good music. The lyrics, not so much. The story, not so great. And what could be funnier than someone masterbating on stage?

Maybe I've been misinformed, but the synopsis I read does not seem like a happy ending. It maybe at best is not as sad as the rest of the play.

As for having everything a musical should have, there are plenty of better musicals that meet the aforementioned qualifications. Spamalot, Chicago, Curtains, RENT, the list goes on and on.

[Parsley]

The CD is good but I just could not warm to the stage production despite what was a very talented cast. I found it tedious in the extreme on the whole and was glad when it ended.

For me it is one of those rare productions that I prefer to experience on the cast recording rather than live on stage.

[chris d]

the music works better when performed in the show... it isn't terribly shocking... it's sad but has some funny moments as well

[Mattbrain]

"Maybe I've been misinformed, but the synopsis I read does not seem like a happy ending. It maybe at best is not as sad as the rest of the play."

*Head desk*

It's called sarcasm!

[WhatYouOwn27]

See it. It's a great show. The songs are amazing the characters are amazing the set is amazing the script is amazing the choreography is amazing...SEE THE SHOW!!

[gymdudeva]

Wow, we can all save LOTS of money on actual tickets to Broadway shows! Just borrow the CD, read a synopsis and a parody, and BOOM, that's all you need to discuss, criticize, and analyze a show! To think that I have been wasting time and money actually travelling to NYC and sitting through the things! You can get everything you need on the Internet! The adbridged satires are especially good substitutes...and they're FREE!!

[erikaamato]

I actually agree with Parsley. Intellectually, I appreciated the work, but the whole thing just left me cold, somehow.

[Midoria]

I don't think people who haven't seen the show should even be allowed to start threads like this. It's almost as annoying as people who complain they don't like certain performs after seeing them on BooTube.

Ugh.

[mnotavery]

Spring Awakening has holes and things that are less than great about it, but it also has a lot of aspects that are very worth seeing, including the cast. There was a recent thread, though, about how there are some ideas and plots for musicals that sound AWFUL on paper yet are good shows. I know my mom has no desire to see SA after hearing a summary, but that other thread makes some good points: https://www.broadwayworld.com/board/readmessage.cfm?boardname=bway&thread=936675#3231251. You usually can't form an opinion of a show from a summary or name (as mocked by Urinetown, the musical with the worst name in recent memory). In fact, I didn't even think SA is all that shocking (for the most part)... I definitely appreciate it's based on being written in the 1890s, when it WAS so shocking, but after enduring so many after school specials, I saw most of the plot points coming from a mile away.

Ha ha, and I'm sure Gil is proud about his abridged having more authority than the actual show, but he does address that in his FAQ:

"I'd like to think that this website serves as a sort of a replacement for people not getting to see a show...
But eventually I learned that I just don't buy that. That's like watching Austin Powers 1 and not having ever heard of James Bond."

Another good SA parody to check out though is the current medley skit in Forbidden Broadway-- spot on!

[Taryn]

I think even the people who don't care for the show can agree that you don't have the authority to have opinions on it when you haven't seen it. The music, sure, if you've listened to it, but not the actual show.

[gymdudeva]

Midoria, I agree. These sorts of posts should be deleted. They are ridiculous. Especially this one. They make a farce of this board.

[nydirector2]

It's a dramaturgical mess with no coherence with the director. There are a lot of plot points that are never resolved. The acting is decent, but inconsistant. The music is, in fact, decent, but it is basically a bunch of songs written by a guy who couldn't get them on the radio. The play itself is getting a lot of press because it was banned 100 years ago. Just because a play is banned doesn't mean that it's good. It's usually quite the opposite.

[DramaQueen700]

im with frank....whats this so-called "spring awakening" ? never heard of it. hmmm....


:)

[ashbash1990]

Nevermind...

[gymdudeva]

ashbash, your post was thoughtful and I was going to respond and add some thoughts...why did you delete it?

[sleepyguy1717]

I haven't seen the show either, but I have no problem with it so far. I've listened to the cast recording, and I watched the preview from this site. I plan on seeing it when I go to the city for my birthday. :)

One thing that people have been saying though is that it has a great cast, which makes it a good show. How do you think the show will be once the cast leaves? Is it just one of those productions where the OBC makes the show, and there aren't many fitting replacements? Or do you predict there will be other performers who can do the show justice? Just curious.

[gymdudeva]

sleepy, that is a very good question. Some of these kids have been with the show since its inception many years ago and have really come to inhabit the characters and the world that, IMHO, is so brilliantly evoked.

I think it's going to be like Rent in the future, hit or miss depending on the cast. However, I think it's the music and lighting of SA that really shapes it, so if it's sung well and the staging doesn't get sloppy, it should hold up. But like all these things, probably nothing is going to quite equal the original cast again.