London Calling with Champagne Charlie Dateline: 'SPRING' Time!

Hi!

Well...it's here. The press are assembled, the dancers are ready. Director Michael Mayer on for the first time with a newly cast entourage from one of London's most eagerly awaited shows.

Spring Awakening is being shown off to the traditionally cynical and reserved UK media. They take their places and immediately launch in to 'The Bitch of Living', Michael stands to the side nervously purveying those around. 

The buzz has been great with the BBC preparing a special for their flagship Arts / current affairs show 'Newsnight'. This is prestige in itself for the small off West End theatre the Lyric not use to such exposure. But hopes are riding high that it will transfer and join other hits like 'Wicked' and 'Jersey Boys' in the West End proper.

Nevertheless, for now the practicalities of producing a show in a new theatre, a fraction of the size of its US counterpart were bothering Michael and he made no secret of his concerns and he ran the cast through its paces.

'It's tight up there, despite the fact that the theatre is very old and impressive its footprint is actually much smaller than the Atlantic and even to where we moved to on Broadway. Here's it's significantly smaller so we're playing catch-up to tighten things.'

He also began describing the adaptations required for the staging in London' There are some language things that had to change. I mean trash heap becomes scrap heap...stuff like that!'

For this London premiere the Lyric Hammersmith scoured the UK to assemble a cast of young actors aged 16-24 - many of whom are making their professional stage debut - led by Aneurin Barnard, Iwan Rheon and Charlotte Wakefield. They are joined by experienced actors and Royal Shakespeare Company regulars Sian Thomas (Fram, Kindertransport, Up For Grabs) and Richard Cordery (most recently seen in Waste at the Almeida theatre), who take on the adult roles.

'We started casted a year ago and I got here early December' he told me but from way back 7 years ago when the show was in its development, there was a feeling that this might be special. The creative team felt we could cast it here and when we did it'. The UK casting itself has yielded some real 1^st timers who were in drama school when the show was 1^st launched. 

Charlotte Wakefield who plays Wendela happened on the show while on holiday in New York. 'I was still at drama school when I say it but from the second my character walked on that New York stage I know this play was going to be more than huge...and I knew it had to me that played her' she told me in a break between routines'.

'The open casting had closed but I pleaded with the producers to let me have a go and I gave it the audition of my life. But it was worth it, I'm here now, somewhere very special in a very special show'.

'I want the show to have the show to get the audience it wants to have' insisted her director. 'Even now on the eve of it's UK opening I never wanted it to go to Broadway...that was never my goal, there was just a demand for it'. The casting was the same 'we never cast Broadway kids...we did the same here, the talent is natural'.

Whatever happens in London he is desperate for it to tour across the UK 'It says something that is really important to hear, it says be careful how you raise your children...talk to them...for it's it says you are not alone in your feelings, coming of age is a challenging and rewarding thing in equal measure. It's not just about sex...it's about your sense of self, who am I who do I want to want to love me' he added.

'The thing that makes the play work is that the story in this play is that it resonates with kids all over America and it seems to be resonating with kids here. I have seen it in tapes for the Korean production, I'll be doing it there in June and in Sweden it has met with success...judging from the request from all over the world it crosses all boundaries'

As for his next challenge he sees it a benchmark challenge....'the rewards are really icing on the cake. The next thing I want to do I want to access more of the way music works with the story as it does in the show'

As for 'Spring Awakening - the movie' he would not be drawn on whether it was a goes and whether he was going to be involved needless to say that as far as he was concerned 'anything can be a movie if you have the right idea, I have some thoughts for what that might be as a director, if that's meant to be it's meant to be'

With London engulfed in snow and shows not opening sheer audience pressure has kept the theatre open for this weeks run. The critics are due to cast their verdict officially later this week but its initial run has been extended and as far as the public is concerned - the show is already a UK hit.

Spring Awakening Photo by Helen Maybanks

Michael Mayer Photo Credit: Sarah DeBoer/Retna Ltd.

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