Skylight Music Theatre presents: SPRING AWAKENING

By Mary Boyle

German playwright Frank Wedekind’s Frühlings Erwachen, or Spring Awakening, made its premiere in 1906, but was rarely staged afterwards, as it was deemed too controversial.  The story follows a group of teenaged schoolchildren entering into the throes of puberty, and how they are adversely affected by the grown ups who are supposed to be guiding them, from parents to teachers to church leaders.  The play’s subtitle, A Children’s Tragedy, gives just a vague hint at what the play might entail, which happens to be instances of rape, suicide, teen pregnancy, child abuse, and abortion.  One can only imagine how shocking this particular piece of theatre was to audiences at the time, yet it managed to persist.  Then, in 2006, the play was made into a rock musical that made its way to Broadway, winning several Tony Awards, including for Best Musical, as well as a Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album.  Here in Milwaukee, Skylight Music Theatre has added yet another layer of complexity to the production by casting the show with a mix of deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing actors, further pushing the boundaries of live theatre.  Are you ready to experience this SPRING AWAKENING?

With music by Duncan Sheik and book and lyrics by Steven Sater, the original story is left largely unchanged: it’s still set in Germany in the early 20th century, and the costumes and set design reflect that, with the boys in matching school uniforms and the girls looking like a Laura Ingalls/cottage core mash-up.  This production is inspired by the 2015 Broadway revival by Deaf West, which produces Deaf-centered theatre in Los Angeles, and is designed to be experienced by both hearing and deaf audiences the same way, in real time.  To accomplish this, some of the actors are deaf or hard-of-hearing and use Sign Language while being shadowed by their voices, played by a hearing actor; however, many of the hearing actors are also using Sign Language and, at times, there is also open caption, meaning the text is sometimes projected on the wall to be read. 
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“There is an unfortunate history of the Hearing world deciding what is best for those who are Deaf, including forcing them to read lips and prohibiting the use of Sign Language,” explained Michael Unger, Skylight’s Artistic Director. This discrepancy is not unlike the treatment of the children by the adults in the play.

Unger shares directing responsibilities with renowned deaf theatre artist, Alexandria Wailes, who loves utilizing the power of theatre to bring people together from various backgrounds and help them move through the fears of the unknown; to create spaces that open dialogue across generations about the things that cause discomfort, which hopefully leads to learning, healing, and compassion.  “Theatre-making can also be about celebrating, elevating, amplifying the voices of those overlooked or assumed to not have anything to contribute,” Wailes said.  “It is about challenging preconceptions and allowing for the reflection on how much or how little may have changed.”

Spring Awakening is a tragedy whose themes are timeless: we see them in Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, the famous star-crossed lovers, and we can recognize it in John Hughes’ 1980s film, The Breakfast Club.  In each of these stories, we see children on the verge of adulthood, constrained by the expectations of their elders without given any context, guidance, or consideration, and the havoc it wreaks in their lives.  Here, we have Melchoir (Caden Zane Marshall), a brilliant and handsome young mind who is both a teachers’ pet and the envy of his classmates, and Wendla (Erin Rosenfeld), a young girl who is both desperate to understand the adult world and equally desperate to remain a little girl.  Rosenfield is deaf, so she is shadowed by her voice, played by Emma Knot, who was seen last season at Skylight as Poppy in Noises Off.  Marshall is a hearing actor and American Sign Language interpreter, so he is also sometimes voiced by other actors.

Trouble begins with a fellow classmate, Moritz (Joseph Saraceni), who is particularly struggling with his changing body and unable to get help from the adults in his life (a variety of characters played by Milwaukee favorites Karen Estrada and Joel Kopischke, as well as acclaimed deaf actor Liz Tannebaum).  Saraceni is also a deaf actor, so his voice is shadowed by Edie Flores.  Melchoir tries to help Moritz by providing him with a graphic essay about sex, but it only makes things worse, as Moritz’s lack of sleep and language barrier threatens his educational prospects.  Meanwhile, Wendla is shocked when she learns that another classmate, Martha (Kaia Fitzgerald), is being abused by her parents, and doesn’t know where to go with her questions, since her mother refuses to talk about “difficult” topics.  Tensions and problems build as children are either failed by or terrorized by the very adults in their lives who are supposed to help them, often under the guise of cultural decency.

In the original play, it is the voices of the children that are amplified, and what they have to say is deeply uncomfortable.  The modern version is still uncomfortable, which only serves to demonstrate that we have yet to fully address and understand these problems.  Then there is the additional layer of the amplification of Deaf voices, as well as a graphic scene involving partial nudity.  No amount of rock music can convince viewers that this is a fun, lighthearted Broadway frolic; in fact, the music felt incongruent to me, and not just because it didn’t align with the time the rest of the play is set in – after all, it worked just fine for Hamilton – but more because I felt that these topics are too serious to work as a musical.  I wanted it to be a drama. That being said, the cast is very dedicated and talented, and the music was well performed, overall.

As Unger says, “There is a reason this old play, with new music, has resonated so profoundly with a younger generation of theatregoers.”  There is no doubt that Skylight is pushing the boundaries of theatre with this production, but will the people that need to see it get themselves into the seats? My hope is that younger audience members make their way to the theatre community who may not have felt it was for them, with this one, but I challenge anyone over the age of 30 to give this one a try, especially if the very idea of it makes you uncomfortable.  This is how we learn and grow.
 
SPRING AWAKENING runs through March 17th at the Cabot Theatre in the Broadway Theatre Center, located at 158 N. Broadway in Milwaukee’s historic Third Ward.  Tickets may be purchased at https://www.skylightmusictheatre.org/ or by calling the Box Office at (414) 291-7800.  This show is recommended for ages 10 and up. 

About Skylight Music Theatre
Founded in 1959, Skylight is Milwaukee’s professional Equity music theatre company and the largest employer of Wisconsin actors in the state.  We are Milwaukee’s Home for Music Theatre--the only professional Milwaukee arts company devoted solely to music theatre.  Skylight produces the full breadth of music theatre, ranging from blockbuster Broadway musicals to reimagined operas, and from exciting world premieres to contemporary off-Broadway hits.  Skylight’s mainstage home is the Cabot Theatre in the Broadway Theatre Center, which was built by Skylight in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward in 1992.  Considered to be one of Milwaukee’s most beautiful theatres, the Cabot Theatre is based on the design of an 18th-century French opera house.   With just 350 seats, it offers audiences great views of the action onstage. Skylight Music Theatre marks its 63rd season in 2022-2023.  Skylight Music Theatre is a proud Cornerstone Member of the United Performing Arts Fund.