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tattooedsirenSo I went to see the Melbourne production of Spring Awakening. The cast were predominately from the Young Australian Broadway Chorus so they were all in their teens. It was great to see a show about teenagers being played by teenagers and not twenty-somethings like usual.
The cast was very good. I wasn't too crazy about the actor playing Melchior, but the actors playing Wendla and Moritz were great. Though it was weird seeing the play with Australian accents. LOL
The stage was set up quite differently. There was a two-level barn structure at the middle back of the stage. It was greatly utilised, especially for the loft scene, whereby Melchior and Wendla were on the second level and the ensemble were underneath them. They lit candles during I Believe so the light was quite low during the sex scene. It was beautifully staged.
Some major difference between productions:
* There were no microphones! And during the songs the other cast members didn't freeze. If I didnt know any better it would have been fine, but I felt doing it that way lost the idea of the songs being internal monologues.
* The signature (for lack of a better word) dance move was gone. The movements that are echoed throughout the show - Mama Who Bore Me, Touch Me, Mirror Blue Night etc - was missing.
* There was no stage seating, and the ensemble were part of the action throughout. So during the classroom scenes all the boys had seats and were part of Bitch of Living, and the whole ensemble were part of the choreography of Touch Me. I understand why they did it that way (there wasnt enough room for stage seating) but the problem then became not really knowing who the core cast were because they were lost in the volume of the ensemble.
One of my favourite numbers has always been Mirror Blue Night. During this production there was no rising platform so instead Melchior was on the second level of the barn. The boys joined him on that level and stood beside and around him. The choreography consisted of Melchi putting his arms on the shoulders of the boy either side so they could lift him up and down, and all the boys behind him put their hands on his face, body etc in different variations. Okay, my descriptions suck, but it was really well staged and probably my favourite change.
The actor playing Hanschen was hilarious.
The lighting I feel was not the plays best asset. I'm sure they did it for artistic reasons, but sometimes the light was quite low and it was hard to see what was going on (most notably during the circle-jerk scene).
I think that pretty much covers it. I quote enjoyed the production and was glad I saw it. I was a bit apprehensive because it was a small production by a small company but it was quite well done.
The cast was very good. I wasn't too crazy about the actor playing Melchior, but the actors playing Wendla and Moritz were great. Though it was weird seeing the play with Australian accents. LOL
The stage was set up quite differently. There was a two-level barn structure at the middle back of the stage. It was greatly utilised, especially for the loft scene, whereby Melchior and Wendla were on the second level and the ensemble were underneath them. They lit candles during I Believe so the light was quite low during the sex scene. It was beautifully staged.
Some major difference between productions:
* There were no microphones! And during the songs the other cast members didn't freeze. If I didnt know any better it would have been fine, but I felt doing it that way lost the idea of the songs being internal monologues.
* The signature (for lack of a better word) dance move was gone. The movements that are echoed throughout the show - Mama Who Bore Me, Touch Me, Mirror Blue Night etc - was missing.
* There was no stage seating, and the ensemble were part of the action throughout. So during the classroom scenes all the boys had seats and were part of Bitch of Living, and the whole ensemble were part of the choreography of Touch Me. I understand why they did it that way (there wasnt enough room for stage seating) but the problem then became not really knowing who the core cast were because they were lost in the volume of the ensemble.
One of my favourite numbers has always been Mirror Blue Night. During this production there was no rising platform so instead Melchior was on the second level of the barn. The boys joined him on that level and stood beside and around him. The choreography consisted of Melchi putting his arms on the shoulders of the boy either side so they could lift him up and down, and all the boys behind him put their hands on his face, body etc in different variations. Okay, my descriptions suck, but it was really well staged and probably my favourite change.
The actor playing Hanschen was hilarious.
The lighting I feel was not the plays best asset. I'm sure they did it for artistic reasons, but sometimes the light was quite low and it was hard to see what was going on (most notably during the circle-jerk scene).
I think that pretty much covers it. I quote enjoyed the production and was glad I saw it. I was a bit apprehensive because it was a small production by a small company but it was quite well done.
