Okay I’m aware that I’m being a very bad book blogger and haven’t posted a book review in a long time. But last night I saw Spring Awakening at the Sydney Theatre and, well. Yeah.

It wasn’t without its faults. But I’ve been looking up YouTube videos from the American Broadway versions, and have to say, in comparison, the Sydney Theatre production was much less polished (this worked for and against it at different times), and the costumes were pretty awesome. Reminded me of my own Catholic all-girl schooldays when we used to find the private school boys’ uniforms real sexy. *eyes glaze over* Oh, you’re still here? Anyway…

It’s ultimate teen angst (if teenagers broke out into well-choreographed song every so often), but for some reason this didn’t piss me off as much as it usually does. Perhaps because the play it was based on (Spring Awakening by Frank Wedekind) was written in 1891. It effectively reminds us that teenagers have had to deal with sex, getting good grades, and evil grownups since forever.

Wendla’s mother refuses to tell her the truth about where babies come from, out of embarrassment. The consequences are grave and sad. While the girls are dealing with their own problems: sexual and physical abuse, kept complete ignorance of the real world, the boys aren’t much better off: Clowny Moritz has just had is first erotic dream and is utterly petrified of it. He’s also being sabotaged by his teachers, who plot against him in order to keep their school’s pristine reputation.

Wendla and Melchior (Image from www.springawakeninginaustralia.com.au)

I’m hesitant to get into detail of the plot because you can easily read about it somewhere else. Spring Awakening shows us a world in which school children frolick in the gardens under moonlight, and are curious and get hurt and are betrayed by those who should be caring for them: their parents and teachers. It’s a world in which sex is a complete mystery, and while smart, likeable and radical thinking Melchior (the male protagonist) is somewhat sexually educated, he is still naive and idealistic. His modern thinking becomes the reason for his downfall.

While it has its comic moments at the beginning, the story spirals into darkness: Abuse, suicide, and other themes that I won’t mention (in case it ruins the storyline), but all of these informed by and resulting from the hypocrisy and ‘eyes-shut’ attitudes of the adults and the conservative Christian society at large. Normally, I am easily moved to tears when I watch things. I didn’t have this reaction here, but the grief and indignation at the utter injustice of the situations that arise are no small impact.

It’s a musical, so I should probably mention the songs. The songs are great. Well, most of them. I wasn’t a fan of My Junk, however I loved Wendla’s pleading Mama Who Bore Me, the schoolboys’ Bitch Of Living (spazzy dancing galore), Melchior et al’s Totally Fucked and the finale ensemble song, Song of Purple Summer were beautiful and angsty and rageful. Oh, and I loved Melchior’s All Who’ve Known. So yes, quite a few. It was great to see ‘fucked’ rhymed with ’self-destruct’ in the lyrics: it wasn’t simply a word to fill in syllables.

The musicians were absolutely amazing, particularly the violinist, and while at times the accompaniment was a little too loud, it was still easy to appreciate the arrangement of it all. Occasionally, the singers used handheld microphones, which was possibly necessary, but definitely quite hard on the ears. When you sing with a microphone, your whole projection needs to change, otherwise the over-pronunciation normally required sans mic becomes very spluttery. And for most of it, I was struggling to understand the lyrics, although when the song itself is a pleasure to listen to, this can sometimes be forgivable.

Anyway, the magnetism of Spring Awakening was in its story: sexual repression, coming of age, and the aloneness of those awkward teenage years. There was something very Picnic At Hanging Rock about it all.

(I wonder if plays count for my Literary Lusts…I have my eye on Melchior or Moritz..)

Note: This wasn’t meant to be a proper review, just my thoughts of the night, so apologies for not being tight on acknowledging the right people, if you really want to know, I’m sure you’ll read on elsewhere.