Fifteen dollars, 22 musical numbers and one artistically choreographed masturbation scene later — it’s safe to say St. Thomas Musical Theatre opened big with their production of Spring Awakening.
A lot of things work here. Considering the musical acts as both a period piece, a cautionary tale and an exposé on the tragedy of censorship there’s a surprising amount of relevance in Dawn Sadoway, Shawn Henry and Lesandra Dodson’s interpretation of Duncan Sheik’s hit play.
Spring Awakening follows the lives of sexually oppressed teenagers in Germany during the very end of the 19th century. Against our stark backdrop, we have a forbidden love story between Wendla and Melchoir, played by Katelyn Goodwin and Evan Getson respectively. Alongside the pair we have an array of characters discovering their own sexualities in the world that refuses to give the answers.
The casting works. Getson perfectly nails the role of a tragic hero, coupling doe-eyed naivety with just the right amount of angst, while Goodwin harnesses her character’s vulnerability in order to introduce the play’s darker themes much earlier than intended. The pair play effortlessly off one another. Of course the ensemble introduce tremendously interesting backstories, giving the already eclectic cast some more than satisfactory depth.
Alex Rioux’s Moritz plays beautifully with relatable feelings of confusion and hormonal excitement, while Matthew Chiasson delivers a brief albeit savagely memorable performance as Moritz’s father. There’s a fantastic ensemble here supported by well-rounded performances.
The dialogue also worked. It kept a very punchy one-two format with some genuinely hilarious lines delivered in a perfectly offbeat and quirky way. When Alex Rioux’s Moritz screams to the heavens: “Give me consumption and take these sticky dreams away from me!” – in itself it’s a line that shouldn’t work, but it does.
The humour is never too much or too heavy, despite being a play about sex—it never comes off as raunchy. While not tame in any way, there’s a certain tastefulness in the execution. That carries over to when the play makes a drastic tonal shift in it’s second act. Dark and heavy, it never glorifies or lingers and it keeps its harrowing tone.
The music is similar to the dialogue, perfectly offbeat and tremendously quirky. With fun ensemble pieces like Totally Fucked and My Junk to softer more intimate pieces — a particular stand out being Laura Ekumbo’s Isle and Moritz with Don’t Do Sadness/Blue Wind, a truly beautiful sequence with Ekumbo and Rioux’s vocals working in perfect tandem while their characters yearn for hope in tragedy.
Spring Awakening works—it’s darkly comedic look at sexual oppression is bolstered by a talented cast and flowing direction.
