USA: Broadway's latest musical, "Spring Awakening," tackles topics including teen sexuality and suicide with alternative pop beats

Masturbation, sex and suicide are just a few of the edgy topics tackled in Broadway's latest cutting edge musical "Spring Awakening." Infused with Duncan Sheik's catchy pop-rock music, the show, based on Frank Wedekind's 19th century play about teens in a small town exploring their sexuality and grappling with loneliness, has audiences dancing in their seats. But these aren't your typical theatre goers - at least the show's creators hope not. The show's composer, Duncan Sheik explains. "This can be and should be an incredibly vital medium that Steven and I felt like it was ignoring a huge group of people that would love to go to the theatre. You know...and it's all those people who, you know, they go see Coldplay or Dave Matthews or U2 or they'll spend a hundred dollars (US) to see Madonna in concert, but they don't know that if they were to go see a certain kind of musical theatre they would be just as engaged or more so. Actually ten times more so I think." Sheik, a "one-hit-wonder" who scored a hit in the 1990s with "Barely Breathing" got together with writer Steven Sater to work on bringing the musical to life. But Sheik says he knew from the get go that he did not want to compromise his artistic vision. He insisted on writing the kind of music that he and others from his generation could relate to, and wanted to give the score an alternative kind of sound. "We listened to a lot of really classical, classic musicals and you know those pieces have these kind of great songs that really stand on their own and so it was kind of our hope, our goal or aspiration to write songs that could stand on their own and also tell the story of 'Spring Awakening,'" said Sheik. The score may well be the most memorable thing about Spring Awakening, that is except maybe for the nude scenes. While many a theatre production have included nude scenes, what makes this one stand out is that the actress playing the lead who bares her breasts is only 20-years-old. But Lea Michele says age has nothing to do with her decision. Having performed in productions of "Rag Time," "Les Miserables" and "Fiddler on the Roof," the actress says she has grown up in the theatre world and ultimately decided to follow her gut and trust the right director. "I definitely think it takes a certain person to do that. I always wondered if I ever would. but I really find that Michael Mayer has done it in such a mature and classy way that I truly trust whatever he would want me to do." Michele holds "Spring Awakening" close to her heart as she has worked on the show during its off Broadway run. In fact, she passed up the opportunity to play Eponine in the Broadway revival of "Les Miserables," to play Wendla in "Spring Awakening." What makes doing the show even more special for her is the relationship Michele has developed with her castmates, especially Jonathan Groff who plays opposite her. To see them offstage together, one wonders how good of friends they are, but Groff insists they're just close platonic friends. After all "we have to be, to do what we do," the fresh faced 21-year-old says. Groff who plays Melchior, Wendla's love interest is also baring it on stage. He jokes about showing his bottom and some other private parts to audience members -- depending on where they're sitting. It's the Pennsylvania native's first role on Broadway but that's not the only reason he's ecstatic about being in the show. He loves the music -- and says he thinks Sheik hit a home run by reaching young audiences with great music that really crosses many boundaries - including an incredible musical score. Groff says he's loved theatre and has dreamt of being an actor since childhood, so being in a show that tackles so many real topics is exhilarating. "It's so exciting that a show like this can be on Broadway. It shows that we've definitely come a long way in our society, that a show like this can be put in such a commercial venue and it's also important because there's so many people out there...this story needs to be told. People from my church just emailed me that came to see it this weekend, and they were like you know, 'we were a little scared, we heard the issues and whatever, but looking back on our experience these are issues that are going to be so much more easier to deal with the more that we talk about them," said Groff. The show which opened earlier this month, has so far received favourable reviews. But just how, or if, young audiences will be drawn to the original musical, remains to be seen.

ITN Source | December 28, 2006

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