Fools Paradise

SPRING AWAKENING REVIEW - no buttons pushed for me

‘Spring Awakening’ is the unfortunate child of a Carry On film and an episode of Dawson’s Creek, which ends up a poor man’s Romeo and Juliet.

After a slow start, the scene in which the lead girl encourages the lead boy to beat her momentarily caught my attention. But this one scene excluded, the first half was simply a sensationalist free for all. The woman next to me was crying with laughter as one of the teenage boys masturbated in time to the music. Personally, I’d expected more from the choreography.

The one insightful theme is that childhood is full of metaphorical wounds and bruises. But this analogy is easily forgotten as the second act opens with a replay of what went before; just in case anyone missed the sensational pert buttocks of a teenage boy.

Although the second half went quicker, it was in a downward spiral as lines such as; ‘What are you looking for?’ ‘Nothing.’ ‘Then what’s the point of looking?’ were under-delivered with no supporting dialogue. ‘Totally fucked’ was an amusing and semi rousing number with unusual stage lighting, but hardly ground breaking.

The scene in which two teenage boys performed an ill advised comedy version of an earlier heterosexual encounter was the most uncomfortable viewing – made worse by some audience sniggers whenever the word ‘bruising’ was sung that time around.

Overall, the pace was inconsistent and the script clumsy; it must have an asterix at the bottom of one page: *She then has an abortion and dies. Move on to next scene: Boy in graveyard with ghosts.

The clichéd end song; ‘Purple Summer’ brought us, once again, back to the wounds and bruises of childhood – or was it simply a reference to all those heads, made purpler by such perfuse masturbation? I was past caring.

If you are a misunderstood teenager, of if you haven’t yet recovered from your own childhood, it may stir in you just enough emotion for you to mistakenly think it worthy of a standing ovation. Otherwise, you’ll probably wonder what all the fuss is about and wish you’d just borrowed the original play from the library.
Posted 06:16 PM on Fri Mar 27 2009
By Freak
2228 views, 2 Comments
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    Freak at 02:14 PM on Sat Mar 28 2009 | flag     

    I don't think it was in bad taste; simply that the audience deserved a better production for their money - all they got was lots of maturbation, teenage nudity and under developed musical numbers about domestic violence and teenage suicide. I agree with you; the premise of Spring Awakening does sound interesting, that's the problem. It's a great opportunity wasted.

    If you still want to see it and decide for yourself; it's now playing at the Novello Theatre, Aldwych, London.

    Bone Smuggler at 10:33 AM on Sat Mar 28 2009 | flag     

    Maybe I'm stuck in a perpetual Peter-Pan-like childhood state but your review makes Spring Awakening seem well worth seeing. I don't quite get your point about choking the chicken, are you saying the masturbation scenes were in bad taste? Also, you didn't say where and when it was on. You can see clips from the London production at the Spring Awakening website.