“Spring Awakening” in The Collegiate

Check out this article in GRCC’s The Collegiate about Spring Awakening:

Actors’ Theatre presents ‘Spring Awakening’ at Spectrum Theater
By Matthew Waldrep
A&E Editor

Actors’ Theatre of Grand Rapids is presenting the Tony Award-winning musical “Spring Awakening” at Spectrum Theater.

Set in Germany during the late 19th century, “Spring Awakening” tells the tale of several teenagers exploring their misunderstood sexual desires amidst the challenges of transitioning into adulthood. As an adaptation of the 1891 play of the same name by playwright Frank Wedekind, playwright Steven Sater and Composer Duncan Sheik create a postmodern retelling of the controversial play. The title itself alludes to the angst-ridden teens’ ‘awakening’ and discovering their sexual nature.

For starters, this show is by no means your traditional Rodgers and Hammerstein-esc song and dance production. Directed by the award winning founder of Actors’ Theatre, Fred Sebulske, the songs of “Spring Awakening” carry inescapable rock and roll energy. The anthematic cry of sexual frustration, “The Bitch of Living,” performed by the entire cast, begs for head-bob from the audience, if not a head-bang. The alt-rock score for a story about late 19th century students in Germany sets quite the juxtaposition while also feeling strangely relevant. You soon forget that it’s wrong for the period and realize that it’s right for the themes.

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