Saturday, December 12, 2009

Awake but Dreaming (A Theatre Review)

Spring Awakening at the Buell Theatre C+

So take this brief review with a grain of salt because I am not a big fan of musicals. The only reason I wanted to see this one was because it featured music by Duncan Sheik and I heard it was pretty amazing (winner of 8 Tony Awards and a Grammy Award for "Best Musical Show Album").

If you actually like musicals you'll probably love this theatrical tale of teen sexuality and self discovery. It's based on the controversial 1891 German play of the same name and features many brash and bold performances.

My problem with this production and most musicals (this may sound stupid), is that it's too damn dramatic! Yes, perhaps you can't have theatre without theatrics but it all seems so unnatural and dare I say, cheesy (especially the adult characters).

Just when I'm intrigued and into it they burst into song. Granted, I really liked some of the songs but it disrupts the flow. I actually would've liked it more if there were fewer songs.

Being closer to the stage would've also helped. We didn't have bad seats but we weren't close enough to see the expressions of their faces. Some parts of the musical are so intense it would've been beneficial to get up close and personal and feel some of that emotion.

All in all, it was a good show but not my cup of tea. Any of you who like musicals and rock music I urge you to checkout Spring Awakening (after all, it did win a Tony Award for "Best Musical").

For everyone else, proceed with caution.

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