Spring Awakening (Obsidian Theatrical Productions)

Had you been one of the lucky few to see the one and only performance of Frank Wedekind’s play of the same name when it was performed in English, in New York, in 1917, I suspect you may well have been shocked by the gritty realism of the piece. Subjects like teenage sexual enlightenment, domestic parental abuse, homosexuality and abortion were rarely mentioned in those days, in fact were specifically hidden and cast into the abyss of denial.

Spring Awakening the musical has added an emotional and thought provoking score to a drama that at times is an awkward watch but, is given stellar treatment by Obsidian Theatrical Productions (I did research the word ‘obsidian’ which is a volcanic rock) and there is much of the volcanic about this performance when one remembers that the power of a volcano is not what erupts but, what is seething below the surface.

Robert Bateman as Director/Choreographer (not to mention a thoughtful and determined performance in the part of Melchior Gabor) and his exceptional cast, leave absolutely everything on stage and are unafraid of complex and perhaps controversial themes, although in this day and age they should be much less shameful than they were in 1917, they are however still challenging for performers.

Oli Keeling’s performance as Moritz Stiefel is a truly formidable piece of stagecraft, portraying the slow and painful breakdown of a youngster who simply can’t come to terms with the changes he is going through in his life and has no parental or even adult support. Lucy Covell as Wendla Bergman is equally compelling to watch, her vain attempt to extract an explanation from her mother for the act of procreation is agonising and it doesn’t take much imagination to work out that she will look for her own answers and what that might lead to.

Wendla’s girlfriends, Ilse (Chloe Rawson), Martha (Bethany Waller-Scott), Anna (Melanie Bott) and Thea (Emily Banks) whilst teenagers are much closer to pre-teens when it comes to life knowledge and seem to have been left to their own devices by parents which is concerning at the very least. Particularly when the boys, Hanschen (Chris Westwood), Ernst (Kieran Scott), Georg (Richard Bateman) and Otto (Harry Clapham) are the polar opposite and developing adult traits way before their time, it feels like this is an explosive mixture that will lead to more unwanted outcomes.

Providing the adult input in various guises are Tony Faughnan and Rosemary Rowley, it would do many a modern day teenager some good to see how unsupportive (in fact worryingly aggressive in many ways) the adult population were in the Late 1800s, just another piece of historical storytelling that this production weaves so well.

Part of the stated remit of this company is to perform works that are rarely staged and ideally those with an edge to them and they have struck gold and mined it incredibly with this production of Spring Awakening. If you want something that is thought provoking, educating and full of surprises then this is for you, rarely do audiences feel the need to think before applauding and that’s a tribute to both the writing and the portrayal.

Since you will probably have to wait some time before you get to see this musical again, you really don’t want to miss this opportunity, so get your tickets while you can, enjoy the Blue Wind and the Purple Summer while they are still available at the Dovehouse Theatre in Solihull.

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