Alone on the stage, 14-year-old Wendla Bergmann (Johannah Laverty) plaintively sings to her absent mother. “Mama who bore me,” she pleads, asking for real answers – no more clichés, no more fairy tale explanations.
The opening ballad of “Spring Awakening” borders on the blues, and it has the effect of an incantation. It’s not unlike the ancient Greek practice of invoking the gods to listen to the sad story that follows.
Such is the hybrid magic of the brilliant new American musical with book and lyrics by Steven Sater and music by Duncan Sheik. The musical opened on Broadway in 2006 and won eight Tony Awards including Best Musical, Book and Score.
It’s also a reinterpretation of the controversial 1891 German drama of the same title but with the subtitle: “A Tragedy of Childhood.”
The story follows three adolescents in late 19th century Germany as they stumble toward maturity. Confused, curious, afraid and angry, they don’t understand much about themselves, their bodies or their dreams – and less about the restrictive world they live in.
Wendla (compellingly portrayed by vocal music major Laverty), laments that she has “No way to handle things that make me so sad.” Melchoir (played with fine confusion by Mike Gertsen-Rogers) questions everything. And Moritz (portrayed with great intensity by Tristan MacLean) struggles with both joy and despair.
All the adult characters in the play – parents, professors, a doctor and others – have been compressed into a few roles and played by two actors, the excellent Taylor Marrs and Hattie Miller.
This production of “Awakening” has been billed as a steampunk rock musical. That’s a bit misleading, as musical styles range from folk ballads to driving, incessant rock ‘n’ roll. The beautiful “Whispering” sung by Thea (exquisitely rendered by Brin DeVore) evokes moonlight and streams forward as a mesmerizing ballad. Eventually, the scene involves the entire cast and is one of the most complex sections. It leads directly to a surprising conclusion.
More will not be given away here except to say “The Song of Purple Summer” functions like a benediction.
The rawness of the source material, which includes masturbation, rape, abortion and barns full of sexual confusion, can be vividly inferred from song titles like: “The Bitch of Living,” “Touch Me,” “Don’t Do Sadness,” and “Totally F****d.”
Director Dennis Elkins and his creative team have served the student performers well. Elkins employs modernist, Brechtian techniques by openly showing stage mechanics. Actors sit on side benches when not performing. Actors carry props on and off. A solitary chandelier suddenly drops down from the rafters to indicate a home interior.
Technical director Matthew D. McCarren’s spectacularly simple set is misleading. It’s abstract and elegant. The steeply raked stage functions as town square, school house, parlor, church and hayloft. Jane Gould’s Victorian costumes remind us that “Awakening” originated in stricter times. Keenan Bloom’s moody lighting effortlessly supports all the emotional shifts. And choreographer Suzy DiSanto gives shape and momentum to every scene, especially those pitting the individual against society, the questioning adolescent against received wisdom. Her masterful dance sequence in the schoolroom makes stylized fun of books and authority and rebellion.
The onstage four-piece band, headed by keyboardist Paula Millar, serves the ensemble well and easily moves from style to style.
Laverty stands out for her vocal performance. She’s assured, has a beautiful, focused tone and solid control over diction and dynamics. She effortlessly manages shifts in her registers. It’s obvious she’s had vocal training. Elsewhere there are tuning and projection problems. Both are common difficulties for college or amateur performers. They are hard to overcome without significant vocal training.
That said, it’s a rare treat to see a local production of “Spring Awakening” that is this well conceived, visualized and executed.
jreynolds@durangoherald.com. Judith Reynolds is a Durango writer, art historian and arts journalist.
If you go
“Spring Awakening, The Musical” book and lyrics by Steven Sater, music by Duncan Sheik, based on the 1891 play by Frank Wedekind, Fort Lewis College Drama Department, MainStage Theatre, directed by Dennis Elkins. 7:30 p.m. Nov. 12, 13, 14. Tickets are adults $16, FLC faculty and staff and seniors $12, FLC students with ID free, available at the Welcome Center on Main Avenue or at the door. Running time: two hours.
