Spring Awakening is based on a controversial late 19th century German drama – scandalous in its day for addressing sex, violence and suicide – but uses a contemporary rock score to keep it relevant to modern audiences in a giant leap forward for the rock musical.
This was a brave choice to be staged by an amateur company – but it was a calculated risk that thoroughly deserved its standing ovation; it was a truly professional standard and an astonishing piece of musical theatre.
Adam Myers’ creative and disciplined direction/choreography, complemented perfectly by the expert musical direction of Lee Marchant, brought out incredibly emotive performances from the entire company.
It’s hard to single out performances in such a powerful ensemble piece, but Alex Deutsch, Eliza Dunn and Steven Lilly deserve special mention for their powerfully poignant all-round performances, while Lizz Spencer and Shaun Dodimead provided exceptionally strong and distinctive adult characters against the younger ‘coming-of-age’ characters.
Brave choice of powerful play Spring Awakening Music Theatre South Hanger Farm Arts Centre, Totton.
Anne Waggott
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