Production photography by Sarah Cutter-Russell (POP Photography).
I went over to Newtown, to the King Street Theatre, to see this latest production by MUSE, an acronym for the Sydney University Musical Theatre Ensemble.
It has been sad to hear recently that the King Street Theatre is likely to close down at the end of January, and is expected to reopen as, of all things, a gym. Well I guess at least it is better than the fate, years ago, that fell on Woollahra’s Lookout Theatre, run for many years by Andrea Baker, which turned into a poker machine den!
MUSE’s decision to put on this rock musical adaptation of German playwright Franz Wedekind’s Spring Awakening is a cracking good choice (Book and Lyrics by Steven Sater, Songs and music by Duncan Sheik). I am pleased to say that they put on a good production with Laura Balboni directing, Miranda Middleton as the choreographer, Laura Heuston as Musical Director of a fine seven piece Orchesta, and Oliver Beard as the Repititeur.SPRING AWAKENING portrays the intensity and turbulence of adolescence brilliantly. We get to intimately know a group of high school students, their teachers and families. The time period is the late nineteenth century.
We, very early on, get to see how much more difficult adolescence was to transverse then when sexual and emotional concerns were so repressed and incommunicable.
With this, his most famous play, Wedekind comes up with a great main character. Matt Hourigan gives a good performance as Melchior, with his head forever in a book, a young man with a razor sharp mind that questions and evaluates everything. The other kids are drawn to his brazenness, his rebelliousness.
In one of the main developments in the play Melchior gives his best friend, the troubled Moritz, an essay he has written on sexuality, the consequences of which reverberate through the play.
Fred Pryce gave the performance of the night as the troubled Moritz, who spends most nights having vivid erotic dreams which he feels intensely guilty about. Price has a forceful, compelling stage presence.
Georgia Rodgers plays Wendla, a girl Melchior flirts with and one day the flirtation goes too far, they end up in bed together, and Melchior impregnates her. Rogers’ delicate features and soft vocals made her a good choice for the role.
There was plenty of warmth in Lauren McShane’s portrayal of Martha. Martha and Moritz fancy each other but Moritz doesn’t have the courage to follow through on his feelings much to her disappointment.
It is always challenging in student productions for performers to take on characters who are much older than themselves. It can often be the source of much laughter. Emily Greenberg and Tom Crotty acquit themselves well in a variety of parental and teacher roles.
Wedekind’s story of-course holds its own as a play, however it really does take things to another level with its rock musical adaptation. The score is exceptional; there are so many gutsy songs such as ‘The Bitch Of Living’, ‘Totally Fucked’ and Moritz’s statement song ‘don’t Do Sadness’.
Balboni’s creative team did good work. Miranda Middleton and James Wright’s set design featured an overhanging tree, (sometimes illuminated), ‘drawn’ on a stage’ scrim/curtain, behind which the Orchestra played, and a piano stage right.
There were some good lighting moments as well as costume choices.
This is one rock musical well worth catching. Didn’t want it to end but it did with the whole company came on stage to perform a rousing version of the finale, ‘The Song Of Purple Summer’.
SPRING AWAKENING is playing the King Street Theatre, on the corner of King and Bray streets, until the 28th October.
http://www.kingstreettheatre.com.au