Spring's Awakening
by Frank Wedekind, Eric Bentley

Name: Spring's Awakening
Brand: Frank Wedekind
SKU: 9780881456417
Rating: 3.82 (13007 reviews)

Spring's Awakening Book Cover — Spring's Awakening Cover

Highlights

Large Cast

Female

Male

120 minsUnit Set/Multiple SettingsAmerican Historical

Why we like it

"In 'Spring's Awakening,' adapted by Kenneth Tigar and Clayton Koelb, Frank Wedekind's groundbreaking themes of adolescence and sexual awakening resonate powerfully with modern audiences."

From: Adult Content Plays for Mature Audiences

What readers are saying

Readers have mixed feelings about the play, with some praising its depth and exploration of youth. Many highlight the emotional impact and its relevance to modern issues, while others express disappointment, often in the context of required reading for school. Overall, the play resonates strongly with those who appreciate its themes and artistic approach.

Emotional and powerful storytellingComplex exploration of youthRelevant to modern issuesSome found it dull for school reading

Synopsis

Possibly the ultimate coming-of-age drama.

The play follows a group of high-school friends in Victorian-age Germany who begin to experience their first sexual desires in a world where even talking about sex is taboo.

Each struggles to travel the route from childhood to adulthood without a roadmap.

Along the way they touch the heights of elation and the depths of despair while being forced to confront the problems of lust, sadism, masochism, rape, abortion, and homosexuality.

Some survive the journey, others do not.

Funny and horrifying by turns, the play explores the budding of those basic drives that make us who we are.