Spring Awakening

“One of the great musicals of the last decade was born anew on Sunday, when the thrillingly inventive Deaf West Theater production of 'Spring Awakening' opened on Broadway. Any qualms theater-lovers might have about this being a premature, whiplash-inducing revival will vanish like frost in strong sunlight when the young cast of both hearing and deaf actors floods the stage...A first-rate production of a transporting musical.”

“The production has been billed as a radical reimagining of the show. But those who saw the original Broadway production will find this one – with its minimal setting and maximal passion – reliably familiar, though with some themes and concerns clearly sharpened. It isn’t perhaps as well-sung as the original one and in some cases not as well-acted, though in others, like Krysta Rodriguez’s Ilse, it is perhaps acted better.”

“With 'Spring Awakening,' which marks Deaf West’s second major Broadway transfer, the company goes as far as to incorporate the deaf dimension into the plot of the hit musical, transforming a show about the explosive consequences of denying sex-ed to a conservative late-19th-century German community into a critique of deaf education policy at the same time. As such, Deaf West awakens something new in the show, which is not so much a revival as it is a reinvention.”

“Arriving so soon after Michael Mayer's viscerally impactful premiere production, this underpowered, unexceptionally sung version seems more of a special presentation than a wholesale reinvention...It's not so much the cast as the concept that only half works here...While the intent merits applause, the execution is not sufficiently fresh or Broadway-caliber to justify the swift return.”

“'Spring Awakening’s original production' ingeniously integrated 19th-century and modern imagery to thrilling effect. Here, with the interpolation of signing and doubled actors, the integration suffers, having a third performance vocabulary to juggle. The score still sounds great, but it’s just not as fluidly performed to maximize the emotional impact...For all of the valid reservations one can have about this experiment, there’s still beauty to admire, if you’re willing to hear.”

“This revival would have been unjustifiable were it not for the brilliant idea of placing the story in the context of deafness and using many deaf actors to tell it...Deafness is not a random overlay on 'Spring Awakening' or a trendy gimmick hatched to sell it...I liked the new production better than the original.”

“Few things in theater are rarer than a production so fine that it cries out to be seen in spite of the show, but that’s the case with Deaf West’s 'Spring Awakening:' It ranks among the most emotionally charged renderings of a musical to come to Broadway in the past decade, one that all who love the genre should rush to see.”

“This moving revival seals a pact with an audience in a gentler manner than the more scaldingly assertive original production...Signing has been integrated here so deftly that you feel the language’s fluidity has a natural place in musical theater...The show’s depiction of teenagers with a need to unyoke themselves from adult control remains vibrantly intact...The rock-infused energy lifts up the entire enterprise. Cue the sign again, for heaven.”

“This intoxicating production kicks the power of Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater’s propulsive musical into a higher sphere altogether. And yet it seems truer in spirit than even the original 2006 production to Frank Wedekind’s daring, scandal-making play about teens on the verge of a sexual breakdown...The only shadow cast here is of great musical-theater making. The lighting may be dappled but 'Spring Awakening' is brilliant.”

“The result is an exhilarating and fluid hybrid of song, word, dance and sign — and a sheer triumph for director Michael Arden and choreographer Spencer Liff. The songs sit seamlessly in the show, often as brightly lit fantasy sequences that snap back into the grim narrative...If anything, the brilliant staging reveals chips and holes in the book and lyrics, which simply don't measure up to the ingeniousness of the new show itself.”

“It’s been twelve years since Deaf West mounted a Broadway production—let’s hope we don’t have to wait that long for another. Same goes for the immensely talented first time director Arden, who saw the amazing potential of Duncan Sheik’s gorgeous music and knew just what to do to wake up Broadway with it once again. Hopefully there is far more to come from this pairing.”

“As the story unfolds, the staging’s clarity starts to falter. The logistics required by the dual casting make plot points occasionally difficult to follow. If communication is your theme, you’d best be sure that you are conveying the narrative clearly. The staging lacks flow, as do the book and lyrics. Smooth flow may be a luxury when adolescent angst is at issue, although a decade ago, before the influence of Glee, this show’s teen choruses felt more authentically jagged, less packaged.”

“In Deaf West's exhilarating reboot of the moody and stirring 2007 Tony winner, the repressed and rudderless kids are lifting more than their voices. They’re also raising their hands to express themselves — and casting a whole new spell. The show combines hearing and non-hearing actors who use American Sign Language. Some roles are played by two actors — one who sings, one who signs. Many in the cast do both at once. The result: Lines and lyrics look as poetic and provocative as they sound.”

“It works better than you might expect and it’s a treat to see Camryn Manheim juggle a couple of parts and give voice to Marlee Matlin, sadly underused. But this slick 'Spring Awakening' also snuffs out any emotional rawness. The kids are meant to be a mess of confusion and frustrated horniness, but here they’re so wholesome, you can almost picture them polishing their application to Juilliard...Admiring this revival’s feat is one thing. Feeling for it - that’s something else.”

“True, there are lighter, and more feel-good, musicals on Broadway now than 'Spring Awakening.' But Arden proves here that a dark musical can be a very stirring—and soulful--experience. And it just might change your perception of the Deaf community.”

“This new production is a wildly impactful and visceral production that goes straight to the heart and doesn’t let go...'Spring Awakening' is as potent as ever...'Spring Awakening,' as evident by the handful of teens waiting in tears by the stage door after the performance I saw, is palpable.”

“I wasn't really moved by the production itself...I was intrigued by the new production’s concept of highlighting the miscommunication between the generations by making many of the youngsters deaf and literally unable to speak to their parents or hear them...When I actually saw the show, I found its conceit of having deaf actors sign their dialogue and song lyrics while hearing actors simultaneously speak and sing the same lines to be distracting and to lessen the emotion.”

“At times the show feels like there is too much going on; this makes for an experience that is often more rewarding on an intellectual, rather than an emotional level. It’s actually a show about the art of making theatre, how many people can see themselves in the idea of having someone else voice their feelings. Letting the songs speak for you, allowing them to serve as a slate on which to project your fears, hopes and illusions, that is precisely why people come to see musicals.”

“'Spring Awakening' 2015 is quite moving and feels even more organic than the in-your-face, bold original. It flows beautifully, and although not nearly as energetic and explosive, it has it’s own rhythm and spirit.”

“Michael Arden’s direction and vision are wonderfully executed. However, in the 2006 production, each character was uniquely distinct and identifiable. In this revival, with so many actors (and others doing their voices), the characters are more undistinguishable and the show’s overall impact is less effective.”

“Sheik’s music emphasizes beat over melody, offering insufficient variety...Sater’s lyrics have punch but can be unsubtle...Arden and Liff keep the actors moving in interesting formations...Wedekind’s play is fully realized in the dynamic staging, but there’s also a cool grayness that creates a sense of distance...This doesn’t detract from the superlative performances.”

“The show has a talented cast; the lyrics are poignant, and now more than ever it is a powerful show to see...This show is a must see! I wanted to jump up on stage during 'Purple Summer' and chant along with the cast. A perfect night at the theater.”

“Aided by a tight band of strings and drums, by inspired and precise lighting, and by smartly repressed costuming and somber scenic design with a gorgeous surprise at the end, the brilliant direction and choreography turn 'Spring Awakening,' already a fine if unusual musical, into something really special and new.”

“The students and grownups speak a different language, and the use of American Sign Language provides a metaphorical layer to the generational divide. Conceptually, it is an inspired touch, but Michael Arden’s meticulous direction adds the poetry and emotion that gives this version its resonance...It is all intricately woven, featuring deaf and hearing actors who both sign and sing...The staging, graced with beautifully evocative choreography and design elements, make for a moving experience.”