Spring Awakening – The Space @Surgeons’ Hall

Based on an 1891 German play by Frank Wedekind, “Spring Awakening” deals with themes of teenage sexuality, oppression and abuse. Despite its historical influences, the story feels relevant and timeless, and young company Selkie Theatre bring this production to the airy space of the Grand Theatre at Surgeon’s Hall.

The musical uses a rock score to tell the story of Wendla Bergmann, played with delightful innocence by Shannon Hood. She longs to find out about the facts of life, but her mother is unwilling to talk of anything other than love and marriage. Wendla soon falls in love with Melchior Gabor, a rebellious boy who is keen to share the information that he’s learned from books. Joe Gill shows Melchior’s frustration and determination, but also lends him an endearing teenage awkwardness. As their relationship begins to develop, their classmate Moritz Stiefel starts to descend into depression. Wild haired and hollow-eyed, Daniel Fischer captures the tortured soul of Stiefel, driven mad by erotic dreams and rejected by his overbearing father. The other teenagers are also dealing with parental issues and conflicting feelings. Martha, played with touching vulnerability by Elham Khosravipour, recounts the physical and sexual abuse that she suffers from her father. Katie Laird’s Ilse has been thrown out of her home by her abusive parents and has to fend for herself at an artist’s colony. Meanwhile Sean Michael’s delicate Ernst is finding himself attracted to his more confident classmate Hanschen, played by Sean Hamilton. Jessica Faith Cooper and James Boyd play the roles of the adults in the story, switching competently between parents and teachers. The company work well as a whole and are very believable as young teenagers.

Director Riona Bhreathnach does well to tease out the comedy in such a dark show, and also does not shy away from depicting the abuse. She often keeps the cast at the sides of the stage to observe, creating a sense of both oppression and community. The changes between scenes are slick, aided by a minimalist set of wooden crates and a single white leaved tree. Karena Quaile’s choreography fits well with the music, switching between foot stomping testosterone fuelled numbers such as “Bitch of Living” and a beautiful contemporary dance version of “When I Go There”. The onstage three-piece band never intrude on the action, but the inclusion of live accompaniment definitely adds to the production.

However, the show begins to feel a little rushed near to the end, with some dead space in between scenes and technical difficulties with lights. There are many points where soloists are singing in comparative darkness, and spotlights then switch on and off at times which do not seem to link to the action. It’s hard to know if this is a directorial decision, or if the limited time for Fringe technical rehearsals has had an impact. The same can be said for sound, with some issues of balance between different characters. The adults are mostly unmiked, which sometimes creates an odd feeling in scenes where they talk to the teenagers whose voices are amplified. There are also some points where diction could be improved. Many of these issues could be fixed with more rehearsal time, and do not always distract from the performances.

This is a generally competent production of “Spring Awakening”, with a cast composed of fresh young talents and some imaginative staging and choreography.  We might live in a very different world to that of the original script, but the theme of teenage turmoil will never age. A promising show which is definitely worth a watch.

Reviewer: Torya Hughes

Reviewed: 7^th August 2024

North West End UK Rating: