Tony Tuesday: SPRING AWAKENING

This week we’re going back to the late noughties for some generation defining rock musical theatre. This week’s TONY Tuesday is:

‘Mama Who Bore Me/The Bitch of Living/Totally F*cked’ from Spring Awakening at the 2007 TONY Awards ceremony. 

Spring Awakening is a 2006 musical, with music by Duncan Sheik and a book and lyrics by Steven Sater. It is an adaptation of the infamous 1891 German play of the same name set in late 19th century Germany, and tells the story of a group of teenagers coming to terms with their adolescent sexuality, and their attempt to navigate these feelings alone when being brought up in a society where such things weren’t openly spoken about and little parental support in that area was provided. When the original play came out, it was banned and censored because of its dedication to tackling themes such as sexuality, abortion, rape, suicide and domestic abuse. 

The musical was in production for around seven years with various workshops and rewrites taking place at The La Jolla Playhouse, Roundabout Theatre Company, culminating in a concert at Lincoln Centre in 2005. The production premiered at the Atlantic Theatre Company on 19 May 2006 to critical acclaim. The production ran just shy of three months before transferring to the Eugene O’Neill Theatre on 10 December 2006. Spring Awakening is famous for launching the careers of several household musical theatre names, none more so than Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff, who played the leads of Wendla and Melchior respectively. They were also joined by John Gallagher Jr as Mortiz, Lauren Pritchard as Ilse, Jonathan B. Wright as Hanschen, Lilli Cooper as Martha, Gideon Glick as Ernst and Skylar Astin as Georg. The production was directed by Michael Mayer, with choreography by Bill. T Jones, set by Christine Jones, costume design by Susan Hilferty, and lighting by Kevin Adams. Again, the Broadway bow opened to critical acclaim, recouping its initial $6 million investment within the first nine months. The show was nominated for eleven 2007 TONY Awards, winning a staggering eight including ‘Best Musical’. The production closed on 18 January 2009. 

A 2009 West End production premiered at the Lyric Hammersmith before transferring to the Novello Theatre. Again, the production received rave reviews, however, it wasn’t embraced by the UK theatre-going audience and closed after just two months. However, this did not stop the production from winning four 2010 Olivier awards, included ‘Best New Musical’. It starred Charlotte Wakefield as Wendla, Aneurin Barnard as Melchior and Iwan Rheon as Mortiz. 

As well as two US tours, the musical was produced again on Broadway in 2015 following a regional production in L.A. The musical was produced by ‘Deaf West Theatre’ in a production directed by Michael Arden, featuring both deaf and hearing actors, performing the show in American sign language, and spoken word simultaneously. The show again opened to unanimously favourable reviews and was nominated for the 2016 TONY for ‘Best Musical Revival’. 

The latest UK revival took place at the Hope Mill Theatre in 2018 in a critically acclaimed production directed by Luke Shepperd and choreographed by Tom Jackson Greaves. It starred Nikita Johal as Wendla, Darragh Cowley as Melchior and Jabez Sykes as Mortiz. This production was revived in South Korea in 2021. 

The latest London revival has been announced to start in November 2021 at the Almeida Theatre, directed by Rupert Goold and starring Amara Okereke as Wendla and Laurie Kynaston as Melchior. 

A movie adaption has been reported since 2009 but has yet to make it to the silver screen. 

If you haven’t listened to Spring Awakening Besties, it is essential.

Cast recording available on streaming services. 

Music: Duncan Sheik
Lyrics: Steven Sater
Book: Steven Sater
Theatre: The Eugene O’Neill Theatre
Run: 10 December 2006 – 18 January 2009 (29 previews, 859 regular performances) 

TONYS:

(NOMINATED) Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical – Jonathan Groff, Best Scenic Design – Christine Jones, Best Costume Design – Susan Hilferty. 

(2015) Best Revival of a Musical, Best Director of a Musical – Michael Arden, Best Lighting Design of a Musical – Ben Stanton. 

(WON) Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical – Steven Sater, Best Original Score – Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater, Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical – John Gallagher Jr., Best Director of a Musical – Michael Mayer, Best Choreography – Bill T. Jones, Best Orchestrations – Duncan Sheik, Best Lighting Design – Kevin Adams 

OLIVIERS:

(NOMINATED) Best Actress in a Musical – Charlotte Wakefield, Best Theatre Choreographer – Bill T. Jones, Best Lighting Design – Kevin Adams 

(WON) Best New Musical, Best Actor in a Musical – Aneurin Barnard, Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical – Iwan Rheon, Best Sound Design – Brian Ronan