Musical About Adolescent Life, Love, Laughter and Loss

‘Spring Awakening” currently in the Nancy Marine Studio Theatre in the Warner Theatre complex in Torrington is nothing if not an enigma.  

It’s a musical – such a good musical that it won eight Tony Awards including “Best Musical” in 2007.  But, it’s sobering. Among the subjects streamed through the play are suicide, abortion, incest, bigotry and bullying.

It’s a celebration of the dreams, aspirations and struggles of adolescents growing into adulthood. At the same time, it presents adults as uniformly oppressive, narrow, out of touch and cruel.

All that being said, you should go see it.

Co-directors Sharon Wilcox and Katherine Ray have assembled an exceptional cast of energetic, talented and truly likeable “kids” who seem to endure every adolescent outbreak of angst ever recorded. Certainly, there’s sex … that theme runs through the entire production. But more than just coming to terms with fantasies and impulses and awkward gestures fueled by carnal “awakening,” there is forceful encounter with subjects like authority, meaning, loyalty, religion, honesty and —let’s not forget — actual and honest love.

As Melchior, Chet Davino provides an ovation-worthy performance. His voice is clear, strong and his presence on stage is commanding. Even in his deepest turmoil, the strength of the character comes through.

As his love interest, the perpetually naïve Wendla finds acceptance, understanding and innocence as portrayed by Katie Brunetto. Again, her voice is compelling and her portrayal of the anguish of trying desperately to overcome the dictatorial dominance of her mother is piercing.

Other individual accolades go to Ruben Soto as Georg/Dieter, Kelly White as the free-spirited Ilse and Stefon Sampson as the doomed Moritz who bears the crushing weight of the world to his character’s untimely end in the “Spring …” of his life.

The rest of the cast deports themselves handsomely, lending strong voices and efficient stage movement to the production. It should not go without acknowledgement that amateur theater in the region may not always be notable for its abundance of energy and intensity. “Spring Awakening” has both in ample supply.

The size of the Nancy Marine Studio Theatre requires compromises and adjustments, especially when the cast is a large one and the show orchestra includes nine instruments. Music Director and Conductor Dan Ringuette does a masterful job of conducting musicians positioned on both sides of the stage. Their expertise is reflected in the fact that there was never a moment when the lines of the score were out of sync or an important cue was missed. It’s a tribute to the superb technical team that both sound and lighting were tightly managed.The music was full and balanced and the need to visually isolate characters through complex numbers went off without a hitch.

The subject matter, the intensity of the story and the language require the caution that “Spring Awakening” is not for the very young. Originally created from the 1891 German play written by Frank Wedekind, two Broadway outsiders, Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik, turned it in to a musical. “Spring Awakening” appeared off-Broadway in the late 1990s and moved “uptown” in 2006. It was targeted at an audience of late teenagers and young adults. The score is rock, the themes are edgy and the conflict between generations is palpable. Despite those caveats, when it moved to Broadway, it became a cross-generational hit, sustaining 29 previews and 859 performances.

 “Spring Awakening” plays at the Nancy Marine Studio Theatre in Torrington through Sunday, June 24th.  Tickets can be obtained by calling the box office at 860-489-7180.