Repressing Adolescents, ’Twas Ever Thus

The musical now playing at the Center for Performing Arts in Rhinebeck doesn’t recycle old pop songs or recreate them. It doesn’t tell an uplifting tale of triumph over adversity, and it’s definitely not for children. But it’s well worth seeing for its haunting music, beautiful staging and fascinating theme. It’s the story of a group of repressed teenagers in 19th-century Germany, discovering their sexual feelings and the consquences of acting on them. If you missed this show’s arrival on Broadway in 2006 (it won 8 Tony Awards and launched the career of “Glee” ’s Lea Michele), you might be thinking that this story, based on a play written in 1891, is an unlikely premise for a musical, especially one with a contemporary rock score (by Duncan Sheik.) While the music owes a little to “Rent” (there are earnest anthems sung to the audience in multi-part harmony), “Hair,” and even to “Fame” (remember “I Sing the Body Electric”?), it has more of an indy-rock vibe. Wendla, a teenager whose mother has kept her completely ignorant of how babies are made, is drawn to Melchior, a student who yearns to rebel against the bourgeois ‘parentocracy’ and the adults’ blind reliance on religious teachings. In between reciting their Latin lessons he helps his schoolmate Moritz understand why he’s having disturbing dreams of a woman with blue legs, and why their friend Ernst is uncomfortably obsessed with his piano teacher’s breasts. As Wendla, Olivia Michaels is both innocent and determined to satisfy her curiosity. Her silvery voice soars. Wendel Scherer is a confident, physically brash and kind Melchior, but Frankie Moschetto sometimes overdoes the manic mannerisms of the anxious and stressed-out Moritz. Standouts in the rest of the cast were Harrison Forman as Hanschen, whose sexual explorations were braver than the others,’ and Amber Juanai, who brought a powerful intensity to Martha’s revelations of abuse at her father’s hands. David Foster, as “adult men” is convincing as the strict school master, Moritz’s harshly critical father, and several other roles. Kevin Archambault’s staging, based on Bill T.Jones’s original choreography, was inventive and very satisfying. The movement is perfect for non dancers — it’s untechnical but complex and beautiful, while still allowing the performers to sing at full voice. The simple set enabled the excellent orchestra (led by Matthew Woolever) to remain onstage, adding visual interest without ever distracting from the action. The production, though, had some problems on the night I attended: the leads wore headsets and sang as if they were being amplified, but the sets didn’t seem to work so the songs were often hard to hear. (The Center is such an intimate space, couldn’t they just have dispensed with the headsets and sung out?) And while the young performers (all looked to be about the age of their characters) were appealing and deeply committed to even the most difficult material, not all had voices strong enough to carry their songs. But the group numbers were thrillingly sung, and if the last 20 minutes of the play as written are a bit of a mess, it’s no matter. The story of young people trying to grow up, become independent and discover their own beliefs and identities is as trenchant now as when the story was first written. “Spring Awakening” is at the Center for Performing Arts in Rhinebeck through March 17. For tickets and information, call 845-876-3080.