Real issues, sublime songs in 'Awakening'

"Spring Awakening," which opened at the Tucson Music Hall Tuesday for a six-day run, is a raucous, rebellious, rock 'n' roll romp through every teen angst, including teachers who know nothing, parents who say nothing and kids who suffer the consequences.

Packed with energy and exquisite voices, the acting in this roadshow was uneven, but the heart and commitment was there.

"Spring Awakening" snagged eight Tony Awards in 2007, including Best Musical. It's easy to see why.

This musical, adapted from Frank Wedekind's 1891 play about disenfranchised teens (is there any other kind?), takes place in 19th-century Germany - just as Wedekind's play did. But the addition of a rock 'n' roll score by Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik makes it raw and relevant.

These kids are dealing with masturbation, suicide, sex, depression, abuse, incest, fear and misinformation about the ways of the world. Naturally, it was banned back in Wedekind's day.

Luckily, we've moved beyond that kind of censorship - right? - but those issues still trouble teens today. As does intellectual angst - anarchist tendencies, the mess the adults have made of the world, finding a place to belong, the heavy weight of wondering what the purpose of it all is. And that makes the play speak to a new generation of theater-goers.

Oh, sure, "Spring Awakening" has some shortcomings. Most characters aren't deeply developed. The adults (all deftly played by two actors, Sarah Kleeman and Mark Poppleton) are convenient bad guys - judgmental, narrow-minded and punitive. And in trimming Wedekind's original tale, the playwrights have removed much of the nuance it contained.

But the songs are sublime and the issues real.

In this production, there's Christopher Wood as Melchior, the curious, hormone-ridden and smart kid at the center of the story. Wood is fresh out of school, but he possesses acting chops that are as strong as his rich voice. He owns the stage when he is on it.

Baby-faced Elizabeth Judd played Melchior's love interest, Wendla, with a trembling innocence. Her ballads carried a richness and emotion that surprised and definitely pleased.

The roadshow has a less complex set than the Broadway production, but this isn't a set-centric show, anyway. You've got the band - unobtrusive and sharp - on stage, chairs along the sides that accommodate both the players and a few audience members, and various Victorian-ish images, mostly of people, on the high back wall.

What really creates the set here is complex and rich lighting.

But this must be said: The sound is lousy. Lousy. Blame that on a Music Hall that seems to care little for music. In a town of a million, you'd think we could come up with a decent-sized venue that embraces sound instead of distorting it.

OK, rant over.

This roadshow is a non-Equity one, and at times that is clear - it occasionally seemed like a solid college production rather than a tour show that charges a hefty ticket price.

Still, "Spring Awakening" is a heartbreaking and heartening musical. A few missteps can't take that away from it.

If you go

"Spring Awakening"

• By: Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik, based on the play by Frank Wedekind.

• Presented by: Broadway in Tucson.

• When: 8 p.m. today; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 1 p.m. Sunday.

• Where: Tucson Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave.

• Tickets: $30-$55. On-stage seats for all performances are sold out.

• Reservations: Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000, or in person at the TCC box office, 260 S. Church Ave. Buying them at the box office avoids Ticketmaster's hefty handling fees (roughly $9 to $12).

• Good deal: Use the code "believe" when ordering online with Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com) and you'll get a discount.

• Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes, with one intermission.

• Et cetera: Contains mature themes, sexual situations, some nudity and strong language.

Onstage seats offer intimate, right-in-the-play perspective

Editor's note: University of Arizona student McKenzie Sheldon occupied one of the onstage seats for the opening of "Spring Awakening." Here's her from-the-stage perspective.

I made my stage debut Tuesday.

It was in a dramatic and erotic 1890s German rock fest.

I was one of two dozen lucky people who sat onstage on opening night of "Spring Awakening" at the Tucson Music Hall.

There were a few more than a dozen hard, wooden classroom chairs on each side of the stage. We were led to our seats, though some were left empty. That's where cast members would sit at various times during the performance. The effect was, we were all in this together.

From this in-the-play perspective, I felt the stage bounce like a trampoline from the vigorous dancing; watched the singers' spit spew from their mouths like fireworks, and saw the microphones attached to the gel-hardened hairstyles of the actors.

As soon as the stage lights turned on, the audience faded away, and the story revealed itself to me as intimately as a book - with a built-in soundtrack.

Onstage and blinded by the lights, it was easy to forget that the actors were performing for a big audience. They would look at me as though I were the only one there. I felt they were almost daring me to join them in song and dance. I contained my urge to get up and move by inconspicuously tapping my foot and nodding my head.

I was transported to their world, whether in a classroom or out in a meadow. Even in the raw, intimate scenes, the passion and intensity put me right there with them.

The performers never broke character, whether in the spotlight or sitting next to me. Only once did Christopher Wood, who plays Melchior, chug his water and hiccup softly. I am guessing that was not in the script.

The best part of this seriously close view was feeling the electricity of the music rock through my veins, and the chance to connect deeply and empathize with the characters.

The stage is not for me, but take me back to the 1890s for the passion, rock 'n' roll and drama anytime.

Contact reporter Kathleen Allen at kallen@azstarnet.com or 573-4128. McKenzie Sheldon is a University of Arizona student who is apprenticing at the Star. Contact her at 573-4128 or at starapprentice@azstarnet.com