Play Takes Young People Seriously

By Micha Green
AFRO D.C. Editor
[email protected]

Greta Thundberg, who is bringing awareness to climate change and the many young people who are advocating for gun reform are helping adults around the world understand the importance of listening to young people about their opinions, concerns and visions for the future.  In a day where the voices of young people are being amplified, Round House Theatre’s version of Spring Awakening emphasizes the importance of allowing young people to speak, ask questions and challenge ideas.  

Spring Awakening is based off the 1891 German play by Frank Weekend.  Set in late 19th century Germany, the musical’s book and lyrics are by Steven Sater and the music itself is by Duncan Sheik.  Spring Awakening premiered off-Broadway and then on Broadway in 2006.

Directed by Alan Paul, the Round House Theatre production brought a new vitality to an age-old story and classic musical, that featured a colorful cast of performers, all of whom showed immense dedication to their crafts and the narrative in itself. 

This reporter must start this review by saying, there’s nothing like live theatre- and the opening night of Spring Awakening was no exception.

An incredibly engaging show from the moment the house lights go down and the stage lights go up, the Round House production of Spring Awakening was a strong showcasing of talent from the entire production of team and the strength of the entire ensemble was highlighted with an early act snafu.

During the impressive and athletic dance number, “The Bitch of Living,” one of the actors slightly fell through the trap door on the set, however, he did not miss a beat, nor none of the cast for that matter.

In fact, had the show not been paused for safety reasons, since there was wood from the sunken trap door sticking up and a hole in the stage itself, the actors would’ve probably kept going until intermission.

The set was quickly fixed and the actors began the show mid-song and wowed the audience with their performances for the rest of the night.

This was truly an ensemble show, and it feels odd calling out singular artists, as everyone, from the design team, to the orchestra and actors, were truly phenomenal.

Christina Sastre as Wendla and Evan Daves as Melchior are a vision to watch perform on stage.  They move with a comfort that is akin to the carefree nature of adolescents, and perform with a passion and newness that is indicative of good acting as well as a perfect fit for the young people they’re playing.  Their voices and dance abilities are strong, however their bravery in semi-nudity and simulated sexual intercourse on stage shows the actors’ great vulnerability and commitment to the narrative.

Sean Watkinson as Moritz adds a tragic element of comedy that truly emphasizes how we must embrace children.  While his character is funny at times, audiences are left wondering if they were laughing at him, not with him, once seeing his downward spiral.  Further Watkinson’s strong acting shows a journey of a young man who could have been helped and saved with the assistance of adults who listened and took him seriously, as opposed to hurting him.

Tonya Beckman and Bobby Smith as The Adult Women and The Adult Men were a dynamic duo.  The actors, whose faces became quickly recognizable, brought different characteristics to each adult they played to make their characters distinguishable.

Standout performances from the ensemble included that of Howard University senior Kalen Robinson, who shined as one of the schoolgirls, Thea, and Michael J. Mainwarming as Otta and Ulbrecht.  

Finally, the creative and design elements included in Spring Awakening were outstanding.  The costume design by Sarah Cubbage was perfect, and included fun detail such as colorful hair. The scenic design by Adam Rigg was strikingly effective with a lot of key and moving elements such as a revolving stage, mirror walls and trap doors, and even with the small set issue, the ability to fix it with such a quickness showed the quality of the set and crew working on it.  The lighting by Colin K. Biles helped set the ambiance in a major way and became a character in itself with transitions and recognizable colors and tricks that allowed for seamless shifts. The sound design by Matthew Nielsen and beautiful music direction by James Cunningham was stellar and essential to the storytelling. The choreography by Paul McGill was incredibly engaging and made watching the actors move quite enjoyable and the fight direction by Casey Kaleba had each physical conflict appear authentic.  Lorraine Ressegger-Slone, the intimacy consultant, also deserves a major shoutout, as watching the sexual moments on stage also seemed realistic, without either actor appearing uncomfortable outside of the acting itself.

Spring Awakening will be running at Round House Theatre, located at 4545 East West Highway, Bethesda, Maryland, will be running until Feb. 23.  For tickets and more information, visit https://www.roundhousetheatre.org/On-Stage/Explore/Spring-Awakening.